Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown argued in Parliament on Tuesday that, as a 60% offtaker of coal in South Africa, Eskom should be in a position to command better coal prices and lamented the fact that the State-owned utility’s coal costs were rising at levels above inflation. “I am well aware of the need to keep a downward pressure on Eskom’s costs, particularly coal, to ensure that electricity remains affordable in an increasingly competitive environment,” Brown said in her Budget Vote address, noting that the utility’s yearly coal costs had risen to R45-billion.