Climate commission calls for revised IRP to upscale renewables allocation to 60 GW by 2030

The Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) is recommending that the next edition of the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), which is currently under review, cater for the building of between 50 GW and 60 GW of variable renewable energy by 2030, supported by co-located storage of between 3 GW and 5 GW, as well as gas peaking support. It adds, too, that if anchored on a least-cost approach, South Africa should not build any new coal or new nuclear capacity, while also noting that renewables coupled with storage represents the only realistic technology options for resolving loadshedding in two to four years, given the long lead times involved for either coal (10 to 12 years) or nuclear (12 to 15 years).