South Africa Pushes to Delay Coal Plant Closures

  • Daily blackouts put pressure on government to secure power
  • South Africa’s renewable energy plans held back by weak grid
Vapour rises from a chimney at the Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd. Tutuka coal-fired power station in Mpumalanga.Photographer: Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg
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South Africa has told rich countries backing its $8.5 billion energy transition deal that it wants to delay the closure of some units at its coal-fired power plants, people familiar with the situation said.

Years of mismanagement and corruption have decimated South Africa’s coal-dependent power sector but connecting the renewable energy units envisaged under its Just Energy Transition Partnership will take longer than expected.