South Africa's Energy Sector realities: Scope for Sustainability and Governance?

• Autorzy: Conrad Kassier

Warianty tytułu

Realia sektora energetycznego Południowej Afryki: możliwości dla zrównoważonego rozwoju oraz dobrego rządzenia

• Języki publikacji: EN

Abstrakty

EN

This paper addresses South Africa's energy crisis in the context of the country's status as an emerging new economic actor in Africa and within BRICS. The energy sector is largely reliant on coal, which hinders the country's ability to implement alternative energy policies and is reduces the realities of attaining sustainable development targets. The country's power supplier, Eskom, faces supply problems and a lack of capacity, dating back to the beginning of the power crisis in 2008. In response to these challenges, propositions were made to increase Eskom's capacity with immediate effect by investing into new electricity infrastructure. The additional power stations aim at resolving the electricity crisis, but their construction is misleading, since they are also coal-reliant which is unsustainable in the long-term. Using annual reports, academic contributions and critique of South Africa's civil society, results show that Eskom and the Department of Energy's institutional capacity require reforms, increased efficiency and performance, even though progress is evident. South Africa pursues policies of sustainable development, yet the findings of the paper highlight contradictions, instead of commonalities between the government's policies and the intended implementation of alternative energy sources. The paper concludes with an analysis of the current situation and what impacts the additional power stations will have on sustainability and on stakeholders in the industry.(original abstract)(original abstract)

Niniejszy artykuł porusza problematykę kryzysu energetycznego Południowej Afryki w kontekście statusu kraju jako wschodzącego, nowego aktora w Afryce w ramach BRICS. Sektor energetyczny jest wysoce zależny od węgla, co powstrzymuje zdolności państwa do wprowadzania alternatywnej polityki energetycznej oraz ogranicza realne możliwości osiągnięcia założeń zrównoważonego rozwoju. Dostawca energii dla państwa, Eskom, napotyka problemy z zaopatrzeniem oraz z brakiem potencjału, począwszy od zalążków kryzysu w 2008 roku. W odpowiedzi na te wyzwania wysunięto propozycje zwiększenia potencjału Eskomu, czego natychmiastowym efektem okazały się inwestycje w nową infrastrukturę energetyczną. Jednak problemem dodatkowych elektrowni, które z założenia miały uratować kraj od kryzysu, jest błędna konstrukcja oraz zależność od węgla - rozwiązania niezrównoważonego w długim terminie. W oparciu o raporty roczne, badania akadmickie, a także krytykę społeczeństwa obywatelskiego Republiki Południowej Afryki stwierdzono, że potencjał instytucjonalny Eskomu oraz Departamentu Energii wymagają reform, wzmocnionej wydajności oraz kondycji, nawet pomimo jawnego postępu. Południowa Afryka prowadzi politykę zrównoważonego rozwoju, mimo to wnioski zawarte w artykule wskazują na sprzeczności, a nie współzależności pomiędzy polityką rządową a zamierzoną implementacją alternatywnych źródeł energii. Artykuł wieńczy analiza bieżącej sytuacji, a także ocena wpływu dodatkowych elektrowni na zrównoważony rozwój oraz interesariuszy przemysłu.(abstrakt oryginalny)

Słowa kluczowe

EN

Good governance; Energy

PL

Dobre rządzenie; Energia

• Czasopismo: Economic and Environmental Studies
• Rocznik: 2012
• Numer: nr 4
• Strony: 311--335

Twórcy

autor

Conrad Kassier

• Stellenbosch University, Republic of South Africa

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