BRICS expansion to boost cooperation in gas, renewables – S. African Energy Minister

The expansion of BRICS will increase energy cooperation between members in the areas such as gas and various renewable sources of energy, South African Minister of Electricity and Energy Kgosientsho Ramokgopa told Sputnik, Azernews reports.

"We discussed the possibility of green hydrogen as one of those frontiers ... [also] there's a big number of countries within the expanded BRICS that are gas exporting nations. And there will be other members of the BRICS grouping who can benefit from the gas reserves that these countries have. So we think that BRICS is a platform that is mutually beneficial. It's a symbiotic relationship," Ramokgopa said on the sidelines of the Russian Energy Week international forum.

The minister also mentioned Russia, China and India working on small modular reactors, noting that those can produce up to 300 megawatts and be deployed anywhere, creating opportunities for polycentric energy generation.

As it stands, BRICS consists of nine member countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Egypt, and Ethiopia. Notably, 34 countries have submitted applications to join the organization, including Azerbaijan and Turkiye.