- Nkosazana Dlamini criticizes pressure to abandon coal in South Africa.
- Dlamini advised capitalizing on nuclear power plants.
Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, a member of the ANC NEC and potential presidential candidate, criticizes the West for ostensibly pressuring South Africa to abandon coal in favour of renewable energy.
This follows remarks by President Cyril Ramaphosa during the COP27 summit in Egypt when the president stated that South Africa planned to close several outdated coal-fired power facilities as part of the nation’s energy transformation strategy.
Dlamini Zuma emphasized the importance of using innovative, cleaner ways of producing energy through coal.
“In Japan, they have coal power stations which are very clean, so we must be doing that. We had this technology called Pebble Bed Modular Reactor, we abandoned it, and other countries took it.
“They are using it now to generate energy. I disagree that your grid can be solar and wind, I completely disagree. Does it make sense? It will not make sense; it doesn’t matter who is saying it,” said Dlamini Zuma.
She discussed the requirement for more nuclear power plants, particularly in light of the nation’s wealth in uranium.
Minerals and Electricity Minister Gwede Mantashe stated that a base-load energy supply should be ensured using a combination of gas, nuclear, coal, and hydro in a parliamentary discussion on a just energy transition.
Mantashe claimed that the Council does the work on carbon capture, utilization, and storage for Geoscience in association with the World Bank giving hope and belief that coal would continue to play a crucial role in our Just Energy Transition.