Share

Price hikes boost Eskom's bottom line

Johannesburg - Power utility Eskom reported a nearly 60% rise in full-year profit on Thursday owing to higher tariffs and said it would meet power demand during the winter, despite tight supplies.

State-owned Eskom, which supplies 95% of South Africa’s power, said profit in the year to end-March rose to R13.2bn from R8.4bn the previous year.

Cash-strapped Eskom has been struggling to raise the money it needs to build plants to avoid a repeat of a crisis that forced mines to shut for days in 2008 at a cost of billions of rands, but the utility has since turned the corner.

“We have secured 78% of our R300bn funding programme over the next five years and the rest will come through the roll-out of our bond programme,” finance director Paul O'Flaherty said.

He said the utility would tap international markets when the time was right, although there was nothing imminent for now.

Eskom has become more financially viable and has introduced steep increases in power tariffs in recent years to move the rates to cost-reflective levels.

It expects power supply to be tight over the next few years until the first of new power plants comes on stream by the end of next year.

The utility will add nearly 12 000 MW to the grid by 2019, which should relieve tight supplies in the world’s top maker of platinum and ferrochrome.

In case of a power deficit, the utility plans to use more expensive open cycle gas turbines to avoid blackouts. Stockpiles of coal, which feed more than 80% of its power plants, were at a healthy 39 days, it said.

During the winter season - from June to August - power usage is at its highest. Peak demand during this winter is forecast at just under 37 000 MW.  

Eskom's primary energy costs rose to R46.3bn from R35.8bn due to higher coal prices. Revenue increased to R114.8bn from R91.4bn. 

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
19.00
-0.3%
Rand - Pound
24.14
-0.1%
Rand - Euro
20.65
-0.3%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.38
+0.3%
Rand - Yen
0.13
+0.5%
Platinum
905.16
-2.0%
Palladium
1,006.63
+0.1%
Gold
2,157.24
-0.2%
Silver
24.94
-0.4%
Brent Crude
86.89
+1.8%
Top 40
66,252
0.0%
All Share
72,431
0.0%
Resource 10
53,317
0.0%
Industrial 25
100,473
0.0%
Financial 15
16,622
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders