Huge potential for Brics nations to cooperate in energy security: S Africa

There is a huge potential for the members of the extended Brics group to cooperate in ensuring energy security in their countries, South African Minister of Energy and Electricity Kgosientso Ramokgopa said at the 9th Brics Energy Ministerial Meeting in Moscow earlier this week.

"We believe that this Brics group of like-minded country members has a huge potential and working together will strengthen this resolve through cooperation on energy security, and also provide an opportunity to join efforts to annihilate the challenges diagnosed during the Brics 2023 Summit held in South Africa, such as addressing the lack or absence of an integrated energy policy framework," Ramokgopa said.

The minister said this meeting came at "a critical phase where our countries are grappling with the challenge of balancing developmental goals with energy transition pathways".

"We must ensure that these transitions safeguard energy sovereignty and security, promote sustainable economic development, facilitate universal access and respond effectively to environmental imperatives, all the while ensuring no one is left behind," he said.

Commenting on the meeting being the first that included the new members of the Brics grouping that joined at the beginning of the year, Ramokgopa said the expansion of the Brics membership was a clear affirmation of the group's growing significance and influence in the global energy agenda.

Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates were admitted as new members to the original Brics grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa in January.

"This is a pivotal moment, positioning the Brics to reshape, refocus and reset the global energy architecture to ensure energy access, security, affordability and eradicate energy poverty and promote a just energy transition," Ramokgopa said.

He highlighted that South Africa's approach to an inclusive and people-centred energy transition was informed by the need to maintain energy security in support of socio-economic objectives.

"To this effect, we want to urge the Brics member countries to tap and dig deeper into our various capabilities and strengths to ensure that we support each other in harnessing the individual potential we have at our disposal," Ramokgopa said as he spoke of a wide range of areas in which South African expertise and resources could benefit partner countries, including rare-earth elements required to power the green economy.

Ramokgopa said platforms, such as Brazil hosting the G20 this year and South Africa in 2025, should be used to propagate "our world outlook of a commonly-shared perspective as developing countries".