South Africa plans to add 8GW a year to the grid--Seetao

On June 2, 2023, South Africa's current rollout of solar and wind power to increase the share of solar and wind in the country's energy mix from 7% to 40% by 2030 is the fastest way out of the electricity crisis, according to the South African Presidency's Climate Commission (PCC). It is also the cheapest option to build the energy sector South Africa needs to stick to its global climate commitments. The PCC, which was set up by President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2020 to advise on issues such as a just energy transition, released a set of recommendations on electricity planning in South Africa on June 1. The PCC said South Africa aimed to solve its power crisis by integrating at least 8GW of wind and solar power into the grid annually over the next two to four years. About 2.5GW of new renewable energy projects are now registered with South Africa's national energy regulator. Experience shows that this target is achievable in the first three months of 2023. Ultimately, South Africa will need to add 50 to 60Gw of renewable energy by 2030. Steve Nicholls, head of mitigation issues at the PCC and climate change adviser at the National Business Initiative, said this would take the share of renewables in South Africa's energy mix to about 40 per cent. According to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, coal-fired power will account for around 80% of electricity generation by 2022, with renewables (excluding hydropower) accounting for 7%. Editor/Xu Shengpeng

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