Coal-reliant South Africa is turning to gas power

Power failures have become routine in South Africa. At the same time, the country wants to wean itself off the coal that generates more than 80% of its electricity and makes it the world’s ­twelfth‑biggest source of greenhouse gases. Most of South Africa’s power stations are near the end of their lives. An average of about 1 000 MW of capacity is set to be decommissioned annually over the next decade, which presents an ideal opportunity to begin overhauling the energy system. The question is how.