South Africa strengthens energy ties with China amid push for sustainable power security

South Africa's Minister of Electricity and Energy, Dr. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, led a high-level delegation on a strategic working visit to China on April 6, 2025 with an aim of strengthening the country's energy capacity and accelerating its transition towards a more sustainable and reliable power system.

The visit came at a critical time, as South Africa continues to grapple with chronic electricity shortages and the urgent need to modernize its aging energy infrastructure. Recent improvements in generation stability—achieved through intensified maintenance and enhanced operational discipline at Eskom, have created an opportunity to pursue advanced technologies and forge international partnerships to further stabilize the grid and enhance baseload capacity.

Ramokgopa emphasized that the visit was a vital step in asserting South Africa's sovereign energy diplomacy, with a focus on securing long-term sustainability, revitalizing the industrial base, and acquiring the technologies essential for a just energy transition.

During the visit, the South African delegation engaged with Chinese energy stakeholders on several key areas of cooperation. These included high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission systems for efficient long-distance energy transport, advanced clean coal technologies (CCTs), and intelligent microgrid systems designed to enhance electricity access in underserved areas.

The delegation also sought insights from China's experience with large-scale renewable energy integration and sophisticated grid management through the China Southern Power Grid and the State Grid Corporation of China.

The visit built upon previous successful partnerships, such as the Redstone Solar Thermal Power Project in the Northern Cape, which was designed to provide 100 MW of clean, dispatchable energy, and the Longyuan Mulilo wind projects, also in the Northern Cape, developed in partnership with China's Longyuan Power Group. These initiatives highlighted how targeted international collaboration could support South Africa's renewable energy ambitions, contribute to local economic development, and improve the country's energy mix.

In recent years working visits have also served to strengthen South Africa's energy industrial base through discussions on state-to-state partnerships focused on infrastructure investment, technology transfer, and local manufacturing. The delegation—which included representatives from the Department of Electricity and Energy, Eskom, and the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa)—worked to identify opportunities for modernizing and repurposing aging power infrastructure.

The team explored prospects with major Chinese manufacturers to localize the production of key components for transmission and generation infrastructure, aiming to enhance South Africa's manufacturing capabilities, build technical skills, and drive innovation.

Nuclear cooperation was another central focus of the mission. The delegation studied China's commercially operating small modular reactor (SMR) technology, with Necsa exploring opportunities for collaboration in the nuclear fuel cycle to support South Africa's long-term clean energy strategy.

Ramokgopa reiterated that while South Africa remained committed to expanding its renewable energy capacity, transitional sources such as clean coal and nuclear power would continue to play a role in ensuring a balanced and secure energy transition. He stressed the urgent need to scale up dispatchable renewable energy, backed by advanced storage technologies, while maintaining grid resilience.

The visit aligned with South Africa's Medium-Term Development Plan (2024–2029) and highlighted its growing role in global energy and climate policy. As South Africa prepares to chair the G20 in 2025 and remain active in BRICS+ and UNFCCC forums, it continues to seek a diverse energy mix—underscored by the Department of Electricity's upcoming Green Hydrogen Summit from June 12 to 13, 2025, as a path toward inclusive, climate-responsible development.