New Energy

South Africa’s New Environment Minister Focuses on $9.3 Billion Pact

  • Minister George says country needs action on green energy
  • George Says South Africa needs to spend billions it secured
Eskom’s Kendal coal-fired power station in Mpumalanga, South Africa.Photographer: Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg

South Africa’s new environment minister said his primary focus will be on getting the country to spend the billions of dollars of climate finance that have been made available to it, accelerating the development of renewable energy facilities.

Dion George said more needs to be done to implement the $9.3 billion Just Energy Transition Partnership with some of the world’s richest nations. The member of the country’s second-biggest political party who was appointed to the post on Sunday as part of the country’s first coalition government since the 1990s, also wants to boost connecting renewable energy plants to the national grid.