Coal critical for supporting global energy security

I spoke at the Global Carbon Congress in Prague, on the topic: Coal’s Role in Powering Growth and Development. I delivered a keynote presentation and then participated in a panel discussion with fellow speakers. 

During my presentation, I mentioned that global electricity demand is rising and the strongest growth comes from emerging economies like China, India and South East Asia.

Demand is projected to grow by at least 3.4%, with 4IR technologies like data centers and AI creating a need for more electricity. Given these dynamics, the world needs to figure out a way to keep fossil fuels like coal in the picture for baseload production.  Improvements in Eskom’s performance have given the SA economy a more positive outlook. Some experts anticipate a GDP growth of over 3% within the next 2 years.

During the panel discussion, I highlighted that the country’s worst loadshedding days may be behind us, but the system still needs reinforcements. I reiterated that all countries including SA need reliable resources to keep the lights on and the economy running. Coal plays a vital role in supporting global energy security. 

View the presentation below: