​The City will try to assist until Friday evening, 25 October 2019, on the lower stages of load-shedding should power outages continue over the week ahead.

City-supplied customers are currently being protected during the lower stages of load-shedding due to spare generation capacity from the 160 MW Steenbras Hydro-electric Power Scheme. For instance, if Eskom is on Stage 1, City-supplied customers will not be shed, and if Eskom is on Stage 2, City-supplied customers would likely be on Stage 1.

Planned necessary maintenance of the plant, however, will start from 22:00 on the evening of 25 October 2019 and is expected to continue until May 2020.

‘The City will ensure that it helps where it can over the week ahead but we are unable to delay the necessary maintenance. The maintenance is taking place in phases so as to ensure that it is done in the time of year when power usage is lower. It would ideally have had a minimal impact on City-supplied customers were it not for load-shedding. Unfortunately, were load-shedding to continue in the weeks and months ahead, the City will most likely be unable to assist its customers with additional generation capacity.

‘It is vital for work to continue now so as to ensure that there is the possibility of additional generation before the start of the winter months of 2020 and that this vital asset is adequately maintained and in top working condition. Cape Town is the only city in South Africa that owns and operates a large pumped hydro-electric scheme.

‘All options will be explored as always and we encourage customers to be energy-wise. Not only does this reduce the load on the networks, it also reduces monthly bills. Keep all non-essential appliances switched off and your geysers too. Only switch on geysers for an hour or two per day as required. We will continue to ensure that we update our customers and residents regarding load-shedding as fast as it is humanly possible,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Energy and Climate Change, Councillor Phindile Maxiti.

How does it work?
The Steenbras pump station consists of four pumps/turbines. They are used to generate electricity when the load is high during peak times or when there is insufficient energy to meet demand (for instance during load-shedding). Electricity is generated by using the gravitational force of water flowing from the Upper Steenbras Dam to a lower reservoir situated below the pump station. The dam is managed by the City’s Water Department.

The amount of electricity that the plant can generate in one day is limited by the capacity of the lower reservoir.

Maintenance is crucial to prepare for next winter
‘The preparation phase or first phase of the maintenance at the Steenbras plant was undertaken during the summer months and was completed in April 2019. Maintenance included an internal inspection of the 132kV switchgear and overhead line repairs. This was to assess the exact extent of the maintenance that is required. Following the inspection phase, the second phase of maintenance will now take place.

‘On Friday evening 25 October from 22:00 water will be pumped from the lower Steenbras reservoir to the Steenbras Upper Dam. From the next morning, the critical work of emptying the tunnel will start and it takes at least two days. Work is then expected to begin on the Monday (28 October 2019) so that the plant can again be put to good use next year,’ said the City’s Executive Director, Energy and Climate Change Directorate, Kadri Nassiep. 

As always, residents of Cape Town are encouraged to plan ahead and to follow a few simple tips to ensure that they stay connected, healthy and safe.

Tips
• Communication: Ensure that your cell phone, laptop, tablet and radio are always fully charged when power is available. This will allow you to be able to communicate with friends and family during load-shedding.
• Transport: Make sure that your vehicle always has fuel in the tank as most petrol stations are unable to pump fuel during power outages.
• Cash: Keep some cash on you as ATMs cannot operate without electricity
•  Security and safety: Backup batteries for electric gates, garage doors and security systems should be kept in a good working condition and be able to last through periods of load-shedding. Store temporary lighting such as battery-powered torches, gas lamps and candles in places where they will be easy to find in the dark
• Eating: If you do not have a gas stove, prepare meals before the power is scheduled to be switched off. Boil water in your kettle and keep it in thermos flasks for hot drinks. You can also use an insulating cover on teapots, pots and pans to keep drinks and meals warm
• Medication: Most medication requiring refrigeration can be kept in a closed fridge for several hours without spoiling, but you should check with your doctor or pharmacist if in doubt
• Traffic lights: Intersections with traffic lights that are not working because of load-shedding should be treated as four-way-stops. The motorist who stops first may proceed first if the way is clear and safe to do so. Please stay calm and follow defensive driving techniques

Be energy-wise
• Switch off those appliances that you don’t need
• Switch off your geyser and only switch it on for up to two hours per day. This will save a lot of electricity and it will save you money
• Delay switching on lights and appliances until after the peak periods (between 17:00 and 21:00) whenever possible
• Switch off your pool pump, geyser and other large electrical equipment, and never run both at the same time
• Adjust air conditioners to 23 degrees Celsius if you need to use them
• Visit https:// www.SavingElectricity.org.za for more tips to save electricity and follow load-shedding developments on /loadshedding

Nuisance tripping
When power is restored after load-shedding, nuisance tripping sometimes occurs.

This is when the power is restored to an area and fails to come back on in some parts. The power outage often goes unreported because residents assume that it is due to load-shedding. If customers experience an outage at an unscheduled time, or the electricity supply remains off for longer than the period specified in the schedule, please SMS the details to the City’s Technical Operations Centre on 31220.
 
Residents are encouraged to reduce the risk and occurrence of nuisance tripping by switching off appliances, including geysers, air conditioners and pool pumps prior to load-shedding and leaving one light on to indicate the return of the supply.
 
We thank our residents in advance for their understanding.

More information on load-shedding
Load-shedding announcements by Eskom are typically made with very short notice.

Please continue to follow the City on Facebook and Twitter for Eskom load-shedding alerts. City-supplied customers will be directed to the City’s website  /loadshedding for updates and for accessing the load-shedding schedule. Eskom customers should please visit https://www.loadshedding.eskom.co.za

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