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Carbon intensity of South Africa's electricity
Every kilowatt-hour on South Africa's grid currently causes about 830 grams of CO₂ on average, one of the highest figures of any large grid. The world average was 458 g/kWh in 2025 and Africa's about 530. The number moves every hour: it falls when midday solar pushes coal down and rises overnight when coal carries nearly everything.
Why the number is what it is
Coal supplies most South African electricity and emits roughly a tonne of CO₂ per MWh, so the grid average tracks the coal share closely. The cleanest moments come from sun and wind together: the record low hour was 591 g/kWh on 26 December 2025. Through a typical day intensity runs from 794 g/kWh at 18:00 to 880 g/kWh at 04:00, which is why the middle of the day is the cleanest time to run anything movable.
Year by year
| Year | Average gCO₂/kWh |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 827 |
| 2023 | 823 |
| 2024 | 842 |
| 2025 | 836 |
| 2026 | 819 |
How it is calculated
Generation by source multiplied by an emission factor, divided by total supply. Factors used, in kg CO₂ per MWh sent out: coal 1 040, gas 500, diesel turbines 700. Nuclear, hydro, renewables and imports count as zero, and lifecycle emissions are not included, so this is the operational intensity of the grid, not a footprint. The dashboard chart shows it live against the world and Africa lines.
Comparison averages from Ember's yearly data. The hourly series since April 2022 is on the live dashboard.