(Agency Ecofin) – South Africa is the African country that emits the most greenhouse gases, mainly dominated by coal. At the end of 2021, rich countries pledged to support the country’s transition to clean energy.
The United Kingdom has just announced $1.85 million in funding for South Africa, as part of the Rainbow Nation’s ambitions for energy transformation.
Funding will be provided to South Africa between 2022 and 2023 through the UK’s Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transition (PACT) programme. The objective of this program is to provide technical assistance to the stakeholders of the South African Government committed to employment resiliency and decarbonisation of the economy in the transition region.
To strengthen this commitment of his country, COP 26 President and Member of the British Parliament Alok Sharma is on a tour of South Africa from Sunday 19 June. The journey is set to conclude on Tuesday, June 21, with South African government ministers, communities, officials involved in achieving an equitable energy transition, business leaders, and more.
, A clean and fair energy transition not only strengthens climate action, but also creates new jobs and spurs economic growth. […] With less than six months left in COP 27, the purpose of my visit is to demonstrate our continued support for South Africa to advance this commitment and build on important next steps. “, did he declare.
Indeed, at COP26, South Africa entered into a long-term political agreement with a slew of international partners, including the UK, US, France, Germany and the European Union. This is to support its transition from coal to clean energy sources. The above countries had pledged to release $8.5 billion to support the country’s decarbonisation.
, South Africa’s partnership for an equitable energy transition embodies our ambition at COP26. This country-led approach places equity at the heart of the transition from coal to clean energy and will provide South Africa with a high level of funding and support to achieve this ambitious transition. Alok Sharma is included.
However, despite announcements from partners and efforts by the South African government, the country remains heavily dependent on coal. In 2021, coal represented 81.4% of the country’s energy mix.
Furthermore, this additional funding of $1.85 million falls far short of the financial needs to ensure the country’s energy transition. In fact, according to a report published at the end of May 2022, it will take South Africa $250 billion over the next three decades to ensure its decarbonisation.
Abdullah Diopi