Green Economy Journal Issue 57

ENERGY
ENERGY
What the world
is learning
from SA’s nascent
JUST ENERGY TRANSITION
INVESTMENT PLAN
Ramaphosa has been praised by global leaders for South Africa’s efforts to prevent and avert the
worst effects of human-induced climate change as part of its Just Energy Transition Investment Plan.
BY ETHAN VAN DIEMEN
South Africa’s Just Energy Transition Investment Plan (JET-IP) is
designed to accelerate the move away from coal in a way that
protects vulnerable workers and communities and develop
new economic opportunities such as green hydrogen and electric
vehicles (EVs). It is part of South Africa’s efforts to prevent and avert
the worst effects of human-induced climate change.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, US President Joe Biden, French
President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz
have commended South Africa for its commitment to clean energy
but importantly the country’s emphasis on assisting workers and
communities who will be affected by job losses as we become less
reliant on the coal industry.
Earthlife Africa director Makoma Lekalakala welcomed the five-year
R1.5-trillion investment plan, summing up why our JET-IP is a gamechanger
for South Africans. “We need clean, cheap renewable energy
to end the loadshedding caused by our failing coal fleet, and to address
the energy poverty that is hampering social justice and development
for all.”
South Africa is among the top 20 highest emitters of planet-warming
greenhouse gases in the world and accounts for nearly a third of all
of Africa’s emissions, due in large part to Eskom’s legacy dependence
on coal for electricity generation. From the way we move people and
goods around to how we light up our streets and homes, the plan seeks
to clean up South Africa’s act without leaving anyone behind.
Mandy Rambharos, former general manager of the Just Energy
Transition office at Eskom said several banks, including the World Bank
and African Development Bank, said South Africa’s plan is the best they
had seen on the table out of 14 plans from around the world. “While I
was at Eskom, we were approached by the Vietnamese, Indonesians,
Philippines and Indians ... wanting to collaborate with us.”
One of the reasons that South Africa is recognised as a leader in its
moves towards JET is because of the multistakeholder consultative
process that saw the drafting of a Just Transition Framework.
The Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) in July last year released
the framework that sets out a shared vision for JET, principles to guide
the transition, and policies and governance arrangements to give
effect to the transition from an economy that is predominantly reliant
on fossil fuel-based energy, towards a low-emissions and climateresilient
economy. Dr Crispian Olver, executive director of PCC, said
that “a lot of the international partners … are looking to build a model
[such as] in South Africa, and then expand it and replicate it elsewhere.
“We’ve also heard the same from many of our sister developing
countries and they’re not looking to exactly replicate what we’re doing
… but we’re acutely aware that countries like Indonesia, Vietnam, India,
Brazil and several African partners are all embarking on very similar
energy transitions and they’re having to grapple with the economic
and social consequences of those transitions”.
Olver shared some of the lessons that South Africa offers to other
countries. These include to:
• Be consultative
• Be inclusive
• Make use of forums such as climate commissions
At COP26, in what was hailed as a “watershed” moment for South Africa
and international collaboration, a political declaration announced the
mobilisation of $8.5-billion to accelerate our move away from its ageing,
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