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South Africa's state-owned power utility Eskom needs to run some coal-fired plants for longer than their planned retirement deadlines to avoid leaving the national grid "vulnerable," according to its chief executive officer.
Eskom has approved a plan to keep using at least three stations that were scheduled to close over the next few years until 2030. For years, an unreliable power system has hit South Africa with blackouts that crimp economic growth.
"We'll continue some of our coal operations that were earmarked for shutting down," Eskom CEO Dan Marokane said at a Cape Town conference. "We'll review that process on shorter time intervals going to 2030, but we'll place ourselves in a position where we are not made vulnerable by early shutting down of those stations."
Eskom's decision comes as South Africa has committed to lowering emissions by moving from mainly coal-fired power to cleaner sources of energy. That's raised questions around the Just Energy Transition Partnership - a $9.3-billion pact with some of the world's richest nations to help make those changes. France, Germany, the US, UK and European Union have offered the money to help South Africa move away from coal, which is currently the source of more than 80% of the nation's power.
"We're still committed" to reducing emissions, but Eskom's efforts must be viewed across the entire generation fleet, said Bheki Nxumalo, the company's group executive for generation. He also said it's "critical" to run some stations beyond their original shutdown date and that workers lose focus if the imminent closure of the plant they work in is looming.
While ending power cuts is a priority for the century-old utility, it's also looking at reinventing the business, according to Marokane. "A number of people have written it off - we don't believe that that is the case," he said. "There's a clear path here and an opportunity for Eskom to reinvent itself and that's what we're focusing on."

South Africa's presidency said on Monday it welcomed an announcement by the International Criminal Court's prosecutor saying he had requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his defence chief and three Hamas leaders over alleged war crimes.
"The law must be applied equally to all in order to uphold the international rule of law, ensure accountability for those that commit heinous crimes and protect the rights of victims," President Cyril Ramaphosa's office said in a statement.
South Africa, a leading voice in championing the cause of Palestinians, has also brought a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice accusing it of genocide, which it denies.
Israel and Hamas leaders have dismissed allegations of committing war crimes, and representatives of both sides criticised the prosecutor's decision.

Non-profit organisation Corruption Watch said on Tuesday that it is critical that the country's election laws are subjected to a reasonable interpretation, noting the Constitutional Court's (ConCourt's) judgment on former President Jacob Zuma's eligibility to run as an MP.
The ConCourt ruled on Monday that Zuma was not eligible or qualified to stand for election to the National Assembly based on his conviction and sentencing to 15 months' imprisonment for contempt of court in 2021, after defying a court order to testify before the Zondo Commission.
The apex court overturned an earlier ruling by the Electoral Court.
CW said the judgment represented a win for civil society.
Corruption Watch noted Section 47(1)(e) of the Constitution, which stated that politicians were not eligible for candidature until five years after the completion of a sentence.
The Electoral Court order is set aside and replaced, dismissing the former president's appeal.
CW executive director Karam Singh explained that in its submission as amicus curiae in this matter, CW argued that a person convicted and sentenced by a court was disqualified from being a member of the NA, which it said came into effect immediately after sentencing.
"It is the fact that a sentence has been imposed, and not the sentence served, that applies. The organisation also highlights the importance of the correct application of 47(1)(e) as a matter of public interest, emphasising that its purpose of disqualification is aimed at maintaining the integrity of the democratic regime, ensuring that members of the NA respect the rule of law and are not serious violators of the law," explained Singh.
Corruption Watch highlighted that allowing such persons to stand for office would "subvert" the purpose of the constitutional provision and would allow for an "arbitrary distinction" between individuals convicted by the ConCourt and the lower courts.
These points were evident in the judgment, CW said.
Singh noted that there had been little accountability for State capture, which he said heightened the need for consequences to flow from Zuma's failure to respect the Zondo Commission proceedings.
"It remains disappointing and concerning that charges emanating from the Arms Deal have not been concluded and we await the start of that trial in 2025," Corruption Watch added.
The organisation praised the "soundness of this judgment, its careful and thorough review of all arguments leading to a solid conclusion", which it said was a demonstration of the strength and independence of the South African judiciary.
"The contributions of the four amici curiae - CW, the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution, the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, and the Black Lawyers Association - also emphasises the vital role that civil society continues to play in protecting the health of the democracy," said Singh.
MK STEADFAST AND UNDETERRED
Meanwhile, the uMkhonto Wesizwe Party noted the judgment saying while it was disappointing, it had not disheartened the party.
"…instead it has reinforced our conviction that the current system, where just 10 unelected individuals can make lifetime decisions for 62-million people, is fundamentally flawed. Worse in this current case, six of the ten judges were glaring conflicted, raising serious questions about their refusal to recuse themselves," it said.
The party stated that it was not deterred, saying the people's mandate rally had demonstrated that South Africans from all walks of life love the party and Zuma.
On Monday the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa said it would remove Zuma's name from MK Party's candidate nomination list on the election ballot for May 29.
MK assured its members and supporters that it remained "steadfast and undeterred" by the "enemies of the poor". It said Zuma continued to lead the MK Party and would appear on the ballot despite not being a candidate.
It was also adamant that Zuma would be reinstated into the Union Bu

The Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa said on Monday that it will remove former President Jacob Zuma's name from uMkhonto Wesizwe Party's candidate nomination list on the election ballot for May 29.
However, his photograph will remain in the cluster of identifiers of the MK Party.
This after the Constitutional Court found that Zuma is not eligible to become a Member of Parliament. The apex court overturned an earlier ruling by the Electoral Court.
The EIC had approached the Constitutional Court to seek clarity on whether it had powers to enforce Section 47(1) of the Constitution, relating to persons eligible to be members of the National Assembly.
On Monday, following the judgment, the IEC said that it would not affect the ballot papers for the 2024 national and provincial elections.
"Now that the matter has been settled by the highest Court and given that the constitutional uncertainties have been clarified, the Commission can continue with final preparations for free and fair 2024 National and Provincial Elections single-mindedly, without apprehension that the elections are susceptible to challenge," it said.

