South Africa’s Energy Security in the Context of Climate Change Mitigation

The report examines South Africa's energy security, highlighting a critical over-reliance on coal-fired power generated by the state utility Eskom. It argues that this dependency creates a conflict with the country's climate mitigation goals and international commitments. The author identifies structural and institutional barriers—specifically Eskom's market dominance and a lack of coordinated government policy—that hinder the adoption of renewable energy. The report suggests that South Africa must shift from a 'business as usual' fossil-fuel path toward a 'business unusual' approach, leveraging regional hydroelectric and gas potential within the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) to ensure a sustainable and secure energy future.

• South Africa is the largest greenhouse gas emitter in Africa, accounting for 39 percent of the continent's emissions, primarily due to its industrial base and heavy reliance on coal for electricity.
• The state-owned utility Eskom dominates the energy sector, generating approximately 96 percent of South Africa's electricity and acting as the sole transmitter, which creates a monopolistic environment that obstructs the entry of independent renewable energy producers.
• South Africa's energy planning is fragmented and contradictory; while the Long Term Mitigation Scenarios (LTMS) suggest a moratorium on new coal plants, Eskom is proceeding with the construction of the Medupi and Kusile coal-fired stations.
• The 'required by science' scenario in the LTMS plan aims for a 30–40 percent reduction in GHG emissions from 2003 levels by 2050, involving a transition to nuclear and renewable sources.
• Several incentives for clean energy have been introduced, including the Renewable energy feed-in tariff (REFIT) and Tradable renewable energy certificates (TRECs), though their effectiveness is hampered by low tariffs and conflicts with other regulations.
• Demand side management (DSM) and energy efficiency are identified as the most cost-effective short-term methods to meet electricity demand, with a target of 4,255 MW of savings over 20 years.
• Regional cooperation through the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) offers significant potential to diversify South Africa's energy mix, particularly through hydroelectricity from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Mozambique.
• The transition from a 'cooperative pool' to a 'competitive pool' in regional electricity trading is underway via the Short Term Energy Market (STEM), though it is still limited by bilateral agreements and government utility monopolies.

APA

Kiratu, S. (2010). South Africa’s Energy Security in the Context of Climate Change Mitigation. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/south_africa_energy_climate.pdf

Chicago

Kiratu, Sheila. South Africa’s Energy Security in the Context of Climate Change Mitigation. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2010. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/south_africa_energy_climate.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Kiratu |first1=Sheila |title=South Africa’s Energy Security in the Context of Climate Change Mitigation |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=2010 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/south_africa_energy_climate.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kiratu2010south, author = {Kiratu, Sheila}, title = {{South Africa’s Energy Security in the Context of Climate Change Mitigation}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2010}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/south_africa_energy_climate.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }