The extension of South Africa’s Renewable Energy Development Zones (REDZs) to areas where coal jobs are at risk, but where grid capacity is available, represents a “great opportunity” to connect new renewable-energy generators while also supporting a just transition for coal workers, a senior official at the Independent Power Producer Office (IPPO) argued on Monday. Speaking during the virtual opening of the 2020 edition of Windaba, IPPO head of technical Pervalan Govender noted that government had hitherto not drawn on the REDZs framework, through which 11 geographical areas, including the coal region of Emalahleni, in Mpumalanga, had been earmarked for the clustering of wind and solar plants.
