Eskom has announced that it is suffering from a serious shortage of reserves that could affect its ability to meet electricity demand.

South Africa's major energy supplier revealed that its reserves could be challenged and will "take time to resolve".Chief Executive of the firm Jacob Maroga said that the periods of load-shedding are likely to continue until "adequate" margins are put in place.

The National Energy Regulator (NERSA) has agreed to increase Eskom's power tariff and the decision was praised by Mr Maroga, who described it as "bold, courageous" and "responsible".

Meanwhile, Mintek believes that the preconcentration of platinum ore as an initial processing step could halve energy consumption, Mining Weekly reports.

According to Carl Bergmann, a specialist at the firm, between ten and 50 per cent of energy could be saved, depending on the ore type.

"The potential energy savings are sufficiently significant for us to drop other topics off the board completely and to chase it," Mr Bergmann explained.

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Source:

ReutersPlatinum ore preconcentration slashes energy use, says Mintek's Bergmann, 18/06/08
http://www.miningweekly.com/article.php?a_id=135961