Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter
Photo by: Creamer Media's Donna Slater
Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter speaks exclusively to Creamer Media’s Terence Creamer about his vision for the energy transition in South Africa and how the State-owned utility is repositioning itself for the far-reaching changes under way.
The conversation covers De Ruyter’s views on how Eskom is adapting to the four "D's" of ‘decarbonisation, digitalisation, decentralisation and democratisation’, as well as what operational, financial, structural, regulatory and policy decisions are needed today to ensure that South Africa and Eskom respond in a way that ensures affordable electricity for households and competitive power for business.
The Eskom CEO also discusses ways that concessional finance could be leveraged for a ‘just energy transition’ that supports not only the decarbonisation of South Africa’s electricity supply industry, but also protects workers and communities that are vulnerable to the shift away from coal.
The conversation also homes in on the priority investments that are needed by both Eskom and the private sector to arrest South Africa’s long-standing electricity crisis and position the country for the industrial opportunities that will arise from the low-cost generation of renewable electricity, including the production of electric vehicles and green hydrogen.
De Ruyter concludes by expressing his desire for South Africa to adopt a far more joined-up policy approach that integrates energy policy fully with South Africa’s economic, industrial and education and training policies.