South Africa

South Africa maintains an overall low rating in this year’s CCPI, falling one spot to 45th.

The country receives mixed ratings across the four main CCPI categories: very low in Renewable Energy, low in Climate Policy and GHG Emissions, and high in Energy Use.

South Africa maintain its commitment to coal

The Department of Energy revised its Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), in which the country commits to increasing its uptake of renewable energy. The plan was conceived as a subset of the country’s Integrated Energy Plan, aiming for safe and sustainable energy infrastructure and supply, which minimises emissions and balances demands. However, the CCPI country experts criticise the lack of coherence between the national GHG trajectory and sectoral energy masterplans, such as the Gas User Masterplan and the IRP, in which South Africa’s government maintains its commitment to long-term coal power. South Africa is among the nine countries responsible for 90% of global coal production, which is incompatible with the 1.5°C target.

The proposed Upstream Petroleum Development Act, under discussion in Parliament, paves the way for extensive exploitation of new gas finds both onshore and offshore. Moreover, the poor implementation of just transition commitments to date is highly undesirable. The experts regard all of this with great concern.

Initiation of a just transition is needed

Preparations for revising the national energy planning process, starting in April 2024, might signal development in the right direction. In January 2023, limits for private power generation for self-consumption were also reduced. This allows large energy consumers to invest in renewable energy, which the experts regard as a beneficial incentive.

The experts demand the urgent initiation of a just transition process to a low-carbon economy by investing in renewable energy, not in coal, gas, or new nuclear, and implementation of tax incentives for more energy efficiency investments.

Key Outcomes

CCPI experts

The following national experts agreed to be mentioned as contributors for this year’s CCPI:

• Project 90 by 2030
• James Reeler (WWF South Africa)