To achieve SDG 7, access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services for all must be guaranteed by 2030.
With more than 220 TWh generated in 2022, SouthAfrica leads the list of countries producing the most electricity per year in Africa. This reflects the need for electricity to run industries in Africa’s most industrialized country. In addition, some points can be highlighted:
- Total access to electricity in South Africa is 84% (WB data in 2020), with urban areas electrified at 89% and rural areas at 75% (7th most electrified countries in Africa).
- In 2022, coal continued to dominate power generation in South Africa (80.1%), followed by renewables (solar, wind & hydro) at 13.7% and nuclear at 4.6% (according to CSIR)
- Industry is the main consumer of electricity (50%), followed by the residential sector (23%) and services (18%) (according to Enerdata).
- South Africa was the 6th largest user of coal as a power source in 2020 and #tops the list when considering the share of coal combustion in electricity generation (according to Ember).
- The share of renewables (excluding hydropower) in electricity generation has been growing steadily since 2015, reaching 7.3% in 2022 (CSIR).
- IRENA reported +440 MW of wind and +232 MW of solar for net power generation capacity added to the grid in 2021.
- Eskom, which generates about 95% of the electricity used in South Africa, is considered the most polluting utility in the world.
The government has made efforts in recent years to provide access to electricity for all.
However, the biggest challenge remains decarbonizing its power generation systems. In this regard, two main initiatives can be highlighted:
- Introduced in 2011, the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme (REIPPP) is part of the South African government’s efforts to reduce the use of coal and increase renewable energy to 25% by 2030.
- The government plans to decommission up to 24GW of the country’s coal-fired power stations by 2050. In 2022, a financing agreement of about $500 million was reached with The World Bank to decommission and repurpose the Komati coal-fired power plant using renewable energy and batteries.
As part of the SDG7 targets, South Africa’s electricity system by 2050 must be affordable, available and have a positive socio-economic and environmental impact. Renewable energy is expected to be a major part of the electricity system by then, alongside coal+ccus and nuclear. With coal reserves estimated at 53 billion tons, it would be unrealistic to expect the country to be coal-free in the next few years.