{"id":8157,"date":"2019-10-18T11:00:53","date_gmt":"2019-10-18T11:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/?p=8157"},"modified":"2019-11-06T08:21:34","modified_gmt":"2019-11-06T08:21:34","slug":"environmental-justice-organisations-condemn-sas-plans-for-more-coal-electricity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/press\/8157\/environmental-justice-organisations-condemn-sas-plans-for-more-coal-electricity\/","title":{"rendered":"Environmental justice organisations condemn SA\u2019s plans for more coal electricity"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the wake of a new bout of load-shedding, the long-overdue <\/span>Integrated Resource Plan for Electricity<\/span><\/a> (IRP) was finally published for implementation today \u2013 following nearly a year of deliberations, behind closed doors, at the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>Life After Coal Campaign<\/span><\/a> (LAC) and <\/span>Greenpeace Africa<\/span><\/a> (GP) are appalled to note that the new IRP forces in 1500 MW of dangerous<\/span>, expensive, and unnecessary new coal-based electricity: 750 MW in 2023 and another 750 MW in<\/span> 2027.\u00a0 This is an addition of 500 MW since the <\/span>last draft made available to the public<\/span><\/a> in August 2018. <\/span>The intensifying climate strikes and the UN Secretary General\u2019s repeated appeal for <\/span>\u201cno new coal power plants after 2020<\/span><\/i><\/a>\u201d serve as a stark warning to South Africa \u2013 the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions must be prioritised if we are to have any hope of addressing the existential threat of climate change. The <\/span>President promised action <\/span><\/a>to address the climate crisis, but this final IRP suggests that this promise was empty.<\/span><\/p>\n

Moreover, the new IRP wilfully ignores all evidence that there is absolutely no need for new coal in the future electricity mix – it does not form part of a least-cost electricity plan for South Africa. Any new coal capacity will simply add to rising electricity costs and further exacerbate inequality and the economic downturn in South Africa. Coal plants built in the 2020s will be scheduled to run well past any reasonable deadline for zero carbon emissions, and are likely to be abandoned as stranded assets long before they are paid off. \u201c<\/span>There is no reasonable basis for building new coal plants when the technology and costs are clearly in favour of renewables and flexible generation<\/span><\/i>\u201d says<\/span> Makoma Lekalakala <\/b>of <\/span>EarthLife Africa.<\/b> \u201c<\/span>We no longer need to choose between clean and cheap electricity \u2013 clean energy is an affordable, healthy<\/span><\/i> and feasible alternative.<\/span><\/i>\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The effects of the climate crisis (droughts, floods, rising temperatures and fires) already impact countless lives in southern Africa and cost the fiscus <\/span>billions<\/span><\/a>. This is quite apart from the severe health impacts caused by coal-fired power stations. \u201c<\/span>A decision to build new coal plants, and thus expose South Africa to further climate risk and impacts, is a clear violation of the Constitutional rights to human dignity, life and an environment not harmful to health and wellbeing<\/span><\/i>\u201d says <\/span>Robyn Hugo <\/b>of the <\/span>Centre for Environmental Rights.<\/b><\/p>\n

