With a surplus of electricity output, Eskom is now in talks with heavy industry on preferential pricing and looking for avenues to sell. ArcelorMittal South Africa CEO Wim de Klerk said on Friday that for the first time in years his company was in talks with Eskom on electricity prices, especially for its Saldanha Works, a heavy user of power. When Amsa decided to shut Saldanha Works down last winter, it said that it would close the plant permanently in two years if market conditions did not improve. However, since October last year, after cost-cutting and operational improvements, Saldanha was again operating at full capacity. "They understand we need production back and they need to sell excess electricity. We have a task force with Eskom to look at the survival of Saldanha, and electricity is crucial ... It's such good news for us as an industry and for kick-starting the economy," De Klerk said. The company said it did not yet know whether the talks would lead to price reductions...
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