South Africa to Renegotiate Landmark Coal Phase Out

South Africa is reportedly seeking to alter the terms of a landmark agreement under which it promised to cut its reliance on coal in exchange for access to $2.6 billion in funding, according to Bloomberg. The country is seeking an “adjusted approach” that pushes the decommissioning date for three major power stations to the end of March 2030. The decision is motivated by energy security concerns. The failure of a G20 nation to live up to its commitments around coal power would represent a blow to a $40-billion program known as the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), according to Bloomberg. As the first JETP nation, South Africa’s retreat from the original terms of its agreement would raise questions around the program’s viability. Meanwhile, South Africa’s efforts to build renewable power capacity are falling short. Of the 46 projects that were approved with a combined capacity of 5,939 megawatts (MW) of generation. To date, only 150 MW have been connected.