Ensuring a steady electricity stream
While speculation regarding national electricity supply remains unsure, Knysna Municipality is making sure that as many residents as possible receive a steady stream.
“We all get annoyed when the electricity cuts out,” said municipal manager Dr Sitembele Vatala. “But there are still households in Greater Knysna that do not have access to this basic service yet. We are working hard to provide more households with electrical connections, and to ensure that those with existing connections receive a constant, quality supply.”
In terms of creating new connections, the municipality has budgeted R2.16-million on the electrification of informal areas in various wards. “These projects are funded from our own funding,” he said. “We’ve also allocated quite a bit of spend on existing and new electrical infrastructure,” he said.
In Sedgefield (Ward 1), overhead lines are being replaced with underground cables. Maintenance is taking place on Eastford’s substation cable and work is being done on the new Brenton substation line, both in Ward 5. In Ward 10, works related to the substation at the municipality’s workshop includes maintenance, a new 320m 22kV link from the Salt River substation and a new 400m 11kV link from the Denmar substation. Work is also being done on the new Shamrock cable and breaker in this ward, as well as maintenance at the Kruisfontein overhead line in Ward 11.
“We are looking at a combined spend of almost R19.02-million on these projects,” said Vatala. “It is a small price to pay to bring electricity to homes for the first time. And, from our side at least, to ensure that the lights stay on. It’s all part of building an inclusive, innovative and inspired Knysna.”
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