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Coal-fired power plant in South Africa: switching to renewable energy
Photo: Siphiwe Sibeko / REUTERS
South Africa will receive almost half a billion dollars from the World Bank to promote the phase-out of coal.
The money will be made available to convert the decommissioned Komati coal-fired power plant northeast of Johannesburg into a wind and solar facility equipped with storage batteries, the World Bank said.
South Africa generates a large part of its electricity from burning coal and is one of the largest producers of climate-damaging greenhouse gases.
The Komati power plant is the largest in the country and was shut down this week.
World Bank President David Malpass called it a "good first step towards low-carbon development."
The project could become an example for the conversion of energy production in South Africa but also worldwide.
According to the World Bank, it now wants to promote economic development in the area.
The workers made redundant due to the closure of the plant are to be supported by a transition plan.
They could be transferred to other plants or retrained to work in renewable energy plants, it said.
Another part of the World Bank funds is to be used in smaller communities, for example to support business start-ups or to further develop companies.
South Africa is dependent on coal
As part of the UN climate talks last year, South Africa was promised $8.5 billion in loans and grants to transform its economy.
However, the country is still heavily dependent on coal, which generates 80 percent of its electricity.
The power sector accounts for 41 percent of South Africa's CO₂ emissions.
The World Bank puts the additional financial needs of South Africa to become climate neutral by 2050 at 500 billion dollars.
The COP27 world climate conference begins in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, on Sunday.
The meeting, scheduled to run until November 18, will discuss how to reach the goal agreed in the Paris Agreement of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees.
ptz/AFP