Population: 57.78 million | GDP (1): $368.29 billion

According to the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy, South Africa’s total domestic electricity generation capacity is 58,095 megawatts (MW) from all sources. Currently coal is by far the major energy source for South Africa, comprising around 80 percent of the country’s energy mix. However, according to the 2019 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), 24,100 MW of conventional thermal power sources, specifically coal, are likely to be decommissioned within the next 10-30 years. While coal may be the dominant source now, its share of total capacity is likely to decrease as more renewable generation comes online in the coming years. South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) for utility-scale transactions signed 27 power purchase agreements in June 2018. The updated IRP outlines a number of steps the government will undertake to improve South Africa’s unreliable and deteriorating energy sector, focusing on greater use of natural gas, maintaining the nuclear sector, while increasing the focus on social inclusion and a “just transition plan” to renewable energy(2).