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energy transitions. This issue is crucial, as such cancelled, as Beijing has been a major financial
developing nations require quick capacity addi- supporter of new coal plants on the continent.
tions to meet rising power demand, but they are Indeed, coal capacity in development in
also exposed to the costs of coal development. Africa and the Middle East fell from 21.1 GW
They are running the risk of having stranded in 2020 to 16.1 GW in 2021, a one-year decline
assets in future. of 23%, and a decline of 73% since 2015, when it
was 60.2 GW. Only 2.4 GW of new coal was com-
African hopes missioned or recommissioned in 2021 at plants
Outside China, 27 countries are still consid- in Senegal, the United Arab Emirates and South
ering new projects with a total capacity of 108 Africa, raising the region’s operating coal capac-
GW. (Among these countries, all proposals for ity from 49.8 GW in 2015 to 56.7 GW by 2021.
Morocco, Ivory Coast, Djibouti, Papua New Africa’s coal future will be dominated by
Guinea, Sri Lanka, and Uzbekistan are consid- South Africa, where 1.5 GW of additional coal
ered shelved or cancelled as of 2021.) capacity was commissioned at the long delayed
Meanwhile, 2022 will see Egypt hosting and over-budget Kusile and Medupi plants,
COP27, with an end to new coal construction bringing South Africa’s operating coal capacity
in Africa continent now being within reach, the to 43.4 GW in 2021, 76% of the operating coal
report said. capacity in Africa and the Middle East.
Although 12 countries still have coal pro- Additionally, 2 GW of coal power projects
posals – down by three since July 2021 (Ivory were presumed cancelled in 2021 in the coun-
Coast, Morocco, and Djibouti) – seven of these try, including the controversial 300 to 600-MW
countries have only a single plant under consid- Khanyisa plant backed by Saudi Arabia’s ACWA
eration, and economic headwinds, coupled with Power.
the likely loss of critical Chinese public finance, Elsewhere in Africa, Zimbabwe will be vul-
leave many projects in Africa highly unlikely to nerable to China’s exit from coal financing, as its
proceed. 5.9 GW under development, the highest figure
COP27 represents an opportunity for the for any African country, is mostly dependent
international community to support African on uncertain Chinese financing. Mozambique’s
regional leadership in the shift away from new 300-MW Ncondezi project could also be in dan-
coal, and towards a clean-energy led future. ger.™Zimbabwe is in talks with its northwestern
The report estimated that the pulling of Chi- neighbour, Zambia, for a possible electricity sup-
nese support would mean that in Africa half of ply deal to make up for an unreliable feed from
the proposed 15.9 GW of coal capacity could be South Africa, a minister has said.™

P6 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 17 28•April•2022