POOR SOUTH AFRICANS LIKELY TO BE HIT HARDEST BY LOOMING ESKOM TARIFF INCREASE safcei.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from safcei.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Generic image.
NATIONAL NEWS - The North Gauteng High Court has ordered that an amount of R10 billion be added to Eskom’s allowable revenue to be recovered from tariff customers in the 2021/22 financial year.
“This consent order follows Eskom’s application in terms of section 18(3) of the Superior Courts Act, 2013, that Eskom should be permitted to recover R23billion in the financial year 2021/22 as per the 28 July 2020 Court judgement,” the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) said on Tuesday.
The above consent court order follows discussions and an agreement between NERSA and Eskom.
“The agreement was informed by the fact that NERSA has already taken decisions on other Eskom applications that will be implemented in the 2021/22 financial year, which had a direct impact on the application Eskom has made to the court.
South African consumers must brace for further double-digit electricity price hikes after a consent order handed down in the North Gauteng High Court has allowed debt-strapped Eskom to recover a further R10 billion from customers in 2021/22.
The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) said consumers could expect price increases of more than 15% after the court ordered that an amount of R10 billion be added to Eskom’s allowable revenue to be recovered from tariff customers in the 2021/22 financial year.
The consent order follows Eskom’s application in terms of section 18(3) of the Superior Courts Act, 2013, that Eskom should be allowed to recover R23 billion in the financial year 2021/22 according to an earlier 28 July 2020 court ruling.
The National Energy Regulator of SA has allowed Eskom to collect an additional R6 billion of allowable revenue, in what could potentially see it implement tariff increases of up to 10.95% from April.
Eskom wants own generation consumers to pay a fair, unsubsidised contribution for using the grid.
Eskom wants those generating their own power, particularly through renewables, to pay for their use of the grid.
However, an energy expert warned this could force more users to go off-grid, leading to ramifications for poorer households which rely on subsidies from higher income households.
Nersa said Eskom s proposal will be interrogated and it plans to engage broadly with stakeholders before reaching a decision.
Eskom wants those generating their own power to pay a charge for using the grid as a back-up, but the power utility said it will not be earning more revenue if this happens.