South Africa’s energy transition is on the right track, but structural grid constraints, slow climate finance deployment and the socioeconomic realities of the coal regions threaten to hinder progress, states academic and political analyst Dr Oscar van Heerden. Van Heerden says that growing renewable-energy activity and recent regulatory reforms signal positive momentum; however, the pace and design of the just energy transition (JET) will determine whether it succeeds economically and socially.
