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President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday that coal-rich and energy-scarce South Africa will not abandon fossil fuel-fired power plants anytime soon and move to cleaner forms of electricity.
South Africa, one of the world’s most polluting countries with about 80% of its electricity generated from coal, is facing an energy crisis.
It has been blamed on aging power plants and organized gang sabotage and theft of coal and spare parts.
Since 2021, countries have secured billions of dollars in international loans and grants to support the transition to the environment.
But Ramaphosa cautioned against “the perception that trade-offs are being called for between energy security and a just transition to a low-carbon economy.”
Addressing senior African National Congress (ANC) party officials, he said he did not “have to choose between coal and renewable energy”.
“Our energy architecture is 80% coal, and there is absolutely no way to close these plants, just like that,” he said.
Two recently constructed power plants rank among the largest coal-fired power plants in the world, but are plagued by design problems.
However, he vowed that they would continue to operate until the end of their 40-year lifespan.
“We have invested heavily in these plants,” he said at the ANC conference.
Plants nearing the end of their shelf life will be reused for clean energy, he said.
South Africa’s energy crisis has forced rolling blackouts ranging from 2.5 hours a day to a total of 12 hours.
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