Innovative coal use will support global energy security

Countries should use abundant resources at their disposal to achieve universal electrification

South Africa’s (SA) energy crisis has gradually robbed the country of its potential growth, resulting in unprecedented loss of livelihoods. While giving a keynote speech at the Africa Mining Summit which took place in Botswana’s capital city Gaborone, I referred to the SA case study as an example of the negative effects of low power generation capacity. SA experienced sluggish GDP growth of 0,6% in the second quarter of 2023 while mining production fell by 3,6% in July. This is a far cry from the country’s true potential.

I also mentioned that our slow progress was likely to affect neighbouring countries. Because Eskom is at the heart of the Southern Africa Power Pool system in generation, demand and infrastructure, its problems will impact the region. My topic on how innovative coal use will support global energy security, drew from data that supports a sustained need for coal beyond 2030. Countries like SA with abundant coal resources can benefit from the commodity’s positive attributes. Eskom’s future coal demand is projected to be between 500Mt – 600Mt by 2035.

At the current pace, countries are not electrifying fast enough to achieve universal electrification by 2030 and drastic coal cuts will only add more pressure. I emphasized that the situation could be remedied through using abundant resources like coal while taking emissions reduction measures through technologies like carbon capture to support energy security.

View the presentation below: