Morero urges City Power to lead smart-grid, low-carbon transformation
Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero believes City Power's future will depend on its ability to shift from its current guise as a conventional utility to one that promotes a low-carbon economy.
Morero addressed City Power’s Energy Indaba on Tuesday.
He said the city urgently needs to explore opportunities in smart grids, renewables, and investment.
To achieve net-zero emissions, Morero called for City Power to become a public innovation platform that promotes a low-carbon economy.
This would involve leveraging digital grids, AI-based load management, and peer-to-peer energy trading to increase efficiency and empower residents and businesses to sell surplus energy.
"This is how Johannesburg becomes the proof point showing how local entities can drive systemic transformation across South Africa," said Morero
Morero also suggested establishing community energy trusts to reinvest profits into local development and positioning City Power as a leader in green finance, climate governance, and infrastructure renewal would drive the transformation forward.
"At the heart of this transformation lies policy coherence. Energy reform cannot succeed in isolation. It must be integrated with spatial development, industrial policy, and skills development," said Morero.
Morero added that by 2050, South Africa aims to generate renewable energy locally and make energy accessible to all.
The goal is for every household and business to benefit from clean infrastructure, with public entities working together to serve people, not just power grids.
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