S. Africa govt ups pressure for lower Eskom prices, worrying industry

摘要

The coal industry’s unwillingness to lower prices to heavily indebted Eskom is raising concerns the South African government could consider more drastic measures, such as restricting exports or imposing prices controls, to get what it wants. In the last six weeks, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration has stepped up pressure on the industry to significantly lower prices to help the struggling state-owned utility manage its ZAR441bn ($30bn) debt mountain. “Discussions have already commenced with coal producers…to reduce the burden on Eskom,” said the government’s recently released road map to save Eskom.