South Africa is one of the world’s most coal-dependent countries. In Mpumalanga, vast coal power plants generate most of the nation’s electricity and provide jobs for hundreds of thousands. Now, the country is planning a major shift. South Africa has pledged to reach net zero by 2050 and phase out most coal plants in the decades ahead — a critical step in the fight against climate change. But for coal workers in Mpumalanga, the transition raises a troubling question: what happens to their livelihoods? Can South Africa move toward green energy without leaving its workers behind?
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Each salaried worker supporting ten people..
Solar and Wind are too intermittent for reliability. You need Coal for the Grid to be stable.
For example China has 1,200 GW of Solar installed. It has also 1,330GW of Coal. Almost the same. But total Generation from Coal is 3.5 times to that from Solar.
Capacity factor for Solar is 14% Abd you can't really predict when it will disappear.
Coal capacity factor is above 50%.
Solar and Wind are just for topping up BUT you must run together with Coal for stability.
South Africa is making a huge mistake renewable enerygy is too expensive and unreliable for developing countries. It's very hard to industrialise with renewable energy
WHY IS EVERY NEWS ARTICLE ABOUT THE MISSING CHILDREN FROM OPRAH'S SCHOOL BEING REMOVED OFF THE INTERNET??
SOUTH AFRICAN NEWS, I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN BUT PLEASE BE AWARE
The carbon mind disease has spread to Africa
And export our coal to China where they will produce energy with coal…
These big shots spouting nonsense about clean energy… just wow. They wouldn't be saying the same things if they were hungry and unemployed. South Africa already has an electricity deficiency, and other major issues. You can say goodbye to all the money that's going to be poured into these new projects, it's gonna be syphoned out to some politicians' pockets. Useless. Future failed state, already half way there.
Dig the Gautrain underground?
Solar energy.
The open land and space in the northen cape is perfect for solar energy harvesting.
Wow you guys are covering fantasy stories as news now.
Stupidity
Now you know how it felt when the South Africans took all the British Coal production, under Thatcher.
Anc was forced by colonialists who don't have reliable and affordable energy in their countries so south Africa's development is delayed. We need nuclear power first in Africa, not through western Europe but Russia and China our partners of tough times
This is similar to the conspiracy to faminise society and institutions to delay decisive and radical leaders into power
ANOTHER anc FAILURE😅😅😅😅😅
i hate this people who are killing our country in the name of environment
In Victoria, Australia the state government created the Latrobe Valley Authority one year before the first large coal generator shutdown, to help with the transition. (I think the area overall was less dependant on the coal jobs so they had an easier job, but the authority is still worth taking a look at to see how support has been provided elsewhere.)
For anyone arguing the coal generators should be kept running – the generators being shut down in Australia are at end of life. There never was a choice to keep them running for much longer. They had to be replaced. I assume this is the same in South Africa and in many other places.
ANC destroyed peoples life's for a quick buck… They need to voted out ASAP. Stop this renewal nonsense
The ANC is leading South Africa into another corrupt African paradise. Well done.
No country can industrialise with renewable energy. None. Yet we, an underdeveloped nation, are expected to industrialise with renewables?! Man, I hate the ANC so much
Madness, hopefully the ANC will get voted out before it is too late, but coal power needs to be state owned, private money will not invest in it, way too risky.
It doesn't want to do anything except take EU and German "donations" which are expected to be used for the green transition. Our government is corrupt and is only doing this because it wants the money.
Finally! Our dependancy on coal led to a decade of loadshedding. Has poisoned our air, has poisoned our land. We've handicapped our economy, and killed thousands of South Africans for the coal mafia. The WHOLE economy suffered for one industry. No more
Everyone talking about our huge coal reserves. What about our huge natural gas reserves? We are a resource rich country, but only one resource is killing us. We can always export our coal. Coal power has been killing us AND constraining economic growth for over a decade. Load shedding is finally behind us, and coal didn’t save us
Rsa will and should burn coal for there own good.
THIS THING OF GREEN ENERGY DOES NOT WORK.. IT GOT LOT OF DISADVANTAGES ….ITS NOT EVEN REAL ENERGY LIKE COAL AND OIL…IT EVEN DAMAGES OUR DEVICES WHEN WE ARE USING IT….
i strongly believe south africa has leadership issue……..
This is absolutely devious. The politicians across the globe are actively destroying our lives. There is nothing to replace coal right now.
Not a wise plan
What a scam! Out with Politicians.
That person speaking in the end is speaking gibberish, something seems off….
The country cannot supply enough power even with all the power stations operating. How are they going to supply if they are phased out, wind and solar.🤣🤣 Any money the country gets from overseas will either be wasted or misappropriated.
1:47 Well that worked out well for them.
Dump net zero and dump the UN if you want prosperity.
The planet will thank you for all the extra plant food emitted
2:09 There is no climate crisis. It’s a scam.
2:35 He is part of the problem.
If South Africans want prosperity, sack him and close down his pointless commission.
Mpumalanga is one of the few places growing despite racists and comrades.
1) power crisis – want to push us over the edge? 2) SA is an emerging country/market – instead of pushing us to behave like "1st world countries", start negotiating on equal terms. South Africa has coal for the next x decades. Instead pf pushing to "green deal", help them/us to get the coal plants cleaner. Why did R. Habeck give a speech (2022) in Johannesburg and pushes SA to green energy, while signing a grade A coal deal behind the stage. double standards, as usual…
All the billions meant to help the country to transition from fossil fuel to clean energy will be stolen by corrupt politicians and their friends. SA is marching fast towards its inevitable collapse. Really sad state of the affairs
South Africa will thrive again when the ANC gets voted out. Until then, they will steal every penny given to them and it will continue to be a poor, dangerous country as it is now.
So South Africa is part of this green earth BS huh
But when you check N2 towards Richardsbay Harbour, Tipper trucks are transporting tons of coal to be exported to the developed world which also champions this thing of Green energy.
Makes sense load shedding and closing Power plants. What are the plan A or Plan B role outs. Oh wait they dont have any but blame it on the past
DUMBEST MOVE EVER – deliberately targeting South African industry…
Why close a powerplant that has electricity shortage. Instead they now sell the coal to China.
Why is there no private investor instead of 400 mil$ World Bank credit?
Shutting down that plant actually worsened what they call loadshedding. They could’ve invested more in nuclear, like converting that plant.
at Least This Country Can Move to Nuclear Power Our Neighbour Namibia Has Some Uranium Anyways
We should just pay the UK to help us build multiple stations like hinkley point c
People are betting on SA “getting it right”…SA literally can’t keep its lights on. I suppose it doesn’t get any greener than that 😂. Great job ANC.