The Department of Trade and Industry is puzzling over what to do about the R300-million worth of cash invested in power lines running to the Coega aluminium smelter – the contruction of which is now cancelled.

Giving a written reply on Wednesday to a Parliamentary question asked by Cecelia Kotsi from the Congress of the People, the minister, Rob Davies, said that his department is in the process of conducting an assessment in order to determine whether or not to claim back these funds from Eskom.

Alternatively they might redirect them to the supply of electricity for other planned projects at the Coega IDZ. He mentioned in his reply that the lines were originally built, not simply for the smelter, but for other customers too.

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