Klaarwater substation explosion in Pinetown cuts power to four suburbs

What happened

A transformer exploded and caught fire at Klaarwater substation on Wilshire Road in Pinetown, west of Durban, South Africa on 13 March 2019. The fire produced large plumes of black smoke and fire and electricity department crews attended the scene. Power was cut to at least four suburbs, with reporting naming Chatsworth, Northdene, Mariannhill, Pinetown and greater Queensburgh. No injuries were reported. The eThekwini Municipality confirmed that a transformer at one of its major substations in Klaarwater had been gutted by fire, leaving the affected areas without power while crews worked to isolate the supply and restore it.

The municipality apologised to residents for the disruption. Reporting noted that almost exactly a year earlier the same site had a similar incident that caused a citywide blackout.

Contributing factors

No cause was confirmed for this event at the time of reporting. Reporting stated that an earlier, similar fire at the same site about a year before had been linked to maintenance issues.

Lessons learned

1. A transformer fire at a substation can cut power to multiple suburbs, so operators should check isolation procedures and backup supply routes.
2. Repeat fires at the same substation within a year point to maintenance or asset condition problems that need full review.
3. An earlier fire at this site was linked to maintenance issues, so operators should verify that past findings led to lasting fixes.

More lessons on worker safety and safe systems of work, maintenance, inspection and ageing assets, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

• Cause of the transformer explosion
• Transformer model and age
• Duration of the power cut
• Cost of repairs and restoration

This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.

Source

timeslive.co.za