In response to rumours that an agreement has been signed between South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Chinese state-owned companies to build a new mega coal-fired 4,600MW power station in South Africa’s Limpopo province, Happy Khambule, Greenpeace Africa’s Political Advisor has said:
‘It is irrational that weeks after the release of the new draft of South Africa’s electricity plan (IRP 2018), it seems that South Africa has signed an agreement for a new mega coal-fired power station that is not reflected in the plan. How seriously can we take the draft IRP 2018 and the push by the Minister of Energy for policy certainty, when dodgy deals continue to be the order of the day?
There is no sane reason to invest in more coal, particularly since coal is already putting our contribution to address climate change at risk. This project will lead to more pollution, higher water consumption and higher electricity tariffs. If these rumours are true, all promises for more rational decisions in the electricity sector seem to be meaningless.
Greenpeace Africa calls on the Minister of Energy, Jeff Radebe, to immediately clarify what the status of the agreement is and how it fits into the 2018 IRP update. Until this happens, rumours will continue to circulate and public consultation on the 2018 IRP update becomes a complete farce, tick box exercise.’
Media contact:
Oliver Meth; Greenpeace Africa’s Communications Specialist; 060 604 6690