South Africa’s Minister of Electricity and Energy, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, has announced that the government will partner with universities and technical and vocational education and training colleges to source the specialised expertise required to execute the newly approved Integrated Resource Plan, a R2.2 trillion framework designed to secure the nation’s energy future and spur economic expansion. Presenting the plan in Pretoria following Cabinet approval, Ramokgopa described it as the most extensive infrastructure programme in democratic South Africa, equivalent to rebuilding the state utility Eskom more than twice over by adding 105 gigawatts of new capacity by 2039.
Central to the strategy is addressing a severe shortage of technical capabilities, particularly in engineering, the built environment, and nuclear disciplines. Ramokgopa emphasised that the country has undertaken few large-scale infrastructure projects since the Medupi and Kusile power stations, leaving a depleted pool of experienced professionals. To counter this, collaborations with higher education institutions will focus on rapidly developing the necessary talent pipeline, ensuring the plan’s ambitious targets can be met without delay.
The Integrated Resource Plan represents a pivotal shift, aiming to achieve universal electricity access, decarbonise the economy, and create employment opportunities while removing energy as a barrier to growth. Ramokgopa noted that persistent power constraints have stifled development, contributing to stagnant expansion, high unemployment, and elevated poverty levels. With load-shedding largely resolved, electricity can now serve as a catalyst for progress, supporting a government target of lifting annual GDP growth above three percentage points by 2030. The initiative’s scale, representing roughly 30 per cent of current GDP, underscores its potential to transform the economy through job creation in construction and related sectors.
By 2030, the plan envisages significant additions including 11,270 megawatts of solar photovoltaic capacity, 7,340 megawatts of wind power, 6,000 megawatts from gas-to-power facilities, 5,200 megawatts of new nuclear generation, 3,100 megawatts of battery storage, and 5,400 megawatts of distributed generation. For the first time, output from clean sources such as solar, wind, nuclear, and hydro is projected to surpass that from coal, marking a decisive move towards a lower-carbon mix while maintaining baseload reliability.
This landmark policy builds on extensive stakeholder consultations involving thousands of submissions and aligns with global trends in energy transitions. The inclusion of nuclear expansion, supported by international financing commitments, reflects a pragmatic approach to balancing intermittency challenges from renewables with the need for stable supply. As a “living document” subject to periodic review, the plan provides investor certainty in a reformed market increasingly open to private participation, according to the Department of Electricity and Energy. Implementation will also involve developing a dedicated nuclear industrialisation strategy to localise components and maximise economic benefits, further highlighting the urgency of bolstering domestic skills through academic partnerships.