South African power utility Eskom will consider buying back ”significant” amounts of power from industrial customers in order to ease an energy crisis, CEO Jacob Maroga said on Thursday.
Maroga also said industry had responded well to an appeal to cut electricity consumption by 10% after gold and platinum mines were forced to halt production for five days last month when the company said it could not guarantee supply.
”As a result of the voluntary reduction in demand … we have been able to reduce the demand to the extent that has helped us stabilise the system,” Maroga told journalists.
South Africa has been hit by a series of power cuts since early January and Eskom has warned that power problems could last for about five more years.
Eskom has said that it will purchase surplus energy from major industries as it tries to reduce pressure on its strained power grid. — Reuters