South Africa News Brief and Action Alert

The Renewable Independent Power Producer Programme and the Just Energy Transition Investment Plan in South Africa

August 20, 2023August 20, 2023

Climate Progress in the First Half of 2003

Rating: C Rating

 

South Africa has no recent emissions reduction statistics over the past six months of 2023. According to previous emission data statistics from all sectors, the energy sector is the primary greenhouse gas contributor, contributing about 95.2% in 2020.

Sectoral contribution to CO2 emissions (excl. FOLU) from 2000 – 2020

South Africa placed under Standing Still

Although there is no current data for 2023, the historical emissions (as shown below) note that South Africa is not on track to stay below the 1.5C° threshold.  In order to for South Africa to meet the targets, there is a need for the country to reduce its emissions by at least 366 – 436 MtCO2e (excluding LULUCF).

The Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) program proposed an increase in renewable energy capacity from 6,600 MW (excl. hydro) to 26,700 MW plus 6,000 MW in distributed PV by 2030.  In conjunction with IRP, the President has introduced the Renewable Independent Power Producer Programme (REIPPP) as part of the energy crisis plan.  REIPPP aims to bring more energy to the country’s electricity system through the private sector investment in wind, biomass, small hydro, and others. The REIPPP also aims to increase from 2,600 MW to 5,200 MW.

South Africa’s IRP aims to decommission 12 GW of the older fossil fuel plants by 2030, 1.5 GW of coal capacity by 2030, and 8.5 GW by 2040 through South Africa’s Just Energy Transition Investment plan (JETIP). The JETIP program facilitates the acceleration of decarbonisation of the power system. The table below shows the investments plan for different projects.

National infrastructure investment requirements for the South African energy sector, 2023-2027

                                               

  1. South Africa’s Just Energy Transition Investment Plan (JET IP) for the initial period 2023–2027
  2. Climate Transparency Report: Comparing G20 Climate Action | 2022 | South Africa
  3. 8th National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report for The Republic of South Africa

This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard South Africa Country Manager Rugare Zhou.

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