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TIPS Webinar - Unravelling South Africa's Just Transition: Unpacking the energy-level impacts

  • Date: Tuesday, 17 November 2020
  • Venue: Webinar
 
Presentations and reports
 
Mandy Rambharos - Eskom
 

Richard Halsey - Project90by2030

Presentation: Remaking our energy future

Report: Remaking Our Energy Future: Towards a Just Energy Transition (JET) in South Africa

Nthabiseng Mohlakoana - Centre for Complex Systems in Transition 

Presentation: Unravelling South Africa's Just Transition: Unpacking the energy-level impacts

Dominic Brown - Economic Justice Programme, Alternative Information and Development Centre

Presentation: Why only the public can save us

Report: Eskom Transformed - Achieving a Just Energy Transition for South Africa

Media
 

Angelo Coppola, AfricaLive on CGTN Africa. 19 November 2020. Interview with Gaylor Montmasson-Clair at 37.17: https://youtu.be/VRm0uJQ0Tug

Lameez Omarjee, Fin24. 18 November 2020: Eskom plans for coal-fired plant closures as it eyes zero emissions 

Terence Creamer, Engineering News. 17 November 2020: Eskom moves to finalise just energy transition framework as shutdown of grootblei and hendrina draws nea

Background

South Africa, a carbon-intensive economy, has initiated a transition to a more sustainable development pathway. While this is an economy-wide transformation, the transformation of the electricity supply industry (ESI) is at the centre of this shift. In a highly unequal society like South Africa, the need for a just transition, which would empower vulnerable stakeholders, has emerged as an imperative. This has implications for the workers, businesses and communities relying, for their livelihood, on the existing and/or transformed ESI. It also has critical implications in terms of access to energy from households and other customers. 

This dialogue aims to inform this just transition process. It explores the ground-level impacts associated with a just transition away from coal. It builds on two previous dialogues hosted on 7 July, 29 September and 3 November.

About the Speakers

Mandy Rambharos is the Head of Eskom’s newly-established Just Energy Transition office. She was previously the utility’s Head of Climate Change and Sustainable Development and has been involved in sustainability issues for more than a decade. Mandy will present on the results from Eskom’s socio-economic impact studies and the utility’s work on developing a Just Energy Transition Roadmap.

Richard Halsey is a researcher at environmental non-governmental organisation Project90by2030. He co-ordinates the Electricity Governance South Africa network, a grouping of civil society organisations dedicated to promoting transparent, inclusive and accountable decision-making in the energy sector. Richard will present on Remaking Our Energy Future: Towards a Just Energy Transition in South Africa.
 
Nthabiseng Mohlakoana is a researcher and lecturer at the Centre for Complex Systems in Transition at the University of Stellenbosch. She has over 15 years of experience in research focusing on energy policy implementation, energy access and use as well as gender mainstreaming in the energy sector. Nthabiseng will present on the interplay between energy access issues and just transition in South Africa.
 
Dominic Brown is the Coordinator of the Economic Justice Programme at the Alternative Information and Development Centre, an activist think-tank supporting worker struggles and social movements for economic, social, and environmental justice. He focuses on political economy research and facilitates popular education and trainings with social movements and trade unions. Dominic will present on Eskom Transformed: Achieving a Just Energy Transition for South Africa.

About the Facilitator

Gaylor Montmasson-Clair is a Senior Economist at TIPS, where he leads work on Sustainable Growth. He has carried out extensive research on the transition to an inclusive green economy from a developing country perspective, with a focus on policy frameworks, industrial development, just transition and resource security.

This webinar builds on a three earlier dialogues, hosted on 7 July, 29 September and 3 November.