To achieve net-zero targets by 2050, global use of coal-based electricity will have to decline significantly. Without careful management, the decarbonization of coal-fired power plants risks devastating the workers, communities, and local economies that depend on them. One promising solution is to repurpose coal assets, pursuing alternative productive uses across energy and non-energy sectors.
In the Global South, state-owned enterprises (SOEs) operate most of the coal capacity, yet there is currently no practical, socially grounded guidance to help utilities close and transform these assets responsibly.
Experts at the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability are collaborating with ESKOM Ltd (South Africa's leading state-owned power company) and with Mpumalanga Green Cluster Agency to co-develop detailed repurposing guidelines tailored to SOEs in South Africa, India, and Indonesia.
