NUMSA demands that Eskom must be given 70% of the renewable energy allocation if the energy Transition is to be considered ‘Just’
20 September 2023
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) is demanding that Eskom must be given 70% allocation in the renewable energy space, if the energy transition is to be considered ‘Just’. And that the private sector can be allocated 30% of renewable energy. The renewable energy sector must be backed up with coal power stations, because renewable energy, is not necessarily available when you need it because it is an unreliable form of energy. Therefore, the coal stations must not be closed, but they must be mothballed so that at any time, they can act as a back-up and we can restart them when RE fails to deliver sufficient energy. South Africa must not be told to close coal fired power stations when Europe is not closing its power stations.
These were some of the remarks made by comrade Irvin Jim at the NUM Just Energy Transition Summit which is being held by the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) from the 19th to the 20th of September. The summit is focusing on the Energy Transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, and it is discussing the pitfalls and the challenges faced by workers who, so far, have been negatively affected by the transition.
The General Secretary of NUMSA expressed concerns that workers will get left behind if they do not occupy all spaces of the debate. The state has begun the process to privatize Eskom and they are doing it, without bothering to consult- workers,
“What we are not being told is that Eskom is being privatised. The minister says we will never privatise Eskom, but when they close a power stations they replace it with IPP’s in the grid, which is privately owned. That is privatization of energy. That is privatization of our country’s energy provision, which we will never get back.”