Metro ramps up Soshanguve power upgrades to improve supply stability

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18-11-2025
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Pretoria Rekord
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Ongoing infrastructure projects, including new substations and cable installations, aim to reduce outages and modernise the bulk electricity network serving the Soshanguve communities.

The Tshwane metro has intensified its efforts to strengthen and maintain the bulk electricity network supplying the Soshanguve area.

Over the past five years, the metro has completed three key projects: the construction of the Soshanguve JJ Substation, the upgrading of the 132/11kV Soshanguve Substation, and the refurbishment of the IA 33/11kVA Substation.

These initiatives form part of the metro’s long-term electricity stabilisation and expansion plan for Soshanguve, aimed at addressing persistent power supply challenges and replacing ageing infrastructure.

As part of this broader plan, construction of a new 10km-long 132kV overhead power line began in September 2024.

It was attended by then-mayor Cilliers Brink and Themba Fosi, the MMC for Utilities and Regional Operations at the time.

This project aims to move half of the load on the Soshanguve IA substation, which is more than 50 years old, to a new JJ Substation.

Because of the age of the IA substation, it has been overloaded for years, and was one of the causes of load reduction in Soshanguve.

Once the project is completed in August 2026, it is expected to reduce frequent power outages in Soshanguve and Winterveldt.

MMC for Utility Services Frans Boshielo announced the early completion of the IA Substation upgrade on April 4. He confirmed that the upgrades would improve power reliability in Soshanguve Blocks BB, JJ, FF, and Jukulyn.

Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya and Boshielo visited a construction site on April 21 to inspect the progress of the installation of 1 200m of underground cable.

This cable was meant to link the upgraded IA Substation to blocks BB and DD, which have very high power demands.

Moya announced the cable project should be completed by the end of the month, and confirmed that the Soshanguve W Satellite Substation was also undergoing upgrades.

The substation was previously vandalised, leaving many customers without power during faults and peak winter periods.

Load reduction was implemented again on June 10 in areas supplied by the 132/11kV Soshanguve Substation.

Metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo gave illegal connections and cold weather as reasons for the reduction. He announced the start of an ‘aggressive’ campaign to disconnect illegal connections, as these were the main factor leading to overload.

The metro also conducted planned maintenance on August 20 to replace damaged cables inside the Soshanguve 132kV substation.

Recently, Boshielo added that the metro is pleased with the progress on the overhead cable project.

“We have achieved 45% overall progress toward project completion. Construction of 64 out of the 134 required tower structure foundations has been completed, and 58 tower structures have already been assembled and installed.

“The contractor has also placed orders for the remaining materials, which are expected to be delivered in the third quarter of the current financial year,” he said.

Once complete, the power line project will allow the metro, as planned, to transfer 50% of the load from the IA 33/11kV Substation to the JJ Substation.

Boshielo said in addition to the power line construction, the municipality has set aside funds in the current financial year to replace the vandalised 11kV switchgear panels at the W Substation.

“The replacement of the switchgear panels will ensure faster fault recovery times and improved reliability of electricity supply for affected areas,” he said.

The project is scheduled to commence next month and is expected to be completed by March 2026.

He emphasised that the metro’s continued investment in electricity infrastructure demonstrates its commitment to service delivery and sustainable energy solutions.

“Our goal is to ignite service excellence by investing in long-term solutions that guarantee stable and safe electricity supply to all communities,” he added.