Page 6 - AfrElec Week 14 2021

AfrElec EMISSIONS AfrElec

South Africa improves emissions

targets in updated draft NDC

SOUTH AFRICA SOUTH Africa aims to reduce its annual green- the Climate Change Bill.
house gas (GHG) emissions to 398-440mn Recent efforts by Eskom to reduce emissions
tonnes per year (tpy) by 2030, 28% less than its include its recent call for proposals to repurpose
2015-set targets. Komati Power Station in Mpumalanga with pho-
Environment Minister Barbara Creecy made tovoltaic (PV) panels and battery storage.
the new pledge this week as she launched the The utility is also conducting feasibility stud-
government’s updated draft Nationally Deter- ies on repurposing other power stations sched-
mined Contribution (NDC), which is now out uled for decommissioning, including Hendrina,
for public consultation. Grootvlei and Camden Coal Power Stations.
“We are not putting up excuses not to do In February, the Presidential Climate Change
things because there’s [coronavirus] COVID-19 Commission met for the first time to discuss how
pandemic,” Gwede Mantashe, Minister of Min- the country could develop “a just transition from
eral Resources and Energy, said about the new our current high emission economy to a low-car-
NDC. bon climate resilient economy and society.”
The NDN now stands at 398-510mn tpy for The updated draft NDC also contains a sec-
2025, 17% less than previously set in 2015, and tion on South Africa’s support requirements as
398-440mn tpy for 2030, 28% less than the 2015 a developing country. This includes the costs of
target. both mitigation and adaptation measures and
The government said that meeting these tar- defining the country’s goal for accessing inter-
gets would require the implementation of a range national support.
of policies and measures. While South Africa has accessed about $2bn
These include carrying out the investment per year in 2018 and 2019, the draft updated
plans set out in the 2019 Integrated Resource NDC proposes access to up to $8bn per year by
Plan, as well as pursuing other policies such as 2030 to meet adaptation and mitigation needs.
the Green Transport Strategy, enhanced ener- Indeed, South Africa is one of the leading
gy-efficiency programmes and the recently developing nations in terms of coal use and
implemented carbon tax. emissions.
The updated draft NDC was approved by gov- South Africa is the most coal-reliant G20
ernment on March 24 and is South Africa’s com- nation, and must embrace cheap renewables to
mitment in terms of United Nations Framework exit its electricity crisis and phase out coal, the
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Ember think-tank said in its recent Global Elec-
and its Paris Agreement (PA) to contribute to tricity Review 2021.
the global climate change effort. In 2020, 86% of South Africa’s electricity came
Indeed, all countries must submit updated from coal, against the global average of 34%. It is
NDCs ahead of the COP26 summit in Glasgow significantly ahead of the next highest G20 mem-
in November 2021. ber, India, which generates 71% of its electricity
The government said that the updated miti- from coal.
gation NDC proposes a significant reduction in The country faces considerable challenges
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions target ranges in decarbonising its coal-reliant system given
up to 2030, with the 2025 target range allowing the reliability issues plaguing the grid, and the
time to fully implement the national mitigation dire financial situation of the state-owned utility
system, including those elements contained in Eskom.™

P6 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 14 08•April•2021