‘Karpowership demands De Ruyter retraction, denies it is corrupt’ 28 February 2023

Karpowership, the Turkish company seeking to supply power to South Africa, said it will demand a retraction from André de Ruyter, the former chief executive officer of Eskom, because it said he had inferred the firm was corrupt. The company, which generates electricity from ship-mounted, gas-fired power plants, in 2021 won about 60% of an emergency tender seeking to secure 2 000 megawatts of power to ease shortages that have plagued South Africa for almost 15 years. Court challenges from rival bidders and environmentalists and a yet-to-be resolved delay in getting Eskom, the national power utility, to sign a power-purchase agreement have stalled the deal.

In a wide-ranging interview broadcast on e.tv on February 21, De Ruyter said a search on Karpowership would reveal that "there is an extensive legacy of alleged corruption, breaches of contract and abuse" when it comes to the company’s dealings with countries that have used its ships. De Ruyter’s comments "inferred, if not directly represented, that Karpowership is corrupt," the company said in a statement sent to Bloomberg. "Karpowership unequivocally and unconditionally denies any allegations of impropriety on its part and rejects and dismisses insinuations of corruption."

…De Ruyter didn’t immediately respond to an email and text message from Bloomberg seeking a response. The government’s decision to award Karpowership the bulk of the emergency tender met stiff opposition from climate activists and other civil society organisations because of the cost of the 20-year contract and the potential environmental impact the three power plants would have. "There is absolutely no justification for concluding a 20-year agreement with a company that can raise the anchor, literally, and literally sail away with the asset the country has paid for," De Ruyter said in the interview.