Extended outages: Areas may suffer due to technical difficulty in switching on and off
EMM's electrical system was not designed with load shedding in mind, which is definitely causing problems when the lights go out.
ALBERTON – On Thursday, May 21, Sector 38 residents were addressed by Jaco Steynberg, a representative from Ekurhuleni Energy Department, on the subject of load shedding. Steynberg initially gave some background on the issue, making the point that when the system was designed it was not made with load shedding in mind.
Residents asked how the EMM load shedding schedule has been developed as some residents feel as though they experience more power outages than others. Steynberg responded to this question by saying that the metro is looking at reworking the schedule and grouping the areas into smaller sections, to make the process more manageable.
“Alberton has an old network. The way the servers are designed makes it hard to switch on the power because of the possibility of an overload,” Steynberg stated. Areas which experience extended outages may be having this problem because of the technical difficulty involved in switching on the electricity after switching it off. Network strengthening is a long term goal for the network.
Residents also brought up questions regarding the consumption of government office buildings where it seems like power is being wasted. Residents reported seeing lights on after hours. Steynberg stated that the majority of government buildings have been converted to motion sensitive lighting systems. If there is no movement in the rooms of the building, the lights will automatically switch off.
One of the main concerns was about the perceived lack of adequate communication between the metro and the residents. Locals asked for accurate maps denoting areas to be released and longer notice periods to be provided. In response to the question of giving residents more time to prepare for load shedding, Steynberg said: “We just rely on what Eskom tells us.”
