Johannesburg - Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe said in working towards a Just Energy Transition, the energy sector in Africa should not lose sight of the fact Africa was the lowest polluter compared to developed continents.
"Even though we’re the most impacted today by the cumulative emissions generated during the industrialisation of others," he said at the Africa Energy Indaba being held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.
Mantashe said the continent was endowed with resources such as coal, oil, and gas, which were needed for baseload energy to power industrialisation. He said Africa deserved the opportunity to develop its own oil and gas infrastructure, including storage, refineries, and distribution, to cushion its people against the turbulence of global markets, and thereby secure its energy needs.
"Unlike others, Africa must invest in the research of green technologies such as carbon capture, use, and storage to minimise the impact on the planet."
"It is incumbent on all of us gathered at this indaba to align technological innovations with the types of energy sources we can produce," he said.
He added that Africa must take full custodianship of its energy and development trajectory and be certain of its outcomes.
"It is against this backdrop that financing Africa’s Just Energy Transition must receive special concessions, with more focus on developmental grants."
"I trust that this conference will bear the kind of results that will move us from the debate to practical action. Let us work together to find common solutions to our shared challenges," he said.
Greenpeace Africa activists disrupted Mantashe's opening address this morning.
Greenpeace Africa's Climate and Energy Campaigner, Thandile Chinyavanhu, said coal was a dangerous dead-end pushing South Africa to the brink of destruction, yet almost all of South Africa's electricity came from an ancient fleet of coal-fired power stations that were literally falling apart, breaking down more quickly than they could be fixed.
Chinyavanhu said fast-tracking a shift to renewable energy was clearly the solution but the biggest stumbling block, “in the way of getting us out of the oppressive darkness of the electricity crisis is standing at the podium today”.
"Minister Mantashe is too biased to see the real solutions, and his fossil fuel obsession is literally bringing South Africa to its knees and cannot remain unchallenged. Enough is enough," she said.
Chinyavanhu said Mantashe and the fossil fuel industry were colluding to force South Africans down a devastating and depressing pathway to spiralling rolling blackouts, a jobless economy, catastrophic climate change, and continued toxic air pollution.
"South Africans deserve so much better than this. A just transition to renewable energy is the best and most immediate solution to South Africa's energy and unemployment crises," added Chinyavanhu.
The Star