From Promise to Paradox: Infrastructure, Inequality, and the Limits of South Africa’s Green Energy Transition

Stephanie Borchardt is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Stellenbosch University. She is affiliated with the South African Research Chair in the Sociology of Land, Environment, and Sustainable Development. Her research focuses on energy justice and green energy transitions in South Africa, especially in the semi-arid Karoo region. She examines how national renewable energy investments can benefit local communities and reduce household energy poverty. Dr Borchardt recently contributed a chapter to the Strategic Environmental Assessment for green hydrogen development in South Africa.  She also teaches courses in social research methods and environmental sociology. In addition, she serves on the scientific committee of the Arid Zone Ecology Forum (AZEF),  a non-profit dedicated to identifying challenges and developing solutions for the arid and semi-arid regions of Southern Africa.

South Africa's transition to renewable energy, including green hydrogen, is viewed as a path toward sustainability and economic growth. Yet, it's hindered by persistent socio-economic inequalities, infrastructure limitations, and unevenly distributed benefits. Utilising an energy justice framework, I critique large-scale renewable energy projects, particularly in historically marginalised areas like the semi-arid region of South Africa. It argues that corporate-driven initiatives may worsen resource dispossession and exclusion rather than fostering equitable development. The research highlights the crucial need for South Africa to enhance institutional capacity, ensure meaningful community engagement, and enact policies that prioritise energy justice over a purely extractivist paradigm to achieve a truly fair and inclusive energy transition. Essentially, the findings emphasise the conflict between national goals and local realities, urging a more equitable, people-centred strategy.