Anglo Platinum has called on Eskom to provide the mining industry with clarity concerning the South African power crisis.

The world's number one platinum producer called for the mining industry to apply pressure over the issue of load shedding.

The Government has said that it would lift electricity supplies to mines by five per cent with priority going to the operations where job losses would be most severe.

Trevor Raymond, Senior Manager of Investor Relations at Anglo Platinum, said: "We need to put more pressure on Eskom for them to be clearer about what it is they are saying. How can the government, or Eskom, allocate more power if they are still load shedding?

"They need to be clear as to whether they are rationing, or whether they are prescribing or requesting," he said.

According to Mr Raymond, Anglo Platinum is operating at less than 90 per cent of its normal power supply with the flood at the Amandelbult mine causing a drop in capacity.

"The fact that we had the flood at Amandelbult, and our Polokwane smelter was off line means that we couldn't use the 90 per cent even if we wanted to," he told Mining Weekly.

Source:

Angloplat calls for clarity on additional power allocations, 07/04/08
http://www.miningweekly.co.za/article.php?a_id=130723