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A mild winter in Sweden and the commitment to ditch fossil fuels has culminated in the closure of the country’s last coal-fired power station.
An announcement in April revealed that the last of the KVV6 boilers at Värtaverket in Hjorthagen, eastern Stockholm, which had been providing heat and electricity to citizens since 1989, had been officially closed in an attempt to reduce emissions.
The plant, owned by Stockholm Exergi, had already closed its first boiler before the winter of 2019/2020. CEO Anders Egelrud said the move was not only a milestone for the company, but “an important marker for the change taking place across the energy and other industries.”
Only 40 years ago, the region was almost entirely dependent on fossil fuels. Now 40% of its electricity comes from nuclear power reactors. The remaining 60% is a combination of hydro, wind, biofuels and waste, and 1% of fossil fuels. Sweden is the third European country to completely eliminate coal, after Belgium and Austria.
Stockholm Exergi’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions have also been cut by “about half,” Egelrud said, as the country works on the transition to “climate neutral solutions.”
But how practical is it to use a first world developed country as the basis for setting sustainability goals for South Africa?
A quick numerical calculation reveals some interesting consumption patterns.
Sweden has an estimated population of 10.2 million people, all of whom have access to electricity. The region is known for its high energy consumption: approximately 12,600 kWh / year per capita on average, according to the World Nuclear Association.
South Africa has an estimated population of 57.78 million, of which only about 80% have access to electricity. On average, South Africa uses 3,584kWh / year per capita of electricity.
There are 47.58 million more people living in South Africa than in Sweden, yet Sweden consumes 9,016kWh / year per capita plus electricity.
Perhaps a better way to determine how far South Africa is from achieving a reduced carbon footprint, such as in countries like Sweden, is to see how practical Sweden’s solutions are in South Africa.
After all, we cannot compare a region where 100% of its population can access electricity, with a country where 5% of its citizens still depend on candles to light them.
Large amounts of smoke from the chimney of a heat plant on a cold winter night
South Africa’s penchant for coal and nuclear power
In October last year, the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe, published the department’s highly anticipated Integrated Resource Plan (IRP).
IRP2019 sought to clarify the country’s position on the scope of environmental sustainability within the power generation sector, progress reports on existing power plants, and future plans for coal, nuclear, gas, and renewable energy blends.
Under the plan, the country has six generation options: 38 Gigawatts (GW) of coal, 1.8 GW of nuclear power, 2.7 GW of pumped storage, 1.7 GW of hydropower, 3.8 GW of diesel, and 3.7 GW of renewable energy.
In the coal section of the IRP, the government’s intentions to conserve fossil fuel for “the foreseeable future” are clearly illustrated.
Plans were put forward to use efficient coal technologies, namely High Efficiency Low Emission Coal (HELE), Carbon Capture, Use and Storage (CCUS) and Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), to prevent the greatest amount of carbon dioxide enter the atmosphere as possible.
Using CCUS and CCS technology, coal is captured, transported and used, or stored in geological rock formations.
The Värtaverket in Sweden, despite abandoning the coal game, still uses a test plant for Bio-CCS, which uses bioenergy and carbon energy to produce carbon negative energy. This technology could turn areas into carbon sinks, something that absorbs more carbon than it releases, such as the ocean, soil and plants. Going forward, the World Coal Association aims to improve catch rates to the point where coal produces zero emissions.
But absorbing CO2 and storing it safely would be an expensive business.
And Sweden’s preference for nuclear power is not as sustainable a solution as renewable energy.
Is it the right time for renewable investments, if making coal sustainable is costly, and investing in nuclear power could be unsustainable?
Coal, nuclear and renewable
Many conservationists, researchers and climate experts have warned against investing in nuclear energy as a replacement for coal.
Outa’s energy portfolio manager and winner of the 2018 Goldman Environmental Prize in Africa, Liz McDaid, warns that nuclear power brings with it a number of new health risks, such as radiation poisoning, the storage of nuclear waste to long-term and nuclear accidents. Furthermore, the construction of nuclear plants takes a long time.
“Why would you want to do that when there are renewable energy technologies that allow us to harvest the sun and the wind to generate electricity?”
Questioning the sustainability of renewable energy is a futile process, because “as long as we continue to operate our energy system on fossil fuels, we will not be able to reduce our carbon footprint,” McDaid explained.
Nuclear power is also expensive, which means there is a chance that the Koeberg power plant will shut down early. McDaid noted that Koeberg produces 4.7% of South Africa’s electricity, which can be replaced by renewable power plants.
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA – AUGUST 24: Pylons at the Eskom Koeberg Nuclear Power Plant on August 24, 2015 in Cape Town, South Africa. Koeberg is the only commercial nuclear power station in Africa. (Photo by Gallo Images / Nardus Engelbrecht)
“Koeberg is an aging plant and, like with old cars, once you replace a part, something else breaks,” he said, adding that nuclear power is a distraction in the climate change debate.
South Africa is also falling dangerously behind in the global transition away from fossil fuels, CER attorney Timothy Lloyd warns.
The results of the 2019 World Economic Forum’s energy transition index ranked South Africa as the second worst prepared country for the inevitable transition.
Lloyd said that all coal-fired power plants must be phased out by 2040, at the latest, in order for us to meet climate targets.
Environmental challenges like climate change will exacerbate current socio-economic battles. This, along with being a water-scarce country, means that the country must consider renewable energy solutions, use less water, create more jobs, and minimize risks to health and the climate, Lloyd explained.
Renewable energy for SA is like nuclear for Sweden
Perhaps the best course of action when comparing South Africa’s energy mix with Sweden’s is to look at common factors: moving away from coal and a boost to renewable energy.
McDaid explained that South Africa needs to harness its natural resources to become one of the best solar resources in the world.
What Sweden has accomplished in nuclear power South Africa could easily succeed if we take advantage of our sunlight and winds.
“We do not need to rely on imports, we need to manufacture, and for this we need the government to abandon obsolete nuclear and fossil routes and fully embrace new energy routes,” McDaid emphasized.
There is also an attractive additional advantage in boosting renewable energy: job creation.
The recycling industry, while still informal, has provided a decent livelihood for many recyclers, and end-of-life solar panels will be no different.
McDaid said there is a lot to explore in this area, building on the example of Europe, as some of its solar panels are starting to go extinct, prompting initiatives to recycle batteries and panels, and even convert wind turbines into building materials. .
“All of our energy systems should aim to be circular systems, with any waste generated to be recycled,” emphasized McDaid.
Lloyd reiterated the need for a circular economy, and that equipment and materials for renewable energy and storage must be designed for reuse and recycling.
Taking notes of countries that have pledged and managed to ditch fossil fuels is key, but unfortunately, the longer South Africa takes to ditch coal, the more vulnerable the country’s poor and sick citizens become.
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