Shifting S. Africa coal plant for clean energy needs millions in loans. Experts say that’s a problem

By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME and SIBI ARASU
Associated Press

MIDDELBURG, South Africa (AP) — Plumes of heat-trapping pollutants last billowed from the giant stacks of South Africa’s Komati Power Station in October. That’s when the coal-fired plant was shut down to make way for a solar, wind and battery storage plant. Converting Komati to be part of the clean energy revolution is seen as an important test case for coal-reliant South Africa and developing nations elsewhere. It’s supported by $497 million, most of it from the World Bank in the form of loans that can become difficult to repay. As world leaders gather in Paris on Thursday to discuss global finance, the issue of how to fund energy transition projects better and faster in lower and middle-income countries will be front and center.