South Africa’s state power company, Eskom, is set to meet its ambitious goal of reducing carbon emissions by 71 million metric tons annually by the end of the decade, according to its new CEO, Dan Marokane.
This commitment comes despite the company scrapping plans to retire six coal-fired power stations by 2030.
Marokane emphasized that Eskom’s immediate priority is ending the power blackouts that have severely impacted Africa’s most industrialized economy over the past few years.
The company has managed to pause blackouts in the past three months due to improved maintenance of its coal fleet and the integration of 5 gigawatts of private solar installations.
“We have a target that is clear to be met by 2030. That is the 71 million tons equivalent of CO2 (reduction),” Marokane told Reuters in an interview. “That target remains. We will meet it.”
South Africa ranks among the world’s top 15 greenhouse gas emitters and has the highest carbon intensity among the Group of 20 largest economies, largely due to its heavy reliance on coal for power.
Previously, officials expressed doubts about meeting the country’s targets under the Paris Agreement, which aims to reduce emissions to between 350 and 420 million tons by 2030, from 442 million tons in 2020.
These doubts arose after a reversal on plans to decommission eight coal-fired power plants, six by 2030 and the remaining two by 2034.
Marokane stated that Eskom will achieve its emission reduction targets by curbing emissions at three of these power stations, accounting for about half of the planned reductions, and from “other existing stations within the fleet” for the remainder.
This will be facilitated by an aggressive rollout of renewable energy capacity, reducing the need for coal.
“We’re going to build up our own renewable portfolio, and we’ll be doing it now rather than later. That’s our focus,” Marokane said.
“I think there’s a general acceptance that energy security is important … and that South Africa needs to transition (to green energy) in a very careful manner,” Marokane concluded.
