The global shift toward a future powered by green energy solutions must be fair and equitable – safeguarding workers, protecting vulnerable communities and ensuring that no nation is excluded from the benefits of a sustainable future.

This is according to Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, who delivered opening remarks at the third G20 Energy Transitions Working Group (ETWG) meeting held in the North West.

“Finance must become a tool of inclusion, not a barrier to participation. The credibility of global transition rests on whether finance reaches where it is needed most at the scale required and with the speed demanded by development and climate imperatives.

“The social dimensions of energy transition must remain central. Energy transitions must not deepen inequality. They must reduce it. No community, no worker, no country should be left behind,” Ramokgopa said on Wednesday.

Furthermore, energy transitions will not be sustainable “without a fundamental reconfiguration of the global energy finance architecture”.

“Scaling up climate and energy finance is not only urgent, but also central to closing the infrastructure gap, addressing energy poverty and driving structural transformation and industrialisation.

“We must shift from pledges to execution, from fragmented flows to coordinated and catalytic investments.”

According to the Minister, this will require, amongst others:

• Addressing the systemic underinvestment in transmission, distribution, and flexible generation capacity.
• Structuring finance to support long-term affordability, particularly for vulnerable and energy poor communities.
• Establishing derisking mechanisms that attract private capital, whilst preserving public oversight.
• Expanding access to concessional and blended finance for early stage and localised energy projects.
• Prioritising small and medium enterprises as delivery agents in the energy value chain.

Balancing energy solutions

The Minister acknowledged the pivotal role of green energy solutions in decarbonising economies. However, he cautioned that “renewables alone cannot meet all systems requirements”.

“We must remain clear eyed about the technical and economic realities of transitioning complex energy systems. Renewables alone cannot meet all systems requirements, especially in regions with variable resources, legacy baseload infrastructure or limited grid flexibility.

“The energy transition must be planned and managed with reliability, system adequacy, and affordability in mind. This means adopting a pragmatic technology inclusive approach that supports both decarbonisation and development objectives,” Ramokgopa explained.

He said in addition to renewables, the following technologies must be part of the solution:

• Carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) to reduce emissions from hard to abate sectors and existing fossil assets.
• Small modular reactors as a dispatchable low emission baseload options suitable for diverse geographies.
• Carbon removal and long duration storage technologies to offset residual emissions and enhance system reliance.
• Demand side and system flexibility tools, including digital technologies, to balance load and optimise system operations.

“A technology inclusive approach ensures that countries can select solutions that are aligned with their energy mix, infrastructure readiness and industrial strategy”

“It also expands investments options, supports innovations and avoids prematurely locking out viable low carbon technologies.

“The transition must be both ambitious and anchored in the realities of implementations. These solutions are essential for hard to abate sectors, and for economies that need flexible pathways. They will help us navigate uncertainty and avoid excluding countries with legacy systems or resource based energy economies.”

Ramokgopa urged G20 countries to “increase cooperation in technology development, expand knowledge exchange, and support capacity building in areas such as carbon storage and CCUS deployment”.

Africa’s aspirations

Ramokgopa noted the African continent’s decarbonisation ambitions in the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the Africa Energy Efficiency Strategy.

The strategy seeks to explore and define the role of energy efficiency technology in the energy mix of the continent, pledging to achieve a 50% increase in energy productivity by 2050.

According to the African Union, Agenda 2063 is Africa’s development blueprint to achieve inclusive and sustainable socio-economic development over a 50-year period.

The Minister emphasised that these ambitions “must be supported… not only through declarations, but through practical interventions, investments and partnerships that build resilience and shift outcomes”.

On a global scale, the Minister highlighted the reality that hundreds of millions still have no electricity.

“We must also be candid. The lack of universal access to modern energy services remains a global failure. Over 760 million people still live without electricity. More than 2.6 billion rely on unsafe fuels for cooking.

“These figures represent people. They are mothers, children, workers and students. They are full of potential, held back by structural energy poverty.

“We commend previous G20 presidencies for elevating clean cooking as a priority. Today, we call on this working group to develop that agenda further and stand with us in accelerating access to clean cooking solutions at scale,” Ramokgopa said.

Originally posted on SAnews.gov.za