Power market opens up

WHEELING: MAJOR MILESTONE SET TO LOOSEN ESKOM'S GRIP ON SUPPLY

- Antoinette Slabbert

A major milestone in opening up the South African electricity supply market for multiple generators and off-takers, breaking the Eskom monopoly, was reached on Tuesday with the launch of a wheeling framework that includes rules for the wheeling of power across municipal distribution networks.

However, Minister of Electricity and Energy Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said Eskom would not enter into wheeling agreements involving municipalities that are in arrears on their Eskom bills.

Chris Yelland, managing director of EE Business Intelligence, said municipal arrear debt to Eskom, which is already threatening the utility's sustainability, would impede the liberalisation of the industry and limit customer choice in respect of their supplier(s) of electricity.