This archive report was first published on 29 October 2021.
Published on October 29, 2021, South Africa's energy minister, Gwede Mantashe, announced a major investment in clean energy projects, allocating 50 billion rand ($3.3 billion) to 25 wind and solar projects.
The move aims to reduce the country's reliance on coal, which provides 80 percent of South Africa's power, making it one of the world's top 12 largest greenhouse gas emitters.
The projects are expected to add 2,583 MW of contracted capacity to the grid, a boost of roughly 4.5 percent on current capacity, according to Mantashe.
“More investment in grid infrastructure is a critical requirement to ensure participation by cheaper renewable projects in future,” Mantashe said at a news conference.
The first projects are not expected to come online until April 2024 at the earliest, as the continent's most industrialised nation struggles to meet its energy needs.
Rolling blackouts, a part of life since 2007, are hampering economic growth and stifling job creation in a country with more than 34 percent unemployment.
