South Africa’s Ramaphosa Affirms Climate Goal Amid Coal Push

(Bloomberg) — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa pledged to meet the nation’s net zero carbon emission target despite a push to keep coal-fired power plants open. 

Ramaphosa met with the Presidential Climate Change Commission on Wednesday to review reports it produced after its members met with communities and other stakeholders over the impact of the country’s climate goals, said Crispian Olver, executive director of the panel. 

South Africa has pledged to meet its net zero target by 2050. 

The nation is facing an energy crisis and Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd., the main power producer, has subjected residents to more than 10 hours of blackouts almost every day this year. That’s prompted calls to keep the country’s coal-fired plants open for longer. 

Some of the commissioners suggested mothballing rather that decommissioning the power stations, meaning they could be reopened later if needed, Olver said. 

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Business Day reported earlier that Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, the country’s electricity minister, would on Wednesday present cabinet with proposals to slow plans to close down coal-fired plants, according to his spokesperson. 

A later statement from government said that cabinet had noted the minister’s plan and requested a more detailed assessment and an outline of solutions to address the country’s energy crisis, without providing further detail.

The president also reiterated his plan to accelerate renewable-energy projects, Olver said. Ramaphosa set up the commission to advise him and to help formulate policies to cope with the effects of climate change.

Still, the commission said in its reports that the government’s 1.5 trillion rand ($82 billion) plan to transition its energy sector away from coal and win climate finance from some of the world’s richest nations was deeply flawed.

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The Just Energy Transition Investment Plan, which the government unveiled ahead of the COP27 climate summit in Egypt in November, is a key step toward securing $8.5 billion in climate finance from the US, UK, France, Russia and the European Union. That money is expected to catalyze further investment.

Still, among a swath of recommendations, the commission said the plan was woefully short on how much money would be spent on re-skilling coal miners and cushioning coal-dependent communities from the impact of a switch to green energy.

‘An Afterthought’

“Consultation has been undertaken late in the planning process, and social justice issues appear to be addressed as an afterthought rather than a central premise,” the commission said, citing its stakeholder engagements. “Skills development and economic diversification appear to be inadequately prioritized.”

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It expressed concern about the amount of money that would be spent on fostering electric vehicle and green hydrogen industries rather than leaving that to private investors. Investment could be held back by the absence of government policy needed to allow investment in both industries, it said. 

The commission recommended that a separate plan be developed to outline how South Africa would adapt to the effects of climate change. The country has been hit by a series of droughts and violent storms in recent years, threatening food security and access to water.

No Coal, Nuclear

It also urged the government to adjust its Integrated Resource Plan, a blueprint for the development of electricity provision, to provide for the addition of between 50 gigawatts and 60 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2030. It should also provide for adequate power storage in the form of batteries and between three and five gigawatts of gas-fired power.

None of the models it looked at recommended additional coal-fired power plants or nuclear power facilities, it said.

More detail will need to be given on how the expansion of the national grid will be financed, the commission said. 

(Updates with detail of commission’s recommendations from ninth paragraph)