Abstract:
The impact of climate change is a global challenge. The recent flooding events in South Africa
are a constant reminder that this cannot be business as usual. There is a global agreement
that climate change is caused by the burning of fossil fuels that emit greenhouse gases into
the atmosphere. A global collaboration under the UN sanctioned the Paris Agreement which
put a net zero target for the world. South Africa became part of the countries that accepted
the commitment to achieving a net zero target by 2050.
The purpose of the research was to explore perceptions of different actors in the mining
industry regarding their respective roles to understand the energy transition agenda of South
Africa, considering the challenges of energy security, energy justice, and the socio-economic
dichotomies between different actors over the institution, regime, and technology deployment,
and the impact on the environment. The research considered the energy user of the mining
sector, energy suppliers, and OEMs.
This research employed MLP theory in assessing the complexities of socio-technical
dimensions affecting the energy transition agenda in the South African mining industry. The
results showed that energy security is the primary driver of energy transition in South Africa.
Energy security trumps carbon neutrality. Solar and wind energy cannot support the baseload
demands of the mining industry, baseload comes from coal. Coal is regarded as the energy
source of choice while the lack of policy direction is seen as a major limiting factor, and the
coal phase-out is regarded as creating complex socio-economic conditions.
This research recommends that clean coal technologies be fully developed to allow the full
exploitation of coal and improve the energy security of the country. This is will be
supplemented by further deployment of renewable energy technologies. This will both mitigate
the exacerbation of socio-economic issues and create a competitive advantage for South
Africa. A collaborative-based policy must be developed to create an enabling environment to
engage in R&D of the niche technologies that are required to exploit coal and gas. This
collaboration should consider the involvement of key universities in South Africa, and Germany
as a partner.
