[miningmx.com] – ESKOM said it would interrupt power to aluminium smelters operated by BHP Billiton in South Africa in order to meet demand in South African which exceeded capacity for the first time since January 2012.
This was in terms of a contract between Eskom and BHP Billiton which allows for the power draw without notice or compensation. The contract has been heavily criticised for selling electricity at levels way below the average cost to other consumers.
Eskom could also obtain “a few hundred’ megawatts from large customers that may volunteer to give up some power allocations, said Hilary Joffe, spokesperson for Eskom.
Peak demand is forecast at 35,364MW, while the capacity to meet that is 34,970MW, a 394MW deficit, Johannesburg-based Eskom, which provides more than 95% of the nation’s power, said told Bloomberg News in an e-mailed statement.
The margin is the thinnest since power cuts struck South Africa five years ago, pushing gold and platinum prices to records as Anglo American, Impala Platinum and Harmony Gold halted operations for five days, said Bloomberg News.
