Watch the video: Keynote addresses from South Africa’s Minister of Electricity Dr. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa at Enlit Africa 2025
- Enlit Africa 2025 is underway at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, bringing together energy and water experts from across the continent.
- Yesterday, the conference featured keynote addresses from South Africa’s Minister of Electricity Dr. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, alongside sessions focused on renewable energy, investment, and gender equity in the sector.
Ramokgopa said that the country will not abandon coal power as base load power and emphasised that government views coal as a critical mineral. Instead the country must explore technologies to reduce green house gas emissions from coal fired power stations to meet environmental obligations. “We are not sitting with a coal problem, we are sitting with and emissions problem,” said Ramokgopa.
South Africa relies on fifteen mostly ageing coal fired powered stations that cannot meet the country’s energy demand. Read more
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Ramokgopa said that the roll out of renewables will be accellerated and nuclear power in small modular reactor form is considered a clean energy with a role to play in South Africa’s energy mix.
Ramokgopa said that government does not view gas power as a energy transition technology but rather, a destination and a main pillar of the energy mix. Gas power is seen as a source of baseload power and government will exploit gas reserves.
Ramokgopa added that the country needs R400 million in new transmission infrastructure and will persue private sector investment on a concessional basis. The country will focus on grid following and grid forming technology to avoid exposing the national grid collapsing.
Ramokgopa concluded that municipal debt of R100 billion is an existential threat to Eskom and government is focussed on addressing this problem.
Watch the video for the full speech.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
