South African Minister of Electricity Kgosientsho Ramakgopa briefs members of the media after his visit to assess progress on bringing back online faulty units and boosting power generation at the Kusile Power Station, in Delmas, in Mpumalanga province, South Africa, September 11, 2023. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko Acquire Licensing RightsSummary South Africa needs 6 GW of new power generation capacityCountry expects 5.5 GW of renewable projects online by 2026Nov 5 (Reuters) - South Africa is accelerating plans for 3 gigawatts (GW) of gas-fired power generation to help to plug an energy deficit that is hurting the economy, electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramakgopa said on Sunday. As you know gas, from an emissions standpoint, is a step down compared to coal, so it's important we accelerate that," Ramakgopa said. Ramakgopa said in June that South Africa expects more than 5.5 GW of new renewable energy projects to come online by 2026. South Africa is also seeking to extend to life of its 40-year-old 1.94 GW Koeberg nuclear plant by 20 years beyond its scheduled shutdown next year.

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Persons: Siphiwe, Kgosientsho Ramakgopa, Ramakgopa, Nelson Banya, David Goodman Organizations: Electricity, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Kusile, Delmas, Mpumalanga province, South Africa, Africa, Coega, Eastern, Richards Bay