THURSDAY, 11.00AM
ELECTRICITY parastatal Eskom yesterday announced it has made a bid for 75% of the Zambian power utility, and is investigating constructing a 400kV power line through Swaziland to Mozambique.
Eskom made the announcement at the launch of a major low-cost housing project in Midrand, with the capacity tomprovide 8 000 rental units and retail and office developments, at a total cost of between R100-million and R200-million.
Eskom has been looking at opportunities in the rest of Africa to counter increasing competition from multinationals on the continent. Eskom executive director Jac Messerschmidt said yesterday that English and French power suppliers are about to enter the Southern African market and Belgian companies are already operating in Zaire. “The location of the Zambian power supply operation is pivotal. The station sources power from Zaire and Zimbabwe and if either proved unreliable Eskom could send power north through established lines,” Messerschmidt said.
Eskom has also been involved in talks with the Swazi government about buiulding a power line through Swaziland to a proposed new aluminium smelter in Maputo. Discussions are apparently already under way with smelter stakeholders Gencor and the Mozambican power supplier EDM.