Is Medupi MES postponement a health risk?

At a public participation meeting on air quality held in Lephalale last Thursday, Dr Kristy Langerman -
Eskom’s air quality
specialist, was invited to explain why Eskom is applying for postponement from minimum emission standards (MES) for its Medupi power station that is being built near Lephalale.
A draft application for public comment relating to the postponement was submitted by Eskom in October 2013 and the public has until 12 February to comment on the draft.
Several members of the public attended the
meeting and it was especially Marapong residents who voiced their concerns relating to health risks and possible SO2 pollution in the area.
Also at the meeting was Makoma Lekalakala from the environmental activist group, Earth Life Africa. Lekalakala explained that on 8 April 2010, the World Bank approved a loan of US$3.75 billion for the construction of Medupi.
She noted that the loan was granted on condition that flue gas desulphurisation (FDG) is installed at all six units before commissioning.
Langerman in turn explained that the FGD was only introduced in April 2010 when the MES were published.
According to Langerman postponements are applied for because it takes Eskom at least 12 years to implement a major capital project, such as those
required for compliance with the MES, on all six units at a power station. It is thus not possible to comply within the maximum five-year postponement period.
According to Langerman FGD could not be installed at Medupi from inception since the water to operate all six units is not yet
available. It was also not possible to install FGD from the onset without significantly delaying the commissioning of Medupi.
Langerman assured the public that Eskom commits to installing FGD, which will enable compliance with the new plant SO2 limit, six years after each unit is commissioned. The FGD retrofit is scheduled to coincide with the General Overhaul outage to minimise additional outage time (150 days is required for an FGD retrofit).
This means that, should the first unit at Medupi be fully commissioned in 2015, the first FGD will be retrofitted in 2021. It is currently projected that units will be commissioned at 6-12 month intervals. Medupi will therefor be fully compliant with the SO2 new plant emission limit sometime between 2023 and 2027 (3 to 7 years after the 2020 deadline). Langerman added that there is currently only enough water to operate FGD on three of the six units at Medupi. The rest of the water will be provided by the Mokolo-Crocodile West Transfer Scheme, which is scheduled for completion in 2019.
DA councillor Astrid Basson also raised several concerns at the meeting, one of them being the high risk of SO2 pollution in the area when Medupi is fully commissioned but operating without the full complement of FDG. She also argued that enough water is currently available for FDG on the first three units and that installing FDG from the onset could significantly reduce the risk of SO2 pollution in the area.
According to Earth Life Africa SO2 is released into the atmosphere and reacts with water to form various acidic compounds, fine particles and also ozone. These compounds and particles can remain in the atmosphere for very long periods – even years. Scientific evidence links short term exposure to SO2 to respiratory illness and increased incidence of asthma. It could lead to premature mortality, increased incidence of heart and lung disease particularly in the young and the elderly decreased lung function and hypertension. SO2 is almost completely absorbed in the nasal passages of humans and is soluble in drinking water.
Comments from the public relating to the postponement can be sent to DiederM@eskom.co.za before 12 February.