South Africa would continue to pursue an energy mix while observing the country’s low carbon emission commitments for the foreseeable future, Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe has said.
The minister said the country relied on 75 percent of coal for electricity generation.
“We cannot just shut down coal generation overnight,” Mantashe said during an address to the South African Youth Economic Council in Johannesburg on Thursday evening.
He explained that the choice for an energy mix was derived from a need to secure energy supply for the country and to continue to grow the economy.
“We will continue to invest in clean energy technologies toward net zero emissions,” he said.
To date, his ministry has completed procurement of 6,422 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy through four bid windows.
“By the end of June 2021, at least 5,422 MW from these bid windows were already connected to the grid to supply energy to the nation,” Mantashe said.
The minister said his ministry was also in the process of procuring at least 6,800 MW of power from independent power producers, with a further 2,000 MW expected to be procured from the Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme.
In addition, plans are underway to extend the lifespan of Koeberg Nuclear Power Station by 20 years.
“In this regard, as approved by our cabinet, we will proceed to implement the 2,500 MW of nuclear energy, at a scale and pace affordable to South Africa,” he added.
NM/jn/APA