Eskom, South Africa’s biggest single carbon emitter, is involved in the country’s transition to renewable energy, delegates at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, heard at the weekend.
After a session hosted by the power utility at the South African pavilion in Baku Stadium, Business Day spoke to Priscilla Jezi, Eskom’s senior adviser for just energy transition (JET) funding, about its plan for going green.
Eskom has established a JET office to guide its shift towards cleaner energy sources, aiming for net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. South Africa is set to receive $8.5bn (R153.89bn) in climate financing, which will be allocated in tranches. About $2.6bn (R47.08bn) in initial funding is expected to reach Eskom, Jezi said.
“This initial funding will support the transition of Hendrina, Grootvlei and Camden power stations.”
Eskom plans to retire these coal stations by 2030, transforming them into hubs for renewable energy.
“One of the important lessons learnt [from Komati, the first station to be decommissioned] was the sequencing, you don’t start by shutting down until you have the social and recovery measures in place,” Jezi said.
To avoid repeating mistakes, Eskom is constructing renewable energy infrastructure — such as solar, wind and battery storage — before decommissioning plants.
Balancing energy security, affordability and sustainability remains a priority.
“We had to balance the energy trilemma, not just looking at sustainability but also ensuring energy security,” Jezi said. This careful approach is crucial given the country’s ongoing energy crisis.
This initial funding will support the transition of Hendrina, Grootvlei and Camden power stations.
— Priscilla Jezi, Eskom’senior adviser
She also noted that Eskom was not solely dependent on the $2.6bn and had already commenced development work to ensure projects were bankable, aligning with its commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
Adaptation strategies
In other sectors, water, agriculture, construction and health are taking centre stage in South Africa's adaptation strategy.
Speaking to Business Day, Tlou Ramaru, secretary-general for South Africa's Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, highlighted initiatives aimed at integrating climate resilience into national planning, agriculture and urban development.
Adaptation is vital to combat escalating climate threats such as droughts, floods and extreme weather already felt in the Global South. By building climate resilience into infrastructure and planning, South Africa can protect lives, secure resources and ensure national stability and future growth.
Ramaru, South Africa's lead negotiator on adaptation at this year’s “finance COP”, emphasised the significance of securing funding for adaptation.
“We worked with multiple sectors to develop these plans and in recent times we’ve finalised the health adaptation strategy to ensure our healthcare system can withstand climate shocks. It’s about integrating these efforts to make sure our risk and vulnerability assessments are comprehensive and sector-specific.”
The country’s national adaptation strategy identifies early warning systems and ecological infrastructure as priorities.
“We need to make sure we are able to enhance and increase the early warning system to enable response,” Ramaru said. “The national adaptation strategy has become our planning instrument that guides the country in the adaptation response.”
This comprehensive framework is rooted in the country’s commitment to address the effects of climate change across various sectors.
Human settlements
“We have mapped the risks for a lot of what we call human settlement priority areas,” he said, adding risk and vulnerability assessments were central to this strategy.
“When you look at the entire [sector of] human settlements, it means human settlements should integrate climate change into the planning system in any construction, it should not be in the flood lines. That’s one ... we need a bigger sewer system that will enable flooding rehabilitation of green spaces because there is no absorption rate of the water when it is flooding.”
Rehabilitation of green spaces was also essential, as they serve as natural absorbers for excess water, he said. “You don’t have a wetland that can attenuate or suck in water,” he explained, illustrating the urgency of restoring natural ecological infrastructure.
Ramaru said they wanted to “start influencing the discussions around the build regulations to integrate the climate change projections into their standards.
“That becomes, in essence, one of the quickest, but yet an effective way of mainstreaming climate change in the build sector so they are regulated and take into account climate change.”
Agriculture
Agriculture, a sector crucial for South Africa's food security, is undergoing significant adaptation, Ramaru said. Climate-smart agriculture involved using meteorological data to inform planting decisions and choosing suitable crops.
“You need to first add the climate information to know when is the planting season, so that becomes what we call the agro-meteorological information that goes to the farmers to say, OK, these are the projections for this year. If you are having challenges with the climate [for example] you need to start farming goats, we’ll see there’s a challenge with drought coming. It differs from one region to the next.”
Given South Africa's severe water scarcity, adaptation measures are crucial. “Water is a big one from the climate lens,” Ramaru said.
The strategy includes working with the department of water and sanitation on efficiency measures and collaborating with companies to reduce water usage. The broader goal is to ensure climate change considerations are mainstreamed into water infrastructure projects.
“Evaporation happens quickly and dams start to go low,” he said, underscoring the urgency of water conservation.
Urban adaptation strategies
Urban areas face unique climate challenges, with migration to cities expected to increase. Ramaru highlighted the use of tools developed by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research to guide urban adaptation.
Projected population growth is a key factor to take into account.
Adaptation measures include creating rainwater harvesting systems and maintaining open spaces to mitigate heat.
The newly signed Climate Change Act will transform adaptation planning across all government levels, he said. “It’s changing the planning regime on climate change adaptation.”
Ramaru noted that once operational, the act would mandate comprehensive risk and vulnerability assessments across 21 sectors and provide a clear road map for provincial and district adaptation plans.
“It’s clear in who must do what, by when,” he said, describing the act as a game-changer in ensuring co-ordinated adaptation efforts.
Addressing the adaptation elements in South Africa's nationally determined contributions, (NDCs), Ramaru emphasised the ongoing revisions. All signatories to the Paris Agreement were poised to submit revised versions of the NDCs in 2025.
“There is going to be technical work to do a detailed risk and vulnerability assessment,” he said. This work will influence updates to the adaptation goals and communications already submitted.
Loss and Damage Fund
At COP29, the Loss and Damage Fund opened to contributions, marking a significant milestone in global climate action.
COP29 president Mukhtar Babayev expressed optimism: “This progress will allow us to turn pledges into real support, funding will be able to flow in 2025.”
However, the challenge remains to secure financial commitments from wealthy nations. UN secretary-general António Guterres criticised the initial $700m (R12.68bn) in pledges as insufficient, stressing the need for robust mechanisms such as solidarity levies.
“Our world is getting hotter and more dangerous. This is not a matter for debate. It is a matter of fact,” he said.
For South Africa the fund’s success is crucial. The country faces regular climate disasters, from droughts to floods. Access to the fund could protect sectors such as agriculture and water resources, ensuring long-term climate resilience.
“We want to build a system that can collect real-time data on losses,” Ramaru said.
The fund represents not just a recovery opportunity but also a chance to invest in sustainable futures for vulnerable communities.
“It all comes down to planning,” he concluded, emphasising the need for strategic adaptation and collaboration.
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