Johannesburg, South Africa – The Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) is set to hold its 12th Ordinary Quarterly meeting at Constitution Hill Precinct in Johannesburg tomorrow, with a focus on the transition of the Komati Power Station into a renewable energy site.
According to South African Government News Agency, The PCC announced that Friday’s meeting will primarily deliberate on the final draft for the adoption of the Komati Power Station decommissioning and repurposing process report. The power station, decommissioned in October last year, is being transformed into a renewable energy facility. This transformation includes the installation of 150MW of photovoltaic energy, 70MW wind generating capacity, 150MW of Battery Energy Storage System, and a synchronous condenser.
In November last year, Eskom received a $497 million concessional loan from the World Bank to fund this repurposing project. The meeting will also review the progress on various works undertaken by the PCC.
Additional items on the agenda include a progress report on the Just Energy Transition Investment Plan (JETIP). This report follows the recent findings of the PCC-commissioned Climate Finance Landscape Report and the proposed Just Transition Finance Mechanism (JTFM), which is expected to be released for public comments soon.
A crucial topic for discussion is the issue of climate awareness and misinformation. To address this, the Commission will review findings from the first-ever South African Social Attitudes Survey conducted by the Human Science Research Council (HSRC). The survey focuses on “Attitudes towards Climate Change and the Just Transition.” Additionally, a report on the anticipated impact of El Niño on South Africa’s medium-term weather forecast by the South African Weather Services will be presented.
The meeting is open to the public and accessible through various online platforms, including the Commission’s website, Facebook page, and YouTube channel.