Voice of America
30 Jan 2023, 00:35 GMT+10
Johannesburg - Coal-rich but energy-starved South Africa will not immediately abandon its fossil-fueled electricity generating plants as it transitions to cleaner forms of power, President Cyril Ramaphosa said Sunday.
South Africa, one of the world's largest polluters which generates about 80 percent of its electricity through coal, is in the grip of an energy crisis.
It has been blamed on ageing power stations, sabotage and theft of coal and spare parts by organized gangs.
Since 2021, the country has secured several billions of dollars in international loans and grants to support a green transition.
But Ramaphosa cautioned against 'the perception that we are called upon to make a trade-off between energy security and a just transition to a low-carbon economy.'
Addressing his African National Congress (ANC) party's senior officials, he said it was not the case 'that we must make a choice between coal and renewable energy.'
'Our energy architecture is 80-percent coal-powered, there is just no way we are going to close those power stations... just like that,' he said.
Two recently built plants, ranked among some of the biggest coal-powered stations in the world, are beset by design problems.
But they will remain operational until the end of their 40-year life span, he vowed.
'We have invested a lot of money into those power stations,' he told the ANC meeting.
Plants nearing the end of their shelf lives will be re-purposed for clean energy, he said.
South Africa's energy crisis has forced scheduled outages, ranging from two-and-half hours to 12 hours in total in a day.
Get a daily dose of Madagascar Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Madagascar Sun.
More InformationWashington, DC [US], July 3 (ANI): As Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been conferred the national honour of Ghana, Officer of the...
New Delhi [India], July 3 (ANI): The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has expressed deep concern over the abduction of three Indian...
by Xinhua writer Jiang Hanlu BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- On the banks of the shimmering Huangpu River that cuts through the Chinese...
Accra [Ghana], July 3 (ANI): Ministry of External Affair's Secretary (Economic Relations) Dammu Ravi stated that Prime Minister Narendra...
Accra (Ghana), July 3 (ANI): India and Ghana signed four Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) on Wednesday to strengthen bilateral cooperation...
Accra [Ghana], July 3 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (local time) held bilateral meeting with Ghanaian President...
ISTANBUL/PARIS/BRUSSELS: As searing temperatures blanket much of Europe, wildfires are erupting and evacuation orders are being issued...
VENICE, Italy: Over the weekend, hundreds of protesters marched through the narrow streets of Venice to voice their opposition to billionaire...
PARIS, France: France is taking stronger steps to reduce smoking. A new health rule announced on Saturday will soon ban smoking in...
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday claimed Elon Musk's success has been built on government subsidies. Without...
EVERGLADES, Florida: Over the weekend, a diverse coalition of environmental activists, Native American leaders, and residents gathered...
BEIJING, China: China's national soccer team may struggle to stir excitement, but its humanoid robots are drawing cheers — and not...