World Energy Tour #1: South Africa

World Energy Tour #1: South Africa – Session Highlights

In July 2026, the World Energy Tour made its first stop in South Africa, taking a first-hand look at a coal-based economy navigating rapid transformation – from a recovering but still-strained grid, to a transmission network racing to keep up with renewables, to the affordability gap splitting the country into a two-tier energy system. This publication captures the key facts, figures and five learnings from the session, framed through the World Energy Trilemma.

Thank you to our speakers and the South African Member Committee for sharing their time and insights, and for making the first stop on this journey such a strong one.

Next stop: Australia, 26 August

The World Energy Tour continues its journey next in Australia – generating more solar power per person than anywhere on Earth, and doing it all on a grid with zero international interconnections to lean on.

Would you like to join a future session? Contact your Member Committee, or reach out to us directly at insights@worldenergy.org.