South Africa turns to coal to meet power shortages; plans for clean fuel future

South Africa is drawing on World Bank funding to build a large coal-fired plant, to relieve strain on its overtaxed electricity grid. The loan has stoked both local and international environmental concerns: the South Africa Node notes that “SA fuel producers currently produce some of the ‘dirtiest’ quality fuel in the world.” The Node writes that Eskom, the South African public utility building the coal-fired plant “will also use some of the loan money to revive renewable energy projects.”

The Node comments that just as South Africa is expanding its coal consumption, the government is planning for a transition to clean fuels:
“meanwhile the SA energy minister has announced that a roadmap for cleaner fuels will be issued by December. This plan would cover port, pipeline, storage, as well as distribution infrastructure. It would also include future refining capacity development requirements. Key stakeholders will be consulted to inform the development of the long-term infrastructure plan.”

Implications:

the Institute for the Future writes:
South Africa will be forced to manage increasing tensions between meeting its near-term need to expand electricity production to stabilize an overtaxed grid, and long-term pressures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by transitioning to alternative energy sources.