Auctioning a ‘just energy transition’? South Africa’s renewable energy procurement programme and its implications for transition strategies

Abstract

ABSTRACT Clean energy is going transnational. Following the COP21 UN Climate Change Conference in December 2015, a roll-out of clean energy schemes in the global South is fostering a global energy transition. One such case is South Africa, where a policy innovation – the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) – was introduced in 2011. While REIPPPP seems to be a success story in terms of renewable energy capacity, it is unclear how the instrument is shaping the overall course of South Africa’s green transformation regarding the influence of transnational actors, participation in local ownership, and socio-economic benefits. Based on expert interviews and empirical process tracing of the renewable energy projects during the five bidding rounds of REIPPPP (2011–2016), the article analyses the design and effects of REIPPPP and discusses its implications for transition strategies, such as a ‘just transition’.