South Africa’s quest for energy security threatens climate goals

South Africa is likely to prioritise energy security over its decarbonisation aspirations to avoid further damage to its economy, said James Mackay, the chief executive officer of the Energy Council of South Africa. That would involve extending the life of some of state power utility Eskom’s coal-fired plants. The cost may be reduced access to concessional climate finance and a decline in the competitiveness of South African exports as the European Union ramps up levies on imported products that have carbon-heavy production processes, he said.