Andrew Lawrence - South Africa’s Energy Transition

Progressive Energy Policy is a new series that seeks to be pivotal in nature and improve our understanding of the role of energy policy within processes of sustainable, secure and equitable energy transformations. The series brings together authors from a variety of academic disciplines, as well as geographic locations, to reveal in greater detail the complexities and possibilities of governing for change in energy systems. Each title in this series will communicate to academic as well as policymaking audiences key research findings designed to develop understandings of energy transformations but also about the role of policy in facilitating and supporting innovative change. Individual titles will often be theoretically informed but will always be firmly evidence-based seeking to link theory and policy to outcomes and changing practices. Progressive Energy Policy is focussed on whole energy systems not stand alone issues; inter-connections within and between systems; and on analyses that moves beyond description to evaluate and unpack energy governance systems and decisions.

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Within the space of a few years, the topic of energy transitions has itself transitioned from being the preserve of relatively few specialists to one that commands mass attention and global concern. Increasingly, we appreciate the many ways in which local choices about energy production, distribution, and consumption can have global consequences, for generations to come. Popular struggles against fossil fuel extraction and for more sustainable alternatives, however remote geographically, are directly relevant to communities everywhere. For this reason, case studies of energy transitions may be of interest to readers far beyond the country or region in question. I decided to write on South Africas energy transition not only for these reasons, but also because no book existed on the topic that discussed its technical and political as well as ecological dimensions. While it is impossible to do full justice to each, my hope that a succinct synthesis of these facets will appeal to readerships interested in any one of them, and to specialists and non-specialists alike.

This book draws on more than two decades of writing on and engaging with South Africans about the countrys history, politics, and struggles for a better life for all. More immediately, it grew out of a 2016 lecture at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natals Centre for Civil Society on the countrys proposed nuclear power programme. I want to thank Patrick Bond, the Centres director at the time (and now colleague at the Wits School of Governance), for his hospitality in hosting me, facilitating my presentation at the Wits School of Governance in 2018, and for debating some of the issues covered here in the process. My thanks as well to the UKZN Centre for Civil Societys current Director, Shauna Mottiar; to Harald Winkler, Jiska de Groot, and Hilton Trollip of the Energy Research Centre, University of Cape Town; and to Lucien van der Walt at the Department of Sociology, Rhodes University, for hosting talks and providing useful feedback; and to the Habib, Nagdee, and Sienaert households for their hospitality during research visits.

I received useful feedback at several conferences and lectures, including the Low Carbon Energy Democracy Conference at Durham, UK, in September 2017; the IAIA Environmental Justice in Societies in Transition conference, Durban, SA, in May, 2018; the Energizing Futures conference in Tampere, Finland, in June 2018; and the World Congress of Political Science in Brisbane, Australia, in July 2018. Im most grateful to Kate Lebow and Jeff Rudin for their helpful feedback on earlier drafts; the usual disclaimers apply.

Several other thoughtful interlocutors generously discussed various themes related to South Africas energy politics, political economy and political ecology, including Kolya Abramsky, Des DSa, Keith Dumas, Happy Khambule, Heila Lotz-Sisitka, Jonathan Neale, and France Sesedinyane. I acknowledge in particular my debt to Muna Lakhani, and join many in mourning his passing. Munas dedication to the cause of social and ecological justice (he would pardon the tautology) is as renowned as his selfless impulse to help others. He generously provided early encouragement and shared ideas; this book is dedicated to him. Finally, thanks to Thangarasan Boopalan and Sruthi Sethu of Palgrave Macmillan, as well as series co-editor Caroline Kuzemko, for their responsiveness and guidance throughout this process.