Electricity tariffs in Lydenburg will rise from July 1. This was announced yesterday, June 25, during a council briefing, where Thaba Chweu Local Municipality (TCLM) confirmed that the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has approved the municipality’s proposed new electricity tariffs.

The approved increase will raise the required monthly capacity fee by 63%. As a result, a standard house with a 40-amp breaker will be charged a capacity fee of R794.16 before any electricity purchases can be made. Basic charges will increase by 30.4%, electricity tariffs by 9%, and taxes by 3.4%.

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The capacity fee, introduced by the TCLM more than a year ago, is a rate charged by the municipality, levied on electricity bills, for reserving a specific amount of power capacity from the grid. It is billed regardless of consumption.

A detailed explanation of the new tariffs and their implications will be published in next week’s print edition of Steelburger/Lydenburg News.