(Agence Ecofin) – Pending the 8.5 billion USD promised by several rich countries to finance the decarbonisation of the South African economy, the country remains dependent on coal. Last year, it developed additional electricity production capacities from this fossil fuel.
In South Africa, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) published its annual statistics on electricity production in South Africa for 2021 on June 7. The document indicates that the country’s energy mix remains very dominated by coal, despite an increase in renewable energies in the mix.
More specifically, electricity production comes mainly from coal, which represents 81.4% of the energy mix, or 184.7 TWh. Renewable energies contribute up to 6.7% in electricity production, or 15.2 TWh. Hydrogen represents 5.2% of the energy mix.
Furthermore, the report states that the installed capacity of coal increased in 2021, by almost 1,361 MW, this despite the government’s commitment to reduce dependence on coal for climatic reasons. The country is still a long way off. Dependence on coal is still very strong, and data shows that this energy source continues to be developed, despite the increase in renewable energy capacity.
Another report published at the end of May 2022 indicated that the energy transition in South Africa will require 250 billion dollars over the next three decades. It will therefore take much more commitment and effort from both the South African authorities and the rich countries to finance the energy transition.
Abdullah Diop
