“For the next two years we need to find this money to avoid or minimise load shedding‚” Molefe added.
Eskom on Wednesday warned that it needed an additional R15bn in revenue through a tariff hike this year or SA would pay a much higher price in terms of forced outages that would cost the economy more.
If granted‚ Eskom would have raised electricity prices 24.7%‚ including an environmental levy collected on behalf of the government‚ for the financial year ending March next year.
The utility has asked the National Energy Regulator of SA (Nersa) to grant it a 9.5% tariff increase for this and the next financial year‚ in order for it to purchase diesel to keep its open-cycle gas turbines running and for the short-term power purchase programme through which it acquires electricity from private producers.
This solicited angry comments from the public, some suggesting the proposed hike would further “enrich the board”.
Daisy Holbart from Kempton Park, throwed down the gauntlet and said “they gave previous CE a golden hand-shake do you expect them not to follow the suit?”
At the time of publishing Nersa had not commented.
