Eskom looking for alternative ways to avoid load shedding

Mbasa Gqokoma
30 June 2015

Power utility Eskom said it will now look at alternative ways to obtain the money needed to buy more diesel to avoid load shedding.

This as the National Energy Regulator of South Africa rejected Eskom’s application for a 25% tariff hike.

Eskom has already had a 12% tariff hike application approved by Nersa a while back.

Eskom Spokesperson Khulu Phaiswe said for us, this simply means going back to the drawing board, we will have to revise our strategy and we will take it from there.

Meanwhile the Congress of South African Trade Union said in a statement that it does not want to see Eskom collapsing, but it wants to see Eskom management and the Board managing the important entity efficiently and effectively.

Cosatu’s Jonas Mosia said, since its inception, Eskom has been able to go back to Nersa to seek for additional tariff increase.

“We have also said that, the economy now doesn’t really need an increase in electricity tariffs because in the first quarter of 2015, the economy grew by only 1.3% and the job crisis is still a problem in South Africa” Mosia added.