Eskom to Seek Bondholder Approval for Plan to Spread Debt Load

  • Utility plans to distribute debt across three separate units
  • Organization restructuring to be completed in next 12 months

Electrical pylons in the Tembisa township outside Johannesburg.

Photographer: Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg
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Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd., South Africa’s state-owned electricity company, will seek bondholder approval for a plan to spread its 402 billion rand ($26 billion) of debt between three new corporate entities, according to the National Treasury.

The cash-strapped utility has developed a new corporate structure and allocated its debt between proposed generation, transmission and distribution units, the Treasury said in its medium-term budget policy statement published on Thursday. Lenders will have to approve the reorganization, it said, without giving details.