IN BRIEF (Page 17)

Eskom gets funds

Eskom Holdings Ltd, the South African power utility facing an expansion funding shortfall, agreed a 1.19 billion euro ($1.7 billion) loan facility with five French banks.

Eskom will borrow money from BNP Paribas SA, Calyon, Societe Generale SA, Natixis SA and Credit Industriel et Commercial, the Johannesburg-based company said. The loan will be used to partly pay for turbines being bought from Alstom SA for use at two planned coal-fired power plants, Medupi and Kusile, Eskom said. The loan is re-payable over 12 years after the commissioning of the units at the South African plants, the first of which is scheduled to start up by 2013.