\u201cIf you are going to use Eskom on a partial basis and you have to come back when the sun is down, there needs to be a cost and a charge for you to tap into Eskom as a battery.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOtherwise, what will happen is that the consumers using the grid all the time are going to pay for the entire infrastructure costs of Eskom.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen those that come on to the grid on a partial basis will get a free benefit from the infrastructure investment funded by other customers.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf you are going to use us as a battery, then you will need to pay for that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n South African households are increasingly looking into alternatives to Eskom\u2019s supply to avoid significant price increases. <\/p>\n\n\n\n On 23 September 2024, the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) released Eskom\u2019s multi-year price determination (MYPD).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eskom is requesting total revenues of R446 billion for the 2026 financial year, R495 billion for 2027, and R537 billion for 2028.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The proposed average price hikes for Eskom\u2019s direct customers are 36.15% for the period from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the subsequent years, the utility is seeking increases of 11.81% from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027 and 9.10% from 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2028.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis application allows for an improvement in the financial sustainability of Eskom through the migration to cost-reflective prices,\u201d Eskom said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since this application was made public, customers and government members have expressed significant opposition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has said the government will intervene to provide a measure of relief from these increases. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur electricity pricing plan needs to kick in, and that is the primary preoccupation of the ministry now, working with Eskom\u2019s Distribution division and municipalities,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ramokgopa warned that these price increases are at risk of spiralling out of control and that the government\u2019s policy of providing free basic electricity is not working. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The head of the ANC\u2019s economic transformation subcommittee and Minister of Human Settlements, Mammoloko Kubayi, has also made it clear that these increases are unsustainable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs we continue pushing forward measures to reduce electricity costs, our commitment to protecting households from unsustainable tariffs is unwavering,\u201d Kubayi said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe are working tirelessly to stabilise the electricity sector and ensure subsidies and protections are in place for those most vulnerable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cElectricity must serve as a public good and not an unaffordable luxury. We aim to ensure a stable and reliable energy supply that is affordable for all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Calib-Cassim.jpg\")
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