Johannesburg - Eskom, South africa's power utility, has asked the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) for a 34% nominal tariff increase.

Nersa said in a notice published in the Business Day on Friday that it received Eskom's interim price increase application on Tuesday last week.

The application requests a 25% real increase while the 34% increase makes provision for inflation.

Eskom last year asked for a 53% increase, or 60% nominal increase, to cover rising primary energy costs such as coal and the accelerated demand- side management that had been necessitated by the power crisis.

This was rejected by Nersa, which approved increases that amounted to an average 27.5% increase year on year.

At the time Nersa said it supported the smoothing of tariffs and said it sees tariff hikes of 20-25% per annum over the next three years.

- I-Net Bridge