Evaluating the Implementation of South Africa's Just Energy Transition in Coal Regions

The Just Energy Transition (JET) in South Africa is underway, and the country has plans to make the transition a reality. South Africa planned to decommission nine coal power plants by 2035 in an effort to transition its economy away from fossil fuels; however, the ongoing energy shortages and policy incoherence in the country threaten to delay these plans. Coal regions are vulnerable to job losses as the power plants are shut down. The energy transition is faced with a number of competing priorities, which include addressing socio‐economic challenges and economic development. This paper reviews Komati decommissioning, one of the first coal power plants to shut down in South Africa as part of the JET. The paper makes critical proposals for the effective implementation of the just energy transition at Komati power station as a learning curve for the next power plants facing earliest decommissioning. The paper underscores the need for integrated energy planning that looks beyond energy supply and demand, but one that seamlessly phasesout fossil fuels and phases in renewable energy and energy efficiency, and the phase‐in socioeconomic development that is responsive in time and geographic location. Based on an advanced review of South Africa's research and planning for a new energy economy, two urgent needs are identified, and these are (i) the need for systematic research for low‐cost programs in energy efficiency, and (ii) systematic research on the timing and location of the emerging opportunities.