Delayed coal decommissioning won’t ‘collapse our climate commitments’

The Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) is currently assessing the impact of South Africa’s decision to delay the decommissioning of the Hendrina, Grootvlei and Camden coal-fired power stations on the country’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), which outlines the country’s decarbonisation goals. Eskom confirmed recently that Cabinet and board permission had been granted for the continued operation of the three power stations beyond their original decommissioning dates, owing to the ongoing shortage of supply and delays in adding new generation.
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Wheeling progressing in South Africa, the rest of Africa

The use of national electricity grids to wheel power from renewable-energy projects to demand centres is growing in Africa and helping to drive greater scale in the building of renewable-energy generation, says private equity investment group African Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM) investment principal Anyababa Ikem. Strides were being made to increase the ability of renewable-energy players, such as the projects AIIM invests in, to wheel power across infrastructure on the continent, he added during a May 24 briefing held by the company to showcase some of the $900-million worth of investments it had made into renewable-energy projects in Africa, to date.
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Uncertainty over coal jobs ahead of South Africa elections

Growing up surrounded by the towering smokestacks of coal-fired power stations, 22-year-old Siya Mokoena’s life is inextricably linked to the coal industry that dominates his hometown of Emalahleni in South Africa’s eastern province of Mpumalanga. Like many in Emalahleni, generations of Mokoena’s family have worked in the coal sector. His father, a miner, was laid off in March when his mine was shut down.
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