Role players in the South African mining industry's perceptions of their contribution to the country's energy transition agenda

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.