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Johannesburg - Media24 has won a Supreme Court of Appeal case which will force mining giant BHP Billiton to reveal how much it is paying Eskom for electricity, Moneyweb reports.
The court dismissed the appeal by BHP Billiton on Friday.
The publication reported that the judgment would force the company to provide answers to three questions it posed to Eskom and BHP Billiton shortly after rolling blackouts affected South Africa in 2009.
The questions relate to the duration of their contract, the formula used to calculate the price Billiton pays for electricity, and the names of those who signed the contract on behalf of the two parties.
Journalist Jan de Lange submitted the application, in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act, in 2009.
After Billiton and Eskom refused to comply, De Lange and Media24 launched an application in the High Court in Johannesburg.
The High Court ruled in De Lange and Media24’s favour, but BHP Billiton appealed.
The appeal was dismissed.
The case refers to the price Billiton pays for electricty to run its aluminium smelters in KwaZulu-Natal.
The publication reported that the smelters use approximately 5.7 percent Eskom's total production capacity, or enough power to supply a large city.
It is unclear when Billiton and Eskom will provide De Lange with the answers to his questions. - Sapa
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