South Africa risks creating ‘ghost towns’ in power shift: Eskom CEO
The utility’s top executives have moved to explain why the country has continued to see blackouts.
Eskom chief executive Andre de Ruyter says that South Africa has been home to almost 100 years of coal-based power generation and that it risks creating ‘ghost towns’ if the country suddenly shifts to renewable energy sources.
Speaking to Newzroom Afrika, de Ruyter said that the government could not lock the gate of these power stations and walk away, as there are entire communities that rely on the plants for their survival.
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To remedy this, de Ruyter said that Eskom was lobbying for new industrial policies – including declaring renewable energy manufacturing areas as special economic zones.
These are geographically designated areas set aside for specifically targeted economic activities to promote national economic growth and exports by using support measures to attract foreign and domestic investments and technology. De Ruyter said this falls under the ambit of the Department of Trade and Industry and provincial governments.
“We are very much aware of these very legitimate concerns and do not underestimate the concern and anxiety in those who have invested in the coal value chain.”
The Eskom chief executive said that the focus should specifically be on the province of Mpumalanga in the coal-chain belt of towns that are likely to be the hardest hit by the shift.
Original article posted in Business Tech