South Africa has granted eight coal-fired power plants operated by state-owned Eskom permission to exceed air pollution and emissions limits this decade. The move comes as the country, Africa’s most industrialized economy, aims to prevent severe electricity blackouts.
Six of the coal plants have been given a five-year exemption from the country’s air quality regulations, allowing them to surpass emissions limits. Meanwhile, two other plants were granted an exemption until 2034, which aligns with their planned closure date.
However, despite these exemptions, South Africa is not providing Eskom with a full pass on emissions standards. Environment Minister Dion George emphasized at a press conference that the exemptions are tailored to each plant and come with strict conditions. “These exemptions are not a blanket reprieve,” George said, according to Reuters.
In a related decision last year, the government approved a five-year extension for five of Eskom’s older, more polluting plants, allowing them to continue operating beyond the 2025 deadline when emissions limits are set to be enforced.
South Africa is grappling with an ongoing energy crisis, marked by daily rolling power cuts that have severely impacted the economy. Eskom has struggled to increase its generation capacity to meet rising demand in recent years.
As one of the world’s largest coal producers and exporters, South Africa continues to depend on coal for the majority of its energy needs. Coal-fired power plants currently supply around 85% of the country’s electricity.
Although South Africa is working to increase the share of renewables in its energy mix, coal remains a central part of the country’s power generation. This is partly due to ongoing efforts to secure financial support from international lenders for its Just Transition plan, which aims to move toward cleaner energy sources.
Minister George reiterated the importance of renewable energy, stressing that South Africa’s future economic stability relies on increasing the share of renewables in the grid. “The transition to renewable energy is not negotiable,” George stated. “South Africa’s economic future depends on more renewable energy entering the grid, not less.”
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