About this episode

This episode discusses the just transition in South Africa's energy system and the economic implications of market reforms.

This is the third and final part of our miniseries about South Africa's energy transition, based on Chris' travels there in September and October of 2025. The first part was Episode #264 , in which we heard how the end of apartheid precipitated reform of the country's energy systems. The second part was Episode #276 , where we learned how South Africa is reforming its electricity system from a state-owned monopoly to a free market, and from coal to renewables. South Africa has enough wind and solar resources and land to generate at least three times as much power as its entire annual load, but the country is still locked into its old coal-fired electricity grid. Market reform is the key to unlocking that potential. In this episode, we'll hear how those reforms can help deliver a just transition for South Africa, the most economically unequal country in the world. Because there, the energy transition isn't only about cheap, clean power; it's also a driver of economic justice. Today, some of the poorest households pay up to three times the grid price for electricity drawn through informal connections, and formalizing that power is a chance to deliver cheaper, fairer access to those…

More episodes of The Energy Transition Show with Chris Nelder

• [Episode #276] – Electricity Reform in South Africa · May 20, 2026 · 18 min

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