The loan will support expanding the transmission network in the Northern Cape province after the government signed long-delayed power-purchase agreements in April for projects worth $4,1-billion, as well as improvements in other provinces, Eskom said in an emailed statement.
Eskom and KfW, the German development bank, have signed a $100-million (nearly R1,4-billion) loan facility to connect renewable-power projects run by independent producers to the grid.
The funding comes at a time when Eskom is struggling with finances and as President Cyril Ramaphosa tries to draw investment to the country.
“The signing of this loan facility is a positive contribution towards the successful execution of Eskom’s R72-billion funding requirement,” Eskom Chief Executive Officer Phakamani Hadebe said in the statement.
The loan forms part of the first new funding that Eskom intends signing with development finance institutions this financial year, he said.
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Source: Times Live
