In a response to Reuters questions, South Africa's national treasury said it, along with President Cyril Ramaphosa's office, had appointed a consultant that it did not name to find ways to resolve the issue.
It would also allow the decommissioning of three power plants, which the government is considering delaying because of the shortages of generation capacity.
Rudi Dicks, the head of project management at the South African presidency, said there was a need to "clarify as a matter of urgency" whether the international loans could be accepted.
Of the $8.5 billion pledged to South Africa, $3 billion is from the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), a leading multilateral investor in developing countries.
In a statement it said it remained "committed to supporting South Africa's just transition from coal to clean power".
Persons:
Cyril Ramaphosa's, Rudi Dicks, Promit Mukherjee, Carien du Plessis, Olivia Kumwenda, Barbara Lewis
Organizations:
European Union, Reuters Graphics, Reuters, Partners, Investment Funds, Thomson
Locations:
JOHANNESBURG, Britain, France, Germany, United States, South Africa, Africa