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Help others learn the hidden health cost of delaying coal phase-out in South Africa.
South Africa’s government is choosing to keep coal plants running for a decade longer, and the hidden price is 32,000 additional deaths, 37,000 preterm births, and USD 38 billion in health damages that will fall hardest on children and communities who never lit a single coal furnace.
The 2025 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) extends the operating lifetimes of coal-fired power plants well beyond Eskom’s own 2022 decommissioning schedule – in some cases by at least 10 additional years. This decision carries a devastating hidden cost. Gauteng, which hosts no Eskom coal plants, emerges as the worst-affected province because fine particulate matter travels hundreds of kilometres across provincial boundaries.
About the report
This new research by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) and Greenpeace Africa estimates that the delay will result in approximately 32,000 additional premature deaths between 2026 and 2050, 37,000 preventable preterm births, 14,000 new cases of childhood asthma, and USD 38 billion (721 billion ZAR) in cumulative health-related economic damages.
