RETHINKING STRATEGIC SUSTAINABILITY PLANNING FOR THE ELECTRICITY SECTOR IN SOUTH AFRICA

Authors

  • Lwandle Jackie Mqadi 1.Senior Specialist, Group Risk and Sustainability, Eskom SOC Ltd, Megawatt Park , Sandton, Johannesburg 2. School of Public Leadership, Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies,Centre for Complex Systems in Transitions,Stellenbosch University,South Africa
  • Josephine Kaviti Musango School of Public Leadership, Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies,Centre for Complex Systems in Transitions,Stellenbosch University,South Africa
  • Alan C. Brent Department of Industrial Engineering , Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies,Stellenbosch University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7166/29-1-1654

Keywords:

Strategic electricity planning, Integrated Resource Plan, Complexity, Sustainability transition management, South Africa

Abstract

A series of processes is now converging to force the issue of sustainability to drive South Africa’s low-carbon energy transitions. This raises the question of how a ‘sustainability transition’ framework can be conceptualised to address the challenge of low-carbon electricity transitions in South Africa. This paper, therefore, critically reviews the strategic electricity planning process in South Africa within an established sustainability transitions theoretical framework. From the literature, it is observed that the challenges facing South Africa’s strategic electricity planning resulted from the related politics, from differing views owing to different stakeholder preferences and lack of transparency in terms of electricity planning, and from a lack of, or misalignment between, development policies and objectives. All these theoretical and practical gaps reveal that South Africa must rethink its current strategic electricity planning practice, especially considering the country’s political economy. This paper, therefore, proposes a conceptual complexity-planning framework to ensure that the complex sustainability policy objectives are aligned within the electricity planning process.

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Author Biography

Lwandle Jackie Mqadi, 1.Senior Specialist, Group Risk and Sustainability, Eskom SOC Ltd, Megawatt Park , Sandton, Johannesburg 2. School of Public Leadership, Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies,Centre for Complex Systems in Transitions,Stellenbosch University,South Africa

PHD Student at School of Public Leadership,Stellenbosch University

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Published

2018-05-31

How to Cite

Mqadi, L. J., Musango, J. K., & Brent, A. C. (2018). RETHINKING STRATEGIC SUSTAINABILITY PLANNING FOR THE ELECTRICITY SECTOR IN SOUTH AFRICA. The South African Journal of Industrial Engineering, 29(1), 63–73. https://doi.org/10.7166/29-1-1654

Issue

Vol. 29 No. 1 (2018)

Section

General Articles

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