By Sakhile Dube*
South Africa’s shift from coal-based power plants to renewable energy sources is underway, but can the green energy sector truly replace the jobs lost in communities dependent on coal?
As one of the world’s top 15 largest emitters, South Africa faces a pressing need to transition from fossil fuel-based energy sources to cleaner alternatives. In its effort to do so, Eskom shuttered the last coal-fired unit of the Komati Power Plant in October 2022. As outlined in the shutdown plan, part of the draft Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) of 2023, the decommissioning of certain plants, such as the Camden and Grootvlei, originally scheduled between 2025 and 2027, has already been delayed. The draft IRP 2023 further indicates that stations like Hendrina and Kriel will also face delays in their shutdown schedules. However, despite these adjustments, six Mpumalanga power stations (Arnot, Camden, Grootvlei, Hendrina, Kriel, and Tutuka) remain scheduled for full decommissioning by the end of 2030.
According to the Just Energy Transition Implementation Plan 2023 – 2027, approximately 150,000 to 200,000 jobs are at risk in Mpumalanga, representing about 18% of the province’s labour force. This includes around 80,000 coal miners and 15,000 jobs in the transport sector. Other vulnerable positions encompass both formal and informal services, with some traditionally dominated by women. In total, approximately 400,000 individuals are directly or indirectly affected.
While the shift away from coal-fired power plants is a crucial step towards achieving net zero goals, this process presents an urgent need to develop and implement comprehensive plans for both plant closure and new economic opportunities within Mpumalanga. The case of Komati Power Station illustrates the immediate impact on communities that have depended on these plants for generations.
A closer look at job loses
Thevan Pillay, the acting General Manager of the Komati power station, made a presentation highlighting that the now-closed Komati Power Station, once supported a community of nearly 6000 people. In its full operation, the station employed about 60% – 70% of that population, either in permanent or contractual roles. Following the shutdown, only 218 individuals remain engaged on a contractual basis, with plans to increase employment by 168 more people in the coming years.
The chart above illustrates an analysis of the figures provided by Pillay, offering insight into the state of job losses associated with closing a power plant. It is undeniable that the decommissioning process results in the loss of many jobs, particularly when the planning lacks sufficient time. This is exemplified by the case of the Komati Power Station, which needed more than eight years of planning, as noted by Jurie Pieterse, Maintenance Manager at Komati Power Station.
The Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe, raised concerns about the “justness” of the energy transition at Komati, highlighting the significant job losses experienced during the decommissioning process. While some permanent employees remained at the site, others were redeployed to different power stations. However, the overall workforce was substantially reduced.
Pillay noted that plans are underway to replace the power station with 150 MW of solar, 150MW of battery, and 70 MW of wind power. While these projects hold promise, they are in the preliminary phases and are only expected to begin in June 2025, assuming the planning process is successful. Pillay estimates that the initial construction phase will employ around 2000 people, with approximately 200 jobs remaining for ongoing maintenance.
This highlights the reality that renewable energy projects generate significant jobs during construction, but long-term employment opportunities are typically focused on maintenance – vital but tend to be fewer in number compared to the initial construction jobs. Consequently, many laid-off workers likely face a prolonged wait until June 2025 for re-employment, and even then, the number of jobs will be lower. Given the rising cost of living in South Africa, this delay could push many into dire poverty.
According to Eskom’s projections, by 2030, approximately 660 net direct and full-time employee jobs will emerge through the repurposing and repowering of Komati. Additionally, around 8,700 temporary jobs are expected to materialise during the construction and decommissioning phases. However, the realisation of this job creation remains uncertain given the country’s high levels of unemployment, prevalent corruption, consideration of key challenges learned from Komati’s decommissioning, and Eskom’s ongoing need to further shut down more power stations.
Planned project in Komati
It is not all doom and gloom in Komati, some promising projects are beginning to materialise, as observed during the Komati Power Station tour, facilitated by the Earth Journalism Network. This includes the establishment of training facilities and microgrid manufacturing which stands out as a particularly promising initiative. This is a container with solar panels, batteries and an inverter. It costs around R2 million to set up and can power around 60 homes. Already, the success of microgrids has been demonstrated in Swartkopdam, Northern Cape, providing electricity to 39 households that previously lacked access.
With proper planning, massive employment could be created in construction, waste management, assembling of inverters, batteries, microgrids and other such initiatives. However, most of these projects are in the pilot phase.
Looking forward
Only six years remain to decrease the share of coal-fired electricity generation, which accounts for nearly 70%, almost ten times the total share of clean energy as of 2022 data. The unfortunate reality is that not all coal jobs will be replaced by renewables. However, the ongoing community training initiatives, such as those happening at Komati, show promise, if their implementation is done well.
“We need to continue consulting and communicating more on the ground to empower communities in the just transition process. So one of the key questions is how do we determine priorities within this Just Transition Framework and align to its principles to ensure we address both net zero and socio-economic goals? “says Amali Raschke, an Independent Strategic Consultant on Infrastructure, Energy and Just Transition.
*This story was made successful with the help of Earth Journalism Network
