ESKOM boss Dan Marokane has pushed back against locking South Africa into hard deadlines for shutting down its coal plants, News24 reports.
The online publication quoted Marokane as saying that rigid targets could backfire if they undermine power supply or the economy. He was speaking at the Coal and Energy Transition Day investment conference held in Johannesburg on Thursday.
Closure decisions should hinge on whether the grid is actually ready to cope, not on calendar dates set years in advance — leaving open the door to pushing some retirements back, said Marokane. Without new generation capacity locked in and proven, a shutdown schedule stops being a genuine transition plan and risked tipping the country into another supply crisis, he said.
South Africa had originally earmarked six of its oldest stations for closure by this point, said News24. Komati has already been mothballed, since 2022, while Hendrina, Camden, Grootvlei, Arnot and Kriel are currently operating under emissions exemptions that expire in 2030 — relief granted on the understanding they’d be retired by then.
Duvha and Matla have exemptions stretching to 2034, and newer units such as Medupi and Kendal also hold waivers until 2030.
Not everyone bought the argument, said News24. Renewable-energy consultant Frank Spencer called it a distraction, insisting coal simply has no clean fix.
But James Mackay of the Energy Council of South Africa agreed the oldest plants can’t be justified economically much longer, while cautioning that any credible transition ultimately depends on fresh investment and growth returning to the economy.
