21 September, Johannesburg – Today, Minster Gwede Mantashe hosted a signing ceremony on the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) Bid window 5 which will see 420MW of renewable energy added to the grid. Responding to the event, Greenpeace Africa’s Climate and Energy Campaigner, Thandile Chinyavanhu, said:
“South Africans have been forced to contend with the worst bout of load shedding in the country’s history in recent days. The signing of these contracts is a welcome step in the direction of the just transition towards a renewable energy-powered future – even if it is a very small step.
“Greenpeace Africa implores the Minister to champion the urgent procurement of more renewable energy. Technologies like wind, solar, and battery storage present the opportunity to bring online the electricity we so desperately need within the next 18 – 36 months, relative to fossil fuel technologies which would only be realised in the next 15 years.
“It’s clear that continued fossil fuel dependence is not the answer for the country’s electricity crisis, or for the climate crisis. The future is renewable,” ended Chinyavanhu.
ENDS
Contact details:
Greenpeace Africa Press Desk: [email protected]
Chris Vlavianos, Greenpeace Africa Communications Officer: +27798837036, [email protected]