City Power’s energy indaba is well underway, in Melrose Arch, Johannesburg.
The meeting has brought together policymakers, experts, business leaders and communities.
Discussions are on energy security, grid modernisation, renewables and microgrids.
Thulane Manzana, whose community is one of the beneficiaries of City Power’s planned solar program, shared the impact this has had in his community.
The discussion on electricity pricing, was led by Dr Lardo Stander, CEO of the Tshwane Economic Development Agency (TEDA), who said this hampers on economic growth.
Sergeant Thela, City Power’s Head of Risk and Security, spoke about the importance of upholding the rule of law to protect critical infrastructure.
Delivering a keynote address, Dada Morero, Joburg’s Mayor, said City Power is not merely a utility; it is a national prototype for what a 21st-century energy institution must become: “Decentralised, digitised, decarbonised, and democratised.”
He also said commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, cannot be delivered through rhetoric, it requires a new kind of partnership among the state, the market, and society.
The Climate Action Plan and Balanced Just Energy Transition (BJET) approach, includes renewable integration through municipal-led generation and embedded power purchase agreements.
It also includes the electrification of transport through public EV infrastructure, energy efficiency retrofits across schools, clinics, and municipal buildings; and green manufacturing and localisation to create jobs in solar, battery, and waste-to-energy industries.
Picture: Supplied