Coal in SA’s energy mix until 2040s, Creecy tells mining indaba

TonyFebruary 8, 2023

1 minute read

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Coal will remain in South Africa’s energy mix into the 2040s, Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Barbara Creecy said at the Mining Indaba on Wednesday. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)

Coal will remain in South Africa’s energy mix into the 2040s, Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Barbara Creecy said at the Mining Indaba on Wednesday.

“Our government has never advocated a sudden or precipitous move away from either coal fired generation or towards a low carbon economy,” Creecy told the annual conference.

“The National Development Plan and Eskom have both talked about attaining net zero emissions by mid-century, nearly 50 years from now. Building a low carbon economy and climate resilient society will not happen overnight.”

She said building a low carbon economy required wide-ranging technological, economic and societal changes for new forms of power generation, attracting new investment and prioritising the needs of vulnerable workers, people and social groupings.