Electricity and Control October 2022

ENERGY MANAGEMENT + THE INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENT

systemalone, doublingwhen the green H 2 requirements are considered. To put that in perspective: South Africa has an installed capacity of ~5 GW of renewables today – which has taken over 10 years to build. ƒ A critical enabler for the large scale and rapid pace of renewables deployment is the modernisation, ex pansion and strengthening of the national power grid. This is a challenge the rest of the world also faces, so fast-tracking grid strengthening, and modernisa tion efforts can be a global competitive advantage for South Africa as it enables the fast scale up of new green industries. ƒ South Africa’s transition to net-zero will require mas sive investments. It is estimated that, over the next three decades, more than ZAR 6 trillion is needed to decarbonise the economy – more than half of which is needed in the power sector. □

ƒ South Africa will need to build ~6 to 7 GWof renewables every year for the next three decades for the power A critical enabler for the large scale and rapid pace of renewables deployment is the modernisation, expansion and strengthening of the national power grid.

For more information visit: www.nbi.org.za/climate-pathways-and-a-just-transition-for-south-africa.

Centre for Climate & Just Transition in Africa At the same time as the integrated energy report was released, Boston Consulting Group launched the Centre for Climate & Just Transition in Africa as part of its global focus on helping companies and governments accelerate their climate and sus tainability journeys. Lucas Chaumontet, Managing Director and Partner at BCG, Johannesburg said at the launch, “Both Climate and Africa are priorities for BCG globally. This is why we are launching our Centre for Climate & Just Transition in Africa. The aim is to un lock the full potential of Africa to advance climate action and a just transition.” Africa – including South Africa – is disproportionately ex posed to the risks presented by climate change. Increased climate extremes, rising water scarcity and the occurrence of severe events such as droughts and floods will have a devas tating effect on local livelihoods and regional food systems. South Africa has witnessed this already in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape. The centre will work to address the impact of climate change, accelerate progress towards net zero, and at the same time sup port a just transition, by focusing on three key priorities: ƒ Co-creating an aligned national and continental climate fact base to help alignment, decision making, and coop eration among key stakeholders ƒ Mobilising forces to build and scale globally competitive green industries to improve the economic context, which is critical to achieve a just transition ƒ Developing critical capabilities within the public and pri vate sectors to drive local leadership and ownership in African countries on this journey. “The centre will bring together global and local experts from the public and private sectors and across the sustainability spectrum to engage and share knowledge. They will have ac cess to a library of relevant tools to achieve the centre’s aims.

Developing a suite of mitigation, adaptation and just transition capabilities for a broad set of industries and governments across the continent, we will be able to accelerate impact in the climate space,” says Chaumontet. “The centre already has more than 50 core members across Africa, and is led by a team with responsibilities across coun tries and topics. The leadership team is all based in Africa and most members of it are Africans, consistent with our ambition to unlock the full potential of Africa. “Achieving the objectives of the centre will require creativity, innovation, and collaboration, and we will continue to partner with governments, leading companies and civil society to help reach these climate and sustainability goals.” Partnerships are key In South Africa, for example, BCG has partnered with the NBI to develop decarbonisation and just transition pathways for key sectors of the economy. In the rest of Africa, BCG has partnered with the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) to establish the African Business Leaders Coalition to advance sustainable growth, uphold the UNGC’s Ten Principles and promote ESG principles. This year again, BCG has been chosen as the exclusive consultancy partner to the Conference of Parties (COP), supporting the Egyptian Presidency, as the official host of COP27, to deliver this important global event. BCG’s support for COP27 complements its longstanding support for the global climate agenda through partnerships with the World Economic Forum, UN High Level Climate Champions, successive COP Presidencies, the SBTi (Science Based Targets Initiative), CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project), Breakthrough Energy Catalyst (where BCG is a founding partner), and the First Movers Coalition.

For more information visit: www.bcg.com

10 Electricity + Control OCTOBER 2022