The debate about the future of coal is a distraction from the real problems in energy
One of the reasons why falsehoods and half-truths are so tempting to believe and easy to spread is because the best lies are those that are simple and straightforward, making them more palatable than a nuanced and complex truth.
It is a lie that neatly fits into the narrative that Europe has abandoned its own energy transition and is reopening its coal-fired power stations, while still forcing emerging economies such as SA to abandon coal at speed. Also, it is not true that an increase in coal exports have deprived our own power stations of this fuel. The coal-fired power stations are not performing poorly because of a lack of coal, but because they are broken in such a way that no amount of coal could get them to work properly. Besides, SA has plenty of coal to go around and produces much more high-grade coal than Eskom could burn even if it were running at full capacity.
To turn this into a whole truth he would have to say that SA is not abandoning coal quite yet, and that it will be with us for a very long time if by “a very long time” you mean 20-odd yearsHe shared this message most recently at the Africa Energy Indaba in Cape Town where his address was interrupted by Greenpeace Africa protesters who believe Mantashe is resisting fast-tracking the addition of new renewable energy.
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