Go Green or Go Home: Eskom Looks Into Reducing Carbon Emissions

• Eskom is planning to take the green route, according to Group CEO André de Ruyter, who recently spoke in a University of Pretoria online lecture
• De Ruyter revealed that our country accounts for nearly half of the carbon that is emitted by the continent of Africa
• Around 44% of the aforementioned carbon emissions come from Eskom alone and this is pushing the power utility to move forward for a green future

DURBAN - On Tuesday, 17 August, Eskom's CEO André de Ruyter covered the path to a green energy future as a central point of a University of Pretoria online lecture. De Ruyter revealed that the country's economy is 25% more carbon-intensive than China, speaking per capita.

It is also double the global average. South Africa also discharges almost half of the total carbon that has been emitted by Africa. Eskom counts for around 44% of Mzansi's total carbon emissions. De Ruyter stated that due to this, it is near impossible to ignore the carbon footprint being left.

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According to BusinessLIVE, De Ruyter painted a picture of Eskom's green industrialisation future. The Group CEO explained that by transitioning to renewable energy, Eskom could push the country's green industrialisation forward.

Eskom also plans to anchor the demand for the manufacturing of green items such as electric cars. Although this may seem like a step in the right direction, there has been some backlash. According to the publication, Minister of Mineral Resources & Energy Gwede Mantashe believes that the country needs to transition in its own stride and use its coal resources.

A report by Daily Maverick revealed that De Ruyter stated that moving towards green energy will allow South Africa to have a competitive advantage in terms of exports. With this in mind, the embattled power utility is intending on following a Just Energy Transition (JET) - a shift from the current energy system to a better one.

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Arnot Opco coal mine bags 1st agreement by signing a 10-year contract with Eskom

Previously, Briefly News reported that Arnot Opco has entered into a 10-year coal supply contract with Eskom, signalling the start of its business with the state-owned power utility. The mine, situated in Mpumalanga, expressed that the agreement is the result of negotiations that have been conducted over the course of a few months.

The contract is currently Arnot Opco's first following its formation two years ago and contains a clause that permits the parties to leave the agreement after a six-year period.

The coal from the dedicated coal mine has been described by Eskom as being of high quality and if necessary could potentially be supplied to other power stations.

Source: Briefly News