Thabametsi on hold – for now

LEPHALALE – Plans to establish the new Thabametsi  1200MW power station adjacent to Grootegeluk mine may have to be put on hold after environmental groups launched an appeal against it.
“While most of South Africa’s attention is focused on Medupi and Kusile – SA’s much delayed and over-budget new coal-fired Eskom power stations – little public attention has been given to the additional 2500MW of privately owned coal-fired electricity that the minister of energy has planned,” reads a press release issued by Earthlife Africa (ELA), one of the environmental groups that are appealing the establishment of Thabametsi together with KiPower in Mpumalanga and Colenso Power station in KwaZulu-Natal.
“The new coal energy will be sold to Eskom by those independent coal-fired power producers (IPPs) that are successful bidders in terms of the Coal Baseload Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme.”
To date, groundWork (gW) and ELA, together with their community partners, argue that there should be no new investment in coal power, and that resources should be redirected to renewable energy. “Unlike dirty coal, renewable energy projects in South Africa have a track record of being built on time and within budget. Moreover, renewables do not damage the health of people and pollute water, or contribute to global warming that causes climate change,” stated gW director Bobby Peek.
All three proposed coal-fired power stations have received authorisations from the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) prompting attorneys at the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) – representing gW, ELA and their community partners – to launch appeals to the Minister of Environmental Affairs to set aside the authorizations.
 The operations are suspended until the appeals are decided.