29 July 2020, Johannesburg — This week, the high court ruled in favour of Eskom in its legal battle with the National Energy Regulator NERSA, allowing Eskom to implement further electricity tariff hikes. In response, Greenpeace Africa’s Acting Climate and Energy Campaign Manager Happy Khambule has said:
“While Eskom may celebrate this decision, at the end of the day it is ordinary South Africans who lose. In 2013, South Africans were paying 66c/kWh; now we must prepare to pay 128c/kWh. This is set to continue. The average price is not the price we pay for electricity. The real price is at least 10-15% more than the average, depending on where one lives. To do this to South Africans in such a financially volatile time is morally reprehensible.
“The court’s verdict makes it clear that Eskom is too big and is looking to be regulated; the regulator (NERSA) has been punched drunk by Eskom, and heavy industry as a result has forgotten its role in the electricity supply industry.
“There is a clear opportunity for renewable energy to fill the gaps at a local and household level. It will provide the security of supply we need and lessen the impact of increasing prices. The South African government must do everything in its power to make this the reality, rather than forcing South Africans to suffer in the middle of NERSA and Eskom’s power struggle.”
ENDS
Contact details
Chris Vlavianos, Greenpeace Africa Communications Officer, +2779 8837036, [email protected]
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