The high court has sided with Eskom in a dispute over the amounts energy regulator Nersa allowed the state utility to claw back from customers for electricity supplied in the 2014/2015, 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 financial years.
Figures and estimates show that independent power producers and corporate installations are close to generating as much electricity as one of Eskom’s modern power stations.
Energy regulator Nersa said on Friday it will allow utility Eskom to recover R13.3-billion from customers for electricity supplied in the 2018/2019 financial year.
Energy regulator Nersa on Tuesday defended its decision to suspend its operations during the nationwide Covid-19 lockdown, a move that has surprised energy experts.
Energy regulator Nersa took a crucial step toward allowing the government to procure emergency power and to allow the building of more privately owned power plants.
South Africa’s plans to procure more electricity-generation capacity will have to wait as long as six months until the regulator has approved a state resource strategy, the nation’s energy department said.
Haemorrhaging cash and drowning in debt, South Africa’s state power utility is trying to persuade the energy regulator to allow it to raise its prices to offset lower-than expected sales and unforeseen expenses.
Minerals & energy minister Gwede Mantashe says energy regulator Nersa has already approved 75 applications from private companies wanting to generate energy for self-use.
Eskom has lost its bid to have a court overrule the state energy regulator and allow higher tariffs.
Eskom is approaching the courts in an effort to force energy regulator Nersa to reconsider electricity tariffs for the next three financial years.
