TSHWANE — Minister of Energy and Electricity, Dr. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, emphasized that as South Africa transitions from a carbon-intensive economy to a green economy, communities must be informed, consulted, and educated about the implications of this transition.
According to South African Government News Agency, delivering an address at the Institute for the Future of Work (IFOW) seminar on South Africa’s Just Energy Transition and the Future of Work, consultations with and education of communities are essential as the country transitions and some coal-fired power stations wind down operations. “We need to answer that question by what we mean by [Just Energy Transition]. It’s also about the democratisation of the conversation. It’s important that when you move into [communities] you don’t undermine the agency and the ability of people in those areas to comprehend and understand the implications of the decisions that you want to take,” he said.
The minister highlighted that South Africa’s Just Energy Transition is expected to be an expensive process, requiring subsidies from developed nations responsible for the majority of greenhouse gases causing climate change. “There’s a ticket that’s assigned to the transition… the financing ticket. We are talking about R1.6 trillion over a period of five years. The South African balance sheet is very weak; it will not be able to carry this. So you need to design bespoke financing instruments… to help us to go this route,” Ramokgopa said.
He added that the industrialised and developed north has a moral and ethical duty to finance this transition. “Africa in total contributes about 4% to the greenhouse gas emissions. We can’t carry the same responsibility. The industrialised and developed north have got both a moral and ethical duty to ensure that they are able to finance this transition.”
Turning to South Africa’s renewable energy sector, Ramokgopa reiterated President Cyril Ramaphosa’s stance that the sector is undergoing a revolution that will create jobs and growth. “Without any hesitation, renewables are going to see the biggest exponential growth of any form of fuel in the energy mix. We are tilting towards green forms of energy. Nuclear, solar PV, hydro and wind are going to be the mainstay of this transition. Of course, we do all of these things at the pace and scale that we can afford,” he said.
Ramokgopa emphasized the affordability and scalability of solar PV and wind energy, despite their non-dispatchable nature, indicating that baseload power will remain the backbone of energy generation.