South Africa faces <\/span>trillions in transition risk costs<\/span><\/a> as a result of the delays in sufficiently and timeously tackling the move away from fossil fuels. The IRP could \u2013 and should – be a golden opportunity to clearly delineate a Just Transition path for the country. Bold and decisive action is required to eliminate electricity sources that exacerbate our country\u2019s triple challenge of poverty, inequality and unemployment. Instead, the updated IRP will exacerbate the current power cuts, by its irrational selection of risky coal technologies that cannot contribute to energy security for many years. \u201c<\/span>The new IRP is an obvious attempt to serve the few vested interests in the fossil fuel sector, at the expense of many<\/span><\/i>\u201d, says<\/span> Bobby Peek <\/b>of<\/span> groundWork.<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>This IRP contradicts the urgent need for a Just Transition and is completely out of touch with reality.<\/span><\/i> South Africa is already a global air pollution hotspot because of the country\u2019s almost complete reliance on coal. The IRP\u2019s irrational increase in the use of coal will only result in yet more deadly toxic air, while wasting precious water resources and pushing us closer to the brink of complete climate chaos<\/span><\/i>\u201d, says <\/span>Happy Khambule, Senior Political Advisor <\/b>for<\/span> Greenpeace Africa.<\/b> The government is already facing legal action, in the \u201c<\/span>Deadly Air<\/span><\/a>\u201d litigation launched by the <\/span>Centre for Environmental Rights<\/span><\/a> on behalf of <\/span>groundWork<\/span> <\/a>and Mpumalanga community organisation, Vukani Environmental Justice Movement in Action<\/span>, for its failure to protect the health and rights of communities living in the Highveld from the severe air pollution impacts of coal-fired power and industry.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It is understood that the IRP\u2019s allocation for new coal is intended predominantly for the two \u201cpreferred bidder\u201d coal independent power producers (IPPs) \u2013 Thabametsi (Limpopo) and Khanyisa (Mpumalanga Highveld). These ill-fated projects <\/span>face a mountain of obstacles<\/span><\/a> \u2013 both in relation to their environmental approvals and to their funding. Instead of simply abandoning these costly coal plants (as the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy is within its rights to do), government irrationally continues to grant extensions of the projects\u2019 commercial and financial close deadlines.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

LAC and GP <\/span>maintain<\/span><\/a> that the inclusion of new coal in South Africa\u2019s future electricity plans, is a clear violation of the Constitution. The organisations also argue that a fair process of determining a new IRP demands that communities affected by the harmful impacts of coal-fired power generation must be adequately consulted, and their voices heard. This has not been done, which makes this IRP fatally flawed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Reasons for the decision to include new coal capacity in the IRP will be requested from Minister Gwede Mantashe in terms of the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act, and the response will inform further legal action.<\/span><\/p>\n

For media queries and comment, please contact:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Makoma Lekalakala<\/span><\/p>\n

Director, Earthlife Africa<\/span><\/p>\n

makoma@earthlife.org.za<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

082\u00a0682 9177<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Happy Khambule<\/span><\/p>\n

Senior Political Advisor, Greenpeace Africa<\/span><\/p>\n

happy.khambule@greenpeace.org<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

064\u00a0753 3442<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bobby Peek<\/span><\/p>\n

Director, groundWork<\/span><\/p>\n

bobby@groundwork.org.za<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

082\u00a0464 1383<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lerato Balendran<\/span><\/p>\n

Communications Manager, Centre for Environmental Rights<\/span><\/p>\n

lbalendran@cer.org.za<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

079\u00a0043 2970<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tsepang Molefe<\/span><\/p>\n

media@groundwork.org.za<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

074\u00a0405 1257<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Life After Coal\/Impilo Ngaphandle Kwamalahle is a joint campaign by\u00a0<\/span>Earthlife Africa Johannesburg<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>groundWork<\/span><\/a>, and the\u00a0<\/span>Centre for Environmental Rights<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the wake of a new bout of load-shedding, the long-overdue Integrated Resource Plan for Electricity (IRP) was finally published for implementation today \u2013 following nearly a year of deliberations,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":6823,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"p4_og_title":"","p4_og_description":"","p4_og_image":"","p4_og_image_id":"","p4_seo_canonical_url":"","p4_campaign_name":"not set","p4_local_project":"","p4_basket_name":"not set","p4_department":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[7,26,65],"p4-page-type":[14],"class_list":["post-8157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-protecttheenvironment","tag-coal","tag-energy","tag-southafrica","p4-page-type-press"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8157","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8157"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8157\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8159,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8157\/revisions\/8159"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8157"},{"taxonomy":"p4-page-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/p4-page-type?post=8157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}