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Grid infrastructureSouth AfricaEIR-2733

Fire at Hercules Substation leaves most of Richards Bay without electricity

July 2020Published 3 Nov 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

SignificantThermal / fireProvisionalNext update 4 Nov
Estimated damageEstimated by the register's adjusterHow? Know the real figure?
Figure hidden: shown to subscribersLow confidence
supply cut for about •• daysShown in the record →Full estimate

What happened

A fire broke out at the Hercules Substation in Richards Bay, South Africa, at around 6am on a Thursday, according to a report published on 16 July 2020. Most parts of the Richards Bay area were left without electricity. Areas named in the report included Arboretum, Wildenweide, Veldenvlei, Birdswood, Alton, Mandlazini and the central business district. Electrical technicians were working to restore normal service, and the report said the outage would last for some time.

The Richards Bay fire rescue team was still putting out the fires, according to the fire department. The cause of the fire was unknown at the time of reporting. The South African Police Service could not be reached for comment. The report was to be updated when more information was received.

Contributing factors

Not reported. The cause of the fire was unknown at the time of reporting.

Lessons learned

  1. A substation fire can cut supply to a whole town, so operators should map alternative supply and load transfer routes before an incident occurs.
  2. Restoration time depends on local availability of spare equipment and crews, so critical spares for switchgear and transformers should be held close to the site.
  3. Timely public updates on outage duration and cause help communities plan while the investigation is still under way.

More lessons on outages, backup supply and restoration, electrical protection and isolation, from every incident on the register.

Source

citizen.co.za

Other entries that name Richards

Published 2026-11-03. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.

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Chart to reuse with this story: Grid infrastructure incidents in South Africa, by year, free with a credit (PNG).

Grid infrastructure incidents in South Africa: 150 entries, with a free alert for the next one.

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