Africa needs to build a diversified energy system

According to MiningWeekly, on Tuesday, South African Minister of Electricity and Energy Kgosientsho Ramokgopa emphasized in his keynote speech on the first day of Enlit Africa 2025, an international exhibition on power generation, transmission, distribution, new energy, and public utilities held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, that African countries, including South Africa, must enhance their capacity to fully tap into their development potential.

He called for allowing the African continent to achieve its development goals. Africa must be able to unlock its potential. As for African resources, they must be developed in a mutually beneficial and shared manner. Indeed, Africa has resources, and the continent is already a major producer of critical minerals. However, developed countries have the capital.

The challenge is that for international investors, Africa is perceived as a risky place to invest. Therefore, the lack of capital means that its resources remain untapped. For example, although Africa possesses 60% of the world's solar energy resource potential, its solar power generation accounts for only 1% of the global total.

"It is crucial that we address this issue," he said.

He pointed out that a major topic in multilateral forums is the "energy trilemma." Firstly, every country needs to ensure energy security. Secondly, there is a need for energy access, which encompasses two aspects: affordability and availability (600 million Africans still lack access to electricity). Thirdly, there is environmental sustainability.

Ramokgopa believes that environmental sustainability has received excessive attention in international forums. He argues that without simultaneously addressing the issue of energy availability, this aspect of the energy trilemma will lose credibility.

"African countries need to achieve their own energy transition with African characteristics," he said. "There is no single model for transition."

He also observed that Africa's energy consumption is only one-sixth of the global average. However, by 2040, the continent's electricity demand is expected to triple.

For South Africa, if the country is to achieve its expected development, there must be a dialogue centered around its available energy options. This is not a matter of pitching renewable energy against other forms of energy.

"All energy sources are needed," he said.