Hemp among 7 industries to keep Mpumalanga's economy growing after coal shutdown

The decommissioning of coal power stations will have a significant impact on Mpumalanga's economy and employment. But expanding existing industries like citrus and tourism and developing new ones like hemp and sustainable aviation fuels can create thousands more jobs, a new report shows.

The research, commissioned by the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) and conducted by Genesis Analytics, was released on Wednesday afternoon. It looks at employment creation opportunities in Mpumalanga to be realised by 2030 - which will be of importance as coal power stations shut down affecting jobs in related value chains - such as mining and transport.

About 80% of the country's coal mining takes place in Nkangala and Gert Sibande districts in Mpumalanga. There are 11 coal-fired power stations in the province.

"Coal mining and coal utilities are not the biggest employers in Mpumalanga but remain sizable industries," the report read.

According to the report, the shift away from coal power - affecting mining and transport industries - is estimated to result in between 12 000 and 24 000 direct job losses in the province by 2030.

"The purpose is to support planning and implementation in Mpumalanga province in dealing with high levels of unemployment," the report said.

Read the full report here