Eskom may claim increase of up to 17% in 2016
Members of the public are urged to apply today to attend the public hearings
Eskom asks for a possible electricity tariff increase of as much as 17 per cent in 2016 – a possible decision that will have South Africans see red.
This follows after Eskom withdrew its application, which they had submitted on March 31, 2015, in November 2016 to recover R38 billion, and submitted a new application in a very strange step – without giving adequate reason or following the prescribed process, says Stefan Pieterse, national spokesperson of AfriBusiness.
“In a nutshell, the process requires Eskom to submit a quarterly report, which spans a year, about its financial performance to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA). These quarterly reports are then used to predict possible tariff increases more accurately and to communicate these to users timeously,” Pieterse added.
“Eskom requested a 25 per cent increase in electricity tariffs in 2015, which NERSA denied after the public, corporate South Africa and other organisations had objected to the proposed increase. This is the power we have if we stand together,” said Pieterse.
Members of the public and the private sector have a very important voice and must submit a written application to NERSA before Wednesday, January 13 at 4.30pm to attend the public hearings of Eskom’s application or to comment on it.
Written approval can be acquired by submitting a request to Ms Triselda Mogoai at publichearings@nersa.org.za.
The public hearings of Eskom’s application will take place on February 4 and 5 February between 8.30am and 5pm at Gallagher Convention Centre in Richards Drive, Midrand.
