Eskom: Tariff hike for the good of the country

Eskom’s application for a 34% price hike is for the benefit of South Africa, the parastatal’s chief executive, Jacob Maroga, said on Monday.

‘This application should be seen as a country application which requires a country dialogue,” Maroga told the National Energy Regulator of South Africa’s (Nersa) public hearings into the tariff hike application.

‘This is not about a 34% for Eskom ... it must be driven by the aspirations of South Africa first rather than the interests of Eskom.”

Eskom’s application has raised the ire of civil society and labour movements, many of whom would present their arguments during the two-day hearings at the CSIR convention centre in Pretoria.

Nersa has received 170 submissions on Eskom’s application, 25 would be heard during the course of the hearings.

Maroga described the economic climate as ‘extraordinary”.

‘These are extraordinary times and they have an impact on us,” he said, referring to the global financial crisis causing countries across the globe to tighten their belts.

The global financial system coupled with the country’s transition from an era of ‘abundant and cheap electricity” to ‘constrained reserve margins and an increase in costs” were highlighted as key contributors to the parastatal’s application.

Eskom’s aim was to contribute to the growth of democracy and the country’s economy.

‘We want to make it our business to contribute to democracy in South Africa ...

to contribute to a thriving economy. We want not only to have power available but have power available all the time. Power is like oxygen to the economy,” Maroga said.

The parastatal needs funding for the ‘biggest capital expansion programme” the country has seen—with R385-billion being spent over the next five years. - Sapa