Electricity and climate crises should be tackled together, says Ramaphosa

The government remains committed to reducing South Africa's carbon emissions through a just transition despite the electricity crisis, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday.

Work is under way to reduce load-shedding by improving the performance of Eskom’s power stations. “This includes returning units at Kusile and Medupi power stations to service on schedule, which will add more than 3,500MW to the grid,” he said.

The quality of coal supplied to power stations was being improved and appropriate skills, adequate funding and effective planning are being put in place for maintenance.  

“We are making progress in adding new generation capacity to the grid, buying power from neighbouring countries, fast-tracking new wind, solar, battery storage and gas projects. We have previously said we have a deficit of about 6,000MW, which we are working to close.”

There has been a surge of private investment in electricity generation after reforms were implemented to allow private companies to invest in generation projects of any size and feed power to the grid, Ramaphosa said.

“While these initiatives give us confidence that we will end load-shedding, they will take time to show results. Eskom is undertaking necessary maintenance to ensure planned outages can be limited during winter, when demand is expected to increase.”

“One of the ways in which every South African can contribute to reduce load-shedding is by switching off at peak times the home appliances that use a lot of electricity, such as geysers.”

Energy saving solutions include geyser timers or geyser blankets.

“One of the issues widely discussed in light of the electricity shortfall is the pace at which older coal-fired power stations coming to the end of their lifespan will be decommissioned.” 

South Africa has committed to reducing carbon emissions by 2030 to within a target range which, at its upper level, is compatible with limiting global warming by 1.5ºC, said Ramaphosa. 

“We remain committed to achieving this target. We need to do this to prevent the worst effects of climate change, including droughts, floods and other disasters. We also need to protect jobs in sectors of our economy that have to decarbonise to remain globally competitive.”

However, the way in which these commitments are achieved must not compromise energy security or the immediate priority of reducing load-shedding, he said.  

“In some cases, it may be necessary to re-examine the time frame and the process of decommissioning or mothballing of coal-fired power stations temporarily to address our electricity supply shortfall.”

Ramaphosa said some countries in Europe that decommissioned or mothballed their fossil-fuelled power stations are recommissioning them to address the energy shortage after Russia invaded Ukraine. 

“The process of re-examining our time frames is not a reversal of our position on the just energy transition. Other countries have had to do the same in recent years without deviating from their long-term shift to renewable energy sources.”

Any decision on decommissioning will be informed by a detailed technical assessment of the feasibility of continuing to operate older plants and the time frame in which the government can expect new capacity from other energy sources, he said.  

“The health and environmental impact of emissions from coal-fired power stations also need to be considered. In a meeting last week of the Presidential Climate Commission, it was pointed out that the transition to clean energy sources will prevent more than 400,000 avoidable deaths attributable to air pollution by 2050.”

With so much at stake, the government needs to ensure decisions are taken carefully and are informed by science and evidence. It is possible for the country to prioritise immediate energy needs without jeopardising climate commitments, he said.

“We must accelerate the pace of investment in renewable electricity generation as an important part of the plan to overcome load-shedding. How we respond to the energy crisis will determine the future of our country and the growth of our economy.

“We must be able to look back on this crisis as a crucial turning point for South Africa — as a moment where we not only worked together to overcome a national challenge but laid the foundation for a better future.”

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