Fire damages transformers at Wadeville 2nd Input substation, Ekurhuleni
Jan 2026Published 7 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
- Where
- Wadeville 2nd Input Substation, Ekurhuleni
- Operator
- City of Ekurhuleni
- What
- Fire damaged two 15 MVA transformers
- Cause
- Not reported
- Outcome
- Substation out of service for almost three weeks
Get the next one by email
Free alerts on grid infrastructure incidents in South Africa, and an email when EIR-0352 is updated. No account needed; unsubscribe in one click.
Confirm your email and every substation and transformer incident on the register arrives at once as a spreadsheet (CSV), free.
Get a free sample brief Three complete verified records and the incidents-per-GW table, by email within a minute.
We will also email you about the register's paid records and plans, at most once a week and three times in all. You can stop these at any time. By signing up you agree to the privacy policy.
Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): City of Ekurhuleni
What happened
A fire broke out at the Wadeville 2nd Input Substation, operated by the City of Ekurhuleni, on 31 January 2026. The blaze damaged two 15 MVA transformers, while a third transformer at the site was unaffected. City technicians were dispatched to stabilise the network and began working around the clock to repair the damage. The substation remained out of service for almost three weeks, causing widespread power outages across Wadeville, Albemarle, Castleview, Dinwiddie, Phumula, Mapleton Ex 10, Buhle Park, Rondebult, Roodekop and surrounding industrial and residential areas.
Priority for restoration was given to industrial and business customers supplied through nearby substations due to their economic importance. Power was partially restored on 5 February but had to be switched off again after batteries failed to reach full charge. A local business group assisted the municipality by arranging a crane to help replace a transformer and contributing towards costs of the crane and component manufacturing.
Contributing factors
The cause of the fire was not reported in the source. The substation was also undergoing an upgrade to increase capacity, though it is not stated whether this was related to the fire.
Lessons learned
- A substation fire that damages two 15 MVA transformers can leave the site out of service for three weeks, so operators should keep spare transformers or mobile units ready for rapid swap.
- Batteries that fail to reach full charge after partial restoration can force another shutdown, so technicians must verify all auxiliary systems before re-energising.
- An upgrade in progress at the time of the fire may affect repair priorities, so operators should record the upgrade status in any incident report.
More lessons on design, standards and commissioning, from every incident on the register.
Not yet known
- Cause of the fire
- Whether the upgrade contributed to the fire
- Model and age of the damaged transformers
- Total cost of repairs and outages
This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.
Source
Other entries that name Ekurhuleni
Published 2026-09-07. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