President Cyril Ramaphosa noted on Monday that while there may be different views on how the National Health Insurance Bill will be progressively implemented, the reality is that South Africa's current health care system is unsustainable.
Ramaphosa wrote in his weekly letter to the nation that access to quality, decent healthcare should not depend on one's ability to pay, noting that the country's current healthcare "does not serve the poor, does not serve the middle-class and does not serve the country".
Last week, Ramaphosa signed the NHI Act into law, which he said would bring the country one step closer towards universal health coverage.
Civil society organisations and political parties are threatening legal action following last week's controversial signing of the NHI Bill.
However, Ramaphosa noted that the signing was a milestone in the country's quest to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of good health and wellbeing for all.
Ramaphosa highlighted that for many years, South Africa had had parallel healthcare systems operating in the country, with about 84% of the population, using public health facilities, while 16% were covered by medical schemes, enabling them to access private health care facilities.
A small percentage of people use both, he said.
He pointed out that some people have claimed that the NHI would signal the end of private health care.
"To the contrary, the NHI aims to use the respective strengths and capabilities of both the private and public health sectors to build a single, quality health system for all," he said.
Ramaphosa noted that South Africa's private health sector had "world-class expertise" and was a major source of domestic and foreign investment, saying the public sector also had numerous centres of excellence and was staffed by well-trained, experienced personnel.
The NHI Fund will procure services from accredited public and private service providers for every person in need of health care, he said, and added that the NHI would be a lifeline for millions of poor South Africans whose financial resources would be freed up for other essential needs.
"…it will also alleviate the burden on those who are increasingly paying more in medical aid premiums for increasingly fewer services," he said.
He explained that while achieving social justice was a key objective of the NHI, efficiency and better resource allocation were equally important.
Government believes that the real challenge in implementing the NHI lies not in the lack of funds, but in the misallocation of resources that he said currently favoured the private health sector at the expense of public health needs.
He said there was a misconception that the private health care sector operated and was funded completely independently of government.
"We, therefore, have a situation where the State both directly and indirectly helps to fund a private health care sector that serves only a minority of society. Access to private health care through medical aids is also costly for users. It is said that without the tax rebate private healthcare would not be affordable to the majority of users. Medical aid contributions are increasing faster than inflation. At the same time, benefits are being reduced. As the 2016 Healthcare Market Inquiry found, private healthcare services and medical scheme cover is frequently over-used without clear improvements in health outcomes," he explained.
Ramaphosa said that the resources that were spent by the State and private individuals could, therefore, be more efficiently used to build a single, unitary health care system that served all.

South Africa's constitutional court ruled on Monday that former president Jacob Zuma was not eligible to run for parliament in this month's election, a decision that was closely watched as it has the potential to affect the outcome of the election.
The case stems from a decision in March by South Africa's electoral commission to disqualify Zuma on the basis that the constitution prohibits anyone given a prison sentence of 12 months or longer from holding a parliamentary seat.
In 2021, Zuma was sentenced to 15 months in jail for failing to appear at a corruption inquiry.
In April, a court overturned the disqualification, saying the relevant section of the constitution applied only to people who had a chance to appeal against their sentences, which had not been Zuma's case.
The electoral commission challenged that decision in the constitutional court.
Zuma, who was forced to quit as president in 2018, has fallen out with the governing African National Congress and has been campaigning for a new party called uMkhonto we Sizwe named after the ANC's formed armed wing.
Opinion polls suggest the ANC's majority is at risk after 30 years in power, and MK represents a threat to it, especially in Zuma's home province of KwaZulu-Natal where he is popular.
In 2021 Zuma's jailing triggered riots in KwaZulu-Natal in which more than 300 people died and which morphed into a wider spate of looting.
Asked about the potential for violence in the wake of the constitutional court ruling during an interview with local radio station 702, President Cyril Ramaphosa said: "I'm not concerned about this instigating violence."
"We have rule of law in South Africa that governs us. Once a constitutional court has decided, that is it and should there be any threat of violence our security forces are ready," he said.
South Africa's electoral commission originally disqualified Zuma in March, but a month later a court overturned the disqualification saying the relevant section of the constitution applied only to people who had a chance to appeal against their sentences, which had not been Zuma's case.
The electoral commission then took the case to the constitutional court. It said previously that even if Zuma was disqualified from standing as a member of parliament, his face will still appear on ballots this month as he is the registered leader of the MK party.
An Ipsos opinion poll published in April put support for MK at roughly 8%, versus just over 40% for the ANC.
While the ANC is still on track to get the most votes, if it gets less than 50% support it would have to seek one or more coalition partners to govern the country, the first such alliance since the party swept to power under liberation hero Nelson Mandela at the end of apartheid.
At a campaign rally for his MK party on Saturday, Zuma told thousands of supporters in a stadium in South Africa's biggest township Soweto that his party would provide free education for disadvantaged children and create jobs.