SA should not rush its transition away from coal, minister says

South Africa must manage its transition away from coal-fired power generation systematically and not rush a switch to renewable energy sources, Mining and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe said on Thursday.

“I am not saying coal for ever, … I am saying let’s manage our transition step by step rather than being emotional,” Mantashe told a mining conference, when asked how China’s pledge to not build new coal power stations abroad would affect South Africa. “We are not a developed economy, we don’t have all alternative sources,” he added.