South Africa to issue tenders for millions of tonnes of coal

South African power utility Eskom will issue at least two tenders before June for millions of tonnes of coal for its power stations, a senior official said on Thursday.

Ayanda Nteta, acting General Manager for Fuel Sourcing, said at a coal export conference in Cape Town that the tender would include its new 4,800 megawatt Kusile plant.

Nteta said Eskom was also monitoring a potential strike in the coal industry and had taken measures to ensure security of coal supply to power stations.

“In terms of security of supply, we always have mitigation in place should there be any strike in the industry,” Nteta said.

On Wednesday, South Africa’s biggest union of mine workers threatened to strike in protest over the structure of industry wage talks.

Nteta said Eskom had around 60 days worth of coal stockpiles to help offset any short-term supply disruptions.