Beyond the smoke in SA's energy revolution

JUST over 74% of South Africa’s electricity still comes from burning coal.

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In 2021, the country negotiated the Just Energy Transition Partnership with Germany, the UK, France, the US and the EU. They committed to providing South Africa with $8.5 billion (R157bn) to move away from coal to renewable energy. (In March 2025, US President Donald Trump withdrew the US and its share of the funding, about $1.5bn, or R27.7bn, from the arrangement.)

Researcher Nqobile Xaba talks to The Conversation Africa about how the partnership is going.

What has the partnership done so far?

After its launch in 2021, the Just Energy Transition Partnership attracted additional pledges from the Netherlands, Denmark, Canada, Spain and Switzerland. The total amount pledged is now $11.8 billion (R218bn).

Although the US has pulled out, the other partners remain committed to fulfilling the funding they've promised. In fact, financing has begun to flow in.

South Africa has come up with a Just Energy Transition Implementation Plan that sets out what is needed and how much it will cost to achieve a low-carbon economy.

The plan also sets out what is needed to build South Africa's ability to cope with global warming. It also proposes ways to create quality jobs, set up a stable energy supply, and boost economic growth.

To date, $583 million (R10.8bn) has been allocated to just energy transition projects. A publicly available register is keeping track of how money is spent.

South Africa is investing the funds in six focus areas: the electricity sector, green hydrogen, new energy vehicles, skills development, a just transition away from coal in Mpumalanga, and municipal capacity.

The initial funds have been used to pay for:

◆ Studies into the technical, economic, environmental and social aspects of decommissioning coal-fired power plants.