Delegates of an energy conference in Pretoria have agreed that the transition from coal to green energy will give the country better access to international markets.
They say there is an urgent need for a clear plan for the just energy transition in South Africa.
The national colloquium on electricity planning and the just transition conference was held on Friday. It was hosted as Eskom’s generation capacity continues to deteriorate.
The power utility has implemented stage five rolling blackouts for Saturday, with stage six expected to kick in from four o’clock in the afternoon.
The Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan told conference delegates the electricity sector in the country contributed over 40% to carbon emissions.
“Carbon emissions need to decrease and this is commonly accepted. How we do it, when we do it, and what mechanism each country uses, has become a lot more open today, as a result of the war in Europe.”
Speaking at the colloquium about South Africa’s continuing electricity woes, Brian Mantlana, who is with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research said, “We’re in an energy crisis. As a country, we have a fleet of old coal power plants which are becoming less and less reliable. We have a backlog in investment, transmission and distribution. As the economy is growing, the supply is not meeting that growth.”
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