Brazil, Indonesia, and South Africa diverge in important ways: Brazil is a net crude oil exporter with a commodity-dependent growth model; Indonesia relies heavily on domestically produced coal but remains a major importer of oil products; and South Africa is a net importer of most fossil fuels and faces a protracted electricity crisis driven by the decline of its coal-based utility system. Their energy mixes, exposure to global price volatility, and domestic political coalitions shape distinct incentives and constraints around the transition. Nonetheless, all three countries view the low-carbon transition as an opportunity to advance energy security while pursuing broader national priorities.
Clean energy offers each country a pathway to reduce exposure to fuel price volatility, stabilise domestic energy costs, strengthen industrial competitiveness, and build more resilient economic models that are grounded in a just whole-of-economy approach. Realising this potential will require navigating entrenched interests, resolving distributional conflicts, and aligning transition strategies with domestic economic development priorities. These challenges underscore the importance of country-specific political economy analysis for identifying credible entry points to accelerate climate action.
This briefing “Navigating the Energy Transition in Brazil, Indonesia and South Africa” published by E3G provides a snapshot of political economy insights relating to dynamics around energy security in Brazil, Indonesia, and South Africa. Each of these countries has a complex relationship with the energy transition, at a crossroads of fossil fuel expansion and exploring clean energy for economic growth and future competitiveness.
Access the briefing here