By Paul Burkhardt.
Power utility Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd could run coal-fired stations for years longer than originally planned to allow more renewable power to be built as the country transitions to a greener energy mix.
Coal is used to generate more than 80% of the electricity in Africa’s most industrialized economy, but the switch to cleaner sources of power to reach net zero emissions by 2050 may involve the nation’s power utility continuing to burn the dirtiest fossil fuel.
Its Camden plant in Mpumalanga province, one in a fleet of aging stations, could close in 2027 instead of 2025, Mandy Rambharos, head of Eskom’s Just Energy Transition department, said in an online presentation. Keeping the plant open longer would allow the development of more renewables and is “not a life extension,” she said.
South Africa will need to build as much as 7,000 megawatts of renewable capacity per year and reaching the net zero goal by 2050 will cost an estimated 6 trillion rand ($350 billion), according to a report by the National Business Initiative, Business Unity South Africa, and the Boston Consulting Group.
By 2030, around R480 billion of investment will be needed in the power sector alone, according to the report which was presented Thursday. While 30 gigawatts of connection to the grid is available for renewables, the same amount will need to be built in the next eight years to achieve the net zero target.
Meanwhile government continues to solicit input from many organisations and professionals to assist in identifying individuals who can come back to Eskom and help to get the old power stations back in order and mentor younger managers.
This as the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) moved to clarify its call for skilled engineers to aid Eskom.
Delivering the department’s Budget Vote in May this year, DPE Minister, Pravin Gordhan, referred to the lack of engineering and technical skills at state-owned enterprises, including Eskom.
“The experienced engineers and technical skills were mainly hollowed out as a result of State Capture and corruption over the years,” the department explained.
“Solidary wrote to the Minister to offer its assistance in identifying skilled personnel.”
According to the department, before and after the Budget Vote speech, there have been similar offers of assistance, one example being the establishment of the Ministerial Review Task Team.
“To repeat, the Minister did not approach Solidarity. He simply made a call to all organisations, including the social partners, for skilled personnel, regardless of race to avail themselves to be placed at Eskom.”