Ramokgopa: SA’s energy future will remain heavily reliant on coal

Ramokgopa

Johannesburg – South Africa will continue relying heavily on coal for electricity even as Eskom accelerates efforts to reduce emissions and expand renewable energy, Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has warned.

Ramokgopa made the remarks during a visit to Eskom’s Research, Testing and Development (RT&D) Centre in Rosherville, Johannesburg, on Wednesday, where he examined technologies aimed at reducing emissions from the utility’s coal-fired power stations.

According to The Citizen, the minister said South Africa’s energy future would remain dependent on coal while the country works towards a cleaner electricity system.

The minister stressed that the challenge was not necessarily coal itself, but the emissions associated with its use.

“As I’ve always made a point before that we don’t have a coal problem, we have an emissions problem,” Ramokgopa said, according to SABC News.

He said government intended to ensure Eskom complied with minimum emission standards while investing in technologies that could make continued coal use less harmful.

The RT&D Centre is testing several technologies, including carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), direct sorbent injection, flue-gas desulphurisation and the co-firing of coal with ammonia and torrefied biomass.

Ramokgopa said these technologies could allow South Africa to “continue to exploit our natural endowments, which is coal as part of the broader [energy] mix” while meeting environmental obligations.<

The comments come as Eskom reports significant improvements in its financial and operational performance. The utility reported a R30.3 billion profit for the financial year ended March 2026, while its Energy Availability Factor improved to 65.16%.

Eskom is simultaneously pursuing renewable-energy initiatives through Eskom Green, including work on green hydrogen, while seeking to modernise its ageing coal fleet and improve its environmental performance.

“Eskom must also be able to position itself to exploit our renewable energy endowments,” Ramokgopa said.

The balancing act highlights the challenge facing South Africa’s energy transition: moving towards cleaner generation while maintaining reliable electricity and protecting energy-intensive industries that remain dependent on Eskom’s coal-based baseload power.

Recent data cited by Reuters also shows that major mining companies are increasingly investing in renewable energy to reduce their reliance on Eskom, although coal-fired generation remains important to the national grid.

Eskom said its research and development programme is intended to support both immediate operational needs and the longer-term transformation of South Africa’s electricity system.

The utility’s approach therefore points to a transition in which coal remains an important part of the power mix in the near term, while renewable energy, green hydrogen and emissions-reduction technologies are developed to reshape the energy system over time.

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