South Africa To Continue Using Coal Responsibly, Energy Minister Says

South Africa will continue to use coal responsibly while expanding renewable energy as part of a diversified power mix to secure supply and support industrial growth, Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said.

Speaking at a Nuclear and Clean Energy Conference 2026 in Pretoria, Ramokgopa cautioned against focusing solely on closing coal-fired power stations, saying energy policy should prioritise reliable and affordable electricity.

“We’ll continue to exploit coal. We’ll exploit it responsibly and there will be an exponential increase of renewable energy onto our grid. That’s what I mean by additionality,” he said.

Ramokgopa said the debate should recognise the role of different energy sources in meeting the country’s needs, with coal, nuclear and renewables contributing to a diversified system.

The department and state power utility Eskom are reviewing the coal fleet, with decisions on the future of individual stations guided by their condition, operating costs and environmental requirements, he said.

“Some stations may have a case for longer operation and others will retire,” he said.

“Those decisions have to reflect plant condition, costs and applicable environmental requirements.”

Ramokgopa said South Africa needed sufficient dependable electricity to allow manufacturers to expand production, new investments to connect to the grid and households to access affordable power.

“South Africa needs enough dependable electricity for the economy we intend to build,” he said.

“An economy with too little capacity pays for that shortage through higher cost supply and through production and investment that never takes place.”

He said coal would operate alongside nuclear and an increasing share of renewable energy, particularly wind and solar, as South Africa expanded its generating capacity.