{
  "id": 14656460,
  "title": "Johannesburg power outage: Prolonged blackouts after central substation explosion",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/johannesburg-power-outage-prolonged-blackouts-after-central",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-15T09:07:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "IOL",
    "slug": "iol",
    "url": "https://iol.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-10-15-johannesburg-power-outage-prolonged-blackouts-after-central-substation-explosion/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Johannesburg residents in the inner city are likely to endure an extended power outage following an explosion at the Central Substation on Wednesday. City Power disclosed that the blast occurred while technicians were attempting to restore electricity supply to a recently installed feeder board. The company has yet to determine the cause of the explosion. Isaac Mangena, a City Power spokesperson, explained that the device, which had initially malfunctioned on Tuesday, failed once more on Wednesday night during an attempt to restore power. At the moment of the explosion, City Power was uncertain about the extent of the damage. Due to the delay, residents and businesses are not anticipated to regain power by midday Thursday, as had been initially anticipated. Instead, a new estimated time for restoration will be announced once the site is deemed safe. The affected areas encompass Marshalltown, sections of the Inner City, Selby Street, and segments of Albert, Ellof, Commissioner, and Anderson streets. City Power urged customers to maintain a safe distance from the substation, underground cable tunnels, manholes, and other electrical infrastructure, emphasizing that teams were actively working to restore electricity, and the explosion had complicated these restoration efforts.",
  "summary": "Johannesburg inner-city residents and businesses face an indefinite power outage after an explosion at the Central Substation on Wednesday night disrupted restoration efforts and caused extensive damage.",
  "key_points": [
    "Prolonged power outage in Johannesburg after Central Substation explosion",
    "City Power unclear on explosion cause and extent of damage",
    "Restoration delayed; new estimate pending safety clearance"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}