SAfrica's Eskom says to tap global bond markets soon

CAPE TOWN, Sept 7 (Reuters) - South African power utility Eskom [ESCJ.UL] expects to tap bond markets in the United States and Europe soon, as it moves to source up to 50 billion rand ($6.92 billion) to bridge a funding gap, a top executive said on Tuesday.

Eskom, which uses mainly coal-fired power stations to supply most of the power to Africa's largest economy, needs money to fund a massive multi-billion dollar new generation build programme aimed at alleviating chronic power shortages.

"We will be looking at the US and European bond markets where we think there is a lot of appetite for Eskom," Paul O'Flaherty, Eskom's finance director, told Reuters on the sidelines of a briefing to lawmakers at parliament.

"We will have to work out when the market appetite is at its best, but it should be this calendar year, that's our intent."

Eskom is looking to tap 45 to 50 billion rand over the next three years, he said.

(Reporting by Wendell Roelf; editing by David Dolan)