Africa’s most-industrialized economy is facing mounting pressure to accelerate its energy transition. Companies in Italy and India that buy the majority of its forest fibers have asked it to halve the carbon footprint from those products by 2030 or lose access to their markets, Creecy said at an event in Johannesburg Tuesday.
The proposal will also include plans to decommission 10 coal-fired power plants, the feasibility of transitioning the automotive industry to produce electric engines as well as progress on the country’s green hydrogen program, Creecy said. South Africa has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. The country has secured a fraction of the $250 billion it will need to spend over the next three decades to fund the closing down of coal-fired plants and development of replacement green energy such as wind and solar.