South Africa’s energy utility Eskom is to work with the renewables sector to reskill its coal workers.

ESI Africa reports that the Cape Town-based South African Renewable Energy Technology Centre (SARETEC) will partner with the utility over the next three years to set up a training centre at the Komati power station in Mpumalanga, the heart of South Africa’s coal industry.

The new centre will train and reskill workers from the power station and surrounding communities in renewable technologies.

Eskom group CEO Andre de Ruyter says that while the Komati power station will be the initial focus of the reskilling initiative, ‘the idea is to set that up as a centre of excellence for all of the Eskom workers, also contractors and other people who might be interested in working in the renewable-energy business’.

The Komati power station, which is reaching its end of life, is to be repurposed as a renewable-energy supplier in a ZAR8 billion project.

30 August 2022
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