Energy demand in the age of AI

I delivered a keynote address at the 21st International Coal Preparation Congress, hosted by the Southern African Coal Processing Society. I spoke about the future of coal in a power-hungry world and gave insight into the growing demand for electricity as the world adopts AI technology on a massive scale.

Sustainable coal is key to meeting growing power demand. I also highlighted that pushing for coal to be phased out would cause a reduction in coal-fired power generation and negatively impact industrialisation. Although South Africa is not experiencing massive electricity demand from AI data centres like the US, its need for power stems from electricity-intensive industries like ferroalloy smelters. In addition, SA’s crisis in the smelting sector cannot be resolved without abundant and affordable coal.

View the presentation below: