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Task Team to give direction on Eskom’s future: Expert

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Energy expert Chris Yelland says the eight-member Eskom Task Team appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa   will give some ideas on the future direction for the restructuring of the power utility.

The Task Team will advise government on how to resolve Eskom’s operational, structural and financial challenges.

Ramaphosa announced the appointment of the task team on Friday.

The task team members have extensive electricity, management and economic expertise. They will review the turnaround strategy that Eskom has submitted to its board of directors and assess the appropriateness of the power utility’s current business model.

Ramaphosa has requested the Eskom Sustainability Task Team that he has appointed to submit its initial recommendations by the end of January 2019.

The high-level team of eight members are: Anton Eberhard, Brian Dames, Tsakani Mthombeni, Sy Gourrah, Grové Steyn, Frans Baleni, Mick Davis and Busisiwe Vilakazi.

It will submit its initial recommendations by the end of January 2019.

The team’s assessments arise from government’s concern that a lack of adequate electricity has a negative impact on economic recovery.

Eskom says the R1,5 billion loan agreement it has signed with the French Development Agency will not significantly improve its power struggles.

The power utility, which is in almost R500 billion debt, announced on Thursday that it had entered into the agreement to support its plans to build more transmission lines on the West Coast.

Eskom spokesperson Khulu Phasiwe, however, says the money has been designated to a different project, which will not significantly improve the ongoing problems.

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