Final Adopted IDP - KZN Development Planning

ELECTRICITY PROVISION
There are two electricity distribution service providers within the area of jurisdiction
of the Ulundi Municipality (the Municipality itself and Eskom), each having a distribution
licence issued by the National Electricity Regulator of South Africa (NERSA). Provision
of electricity within the Ulundi municipal area is sourced from four substations:
• The newly built Nkonyeni substation was commissioned in 2010 and is now
operational. It is a 88/22Kv; 20 Mva substation that is fed from the Umfolozi
Transmission substation. Overhead distribution lines (22Kv) are in the process of
being constructed from the Nkonyeni substation into the Ulundi municipal area;
this multi-million Rand project will provide a backbone from which communities
across the extent of the municipal area are able to access an electricity service.
Once the backbone has been completed access will be constrained only by the
availability of funding to connect households to the supply network. Wards that
will benefit initially from electrification along the route of this line are Ward 1;
Ward 2; Ward 3; Ward 4; Ward 5; Ward 6; part of Ward 7; part of Ward 8;
Ward 9, Ward 10, Ward 11; Ward 14 and Ward 15.
• The Mtonjaneni substation is a 88/22Kv; 40 Mva substation fed from the
Umfolozi Transmission substation. There is an existing 22 Kv line from the
Mtonjaneni substation running along the Vryheid Road and into the Ulundi
municipal area; it also branches off toward Babanango, where it meets up with a
22 Kv line from the St. James substation. The existing line is being extended
towards the Quarry and the Ulundi Water Treatment Works. This extension will
benefit the communities in Ward 12, Ward 19, Ward 20, Ward 21, Ward 23 and
the southern part of Ward 16.
• A 22 Kv line from the Vryheid substation feeds into Ward 13; an interlink between
this line and the Mtonjaneni 22 Kv line was planned. It was subsequently
established that the line from the Vryheid substation does not have additional
capacity which affects the electrification possibilities in Ward 13 and the
northern part of Ward 16.
• When the Nkonyeni substation lines have been constructed and converted to 22
Kv, the existing high voltage lines through Ward 8 and Ward 14 will be fed from
the Unit D substation and initially operated on 11 Kv. On the western border of
the Ulundi Municipality an interlink will be built between the two feeders which
will provide access to the electrification of communities in some parts of Ward 8,
Ward 14, Ward 15 and Ward 24. This interlink is expected to be completed within
three years. The next phase, to be commenced in September 2012 will connect
these two networks to the Okhuku substation and be operated on 22 Kv. The
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