Minister of Electricity and Energy, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa is on a working visit to China, aimed at strengthening South Africa’s energy capacity to counter the declining energy security.
The trip is also aimed at advancing the country’s transition towards a more reliable and sustainable energy system.
Ramokgopa’s visit to China comes at a pivotal moment for South Africa, as the country grapples with longstanding challenges in its electricity generation sector.
Recent improvements in generation stability, driven by targeted maintenance and operational discipline within Eskom, have created an opportunity to explore innovative solutions for enhancing baseload capacity. With an anticipated rise in electricity demand, particularly in energy-intensive sectors, it is imperative that South Africa secures the necessary technologies and partnerships to sustain economic recovery while addressing the risk of resurfacing load shedding.
"This working visit to China is not merely a technical mission; it is a strategic engagement aimed at asserting our sovereign energy diplomacy and securing the partnerships necessary for sustainable industrial development with specific interest in high voltage DC transmission and high frequency distribution smart networks,” said Ramokgopa.
The minister's delegation comprises key stakeholders from the Department of Electricity and Energy, Eskom, and the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa), which are working collaboratively to explore viable options for repurposing and modernizing South Africa's aging power infrastructure.
Additionally, the visit will support South Africa's commitment to addressing climate change while recognizing the importance of transitional fuels, such as clean coal, in achieving sustainable development goals.
Ramokgopa added that by leveraging China's experience in energy infrastructure planning and technology deployment, South Africa aims to enhance its capacity to meet current and future energy demands.
The outcomes of this visit are expected to include a technology benchmarking assessment, operational insights related to grid management, and frameworks for bilateral cooperation that will pave the way for future investments in South Africa's energy sector.
As South Africa chairs the G20 in 2025 and participates actively in BRICS+ and UNFCCC discussions, Ramokgopa added that his visit to China also emphasizes South Africa’s commitment to balancing its developmental imperatives with global climate agendas.
The objectives of Ramokgopa’s visit are multi-faceted and aligned with South Africa’s Medium-Term Development Plan 2024 to 2029.
The Department of Electricity and Energy said key areas of focus during the mission to China will include:
Advanced Clean Coal Technologies (CCTs) where the delegation will be exploring innovative CCTs that can be integrated with South Africa’s existing coal infrastructure to ensure lower-emission, high-efficiency baseload generation.
Intelligent Microgrid Systems: The Ramakopa-led delegation will also stud the design and deployment of intelligent microgrid systems that can enhance grid resilience and improve access to electricity in underserved areas.
Renewable Energy Integration: The South African mission seeks to gain insights into China's successful integration of renewable energy into its national transmission system, particularly through the capabilities of the China Southern Power Grid and the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) in managing intermittency and ensuring grid stability.
Bilateral Partnerships: Ramokgopa added that the delegation also seeks to foster State-to-State partnerships focused on energy planning, innovation, and infrastructure investment that align with South Africa’s energy transition pathway.
Collaboration to drive localisation: The mission is also exploring collaborative opportunities with major Chinese manufacturers to partner in localisation of manufacturing of key components of the transmission and generation infrastructure value chains in order to expand South Africa's manufacturing capacity, broaden the skills base and advance innovation frontiers.
Nuclear fuel cycle technology cooperation: While in China, Ramokgopa has also undertaken to study the aspects of one of the few commercially operating small modular reactors in the world and its prospects of future deployment in South Africa and the possibility of nuclear fuel cycle technology cooperation with Necsa.
"South Africa's energy security is underpinned by the urgent need to augment dispatchable renewable energy integrated with sophisticated storage ‘pump and alternative’ while ensuring grid resilience," said Ramokgopa.
In 2023, IOL reported that Ramokgopa, on behalf of the South African government, received the first consignment of energy equipment donated by China at a handover ceremony in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal.
The donated consignment was handed over to Ramokgopa by former Ambassador of China to South Africa, Chen Xiaodong.
The equipment arrived at a time when South Africa is facing massive electricity shortages, manifesting in prolonged blackouts and festering discontent over the load shedding implemented by struggling national power utility Eskom across the country.
IOL