The Netherlands intends to back just transition initiatives at Eskom's Grootvlei power station.
Grootvlei, in Mpumalanga, will be transitioning from a coal-fired power station to a renewable energy hub. The Netherlands will help support these efforts. The LOI supports Eskom's goals to develop and implement a climate-smart agriculture demonstration facility, agricultural activity, and the need to train community members at the station.Through this LOI, Eskom and the Netherlands seek to develop further opportunities to create jobs by training and upskilling people from the local communities.
At the time the last unit was decommissioned, there were 189 permanent employees and 364 contractors. There are now 150 permanent employees and 240 maintenance and service contractors, Eskom told News24.A 500kW agri-voltaics plant is under construction at the site. Eskom is also testing an aquaponics plant on site.
"At one of our stations, there are 700 people working there at the station and probably another 1 400 people working indirectly. And there are massive amounts of communities and towns whose economies are reliant on those power stations," said Skinner.