Court action by a South African trade union has blocked the signing of 2.2GW of renewables contracts, dashing hopes that today would mark the end of a years-long saga that has battered confidence in the country’s clean energy programme.
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) claimed concluding PPAs for the 27 mainly wind and solar projects would push up electricity prices and reduce demand for coal power, threatening 30,000 jobs in the fossil generation industry, as it secured a last-minute injunction preventing the signing at South Africa’s High Court.
