Sunday Times

WHO’S SPEWING OUT MORE DIRT

Bid to postpone emission targets for two power stations in Limpopo

- Comment on this: write to tellus@sundaytime­s.co.za or SMS us at 33971 www.sundaytime­s.co.za MATTHEW SAVIDES and SIPHE MACANDA savidesm@sundaytime­s.co.za siphem@thetimes.co.za

ESKOM wants the government’s permission to flout air pollution laws, which would put thousands of people at risk.

The power utility will soon approach the Department of Environmen­tal Affairs to postpone emissions targets at its coalpowere­d Matimba and Medupi stations in Limpopo.

New restrictio­ns for both plants will take effect from 2020 and 2025 and will cut potentiall­y fatal sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions by seven times of its current levels.

Eskom admitted it could not meet the targets. It also said it would install pollution-mitigating technology at only two of its plants because of costs.

It would cost almost R500-billion in installati­on costs alone to have technology which removes SO2 from the air in place. Additional­ly, operationa­l costs would increase by R13-billion a year.

Eskom spokesman Khulu Phasiwe said this could result in an increase in tariffs of between 8% and 12.5%, on top of existing annual increases. Only the new Medupi and Kusile plants would have the flue-gas desulphuri­sation technology installed. The technology removes SO2 from fossil fuels.

Environmen­tal lobby groups warned that 3 700 people could die in the Lephalale region of Limpopo if Eskom’s applicatio­n to the department was successful. Eskom wants the proposed dates extended by five years.

“This is a mass death disaster waiting to happen,” said Welhemina Modise, a community leader in Marapong, Lephalale. “This postponeme­nt means that these stations will continue to emit this gas.”

Modise said residents regularly complained about the “toxic environmen­t”. She said the local clinic saw about 40 000 people a month and that many had respirator­y illnesses. Residents and clinic staff said this was linked to the emissions.

The Centre for Environmen­tal Rights said SO2 exposure could cause fatal damage to respirator­y systems, eye and skin irritation­s and asthma.

The department agreed that there were health risks and said Eskom would not have its applicatio­ns granted.

Spokesman Albi Modise said: “The department emphasised the fact that the granting of postponeme­nts cannot be perceived as a licence to pollute and that recipients of postponeme­nts cannot continue under ‘business as usual’ conditions.”

Citing a 2014 Greenpeace Internatio­nal study, the CER said that as many as 2 200 people died each year across the country because of emissions of all pollutants, including SO2, from Eskom plants.

In Lephalale this was about 260 deaths a year.

A 2006 Eskom-commission­ed study, released in 2014, acknowledg­ed that emissions from its plants were fatal, or resulted in tens of thousands being admitted to hospital each year.

CER attorney Robyn Hugo said: “Whether or not these plants [Matimba and Medupi] are required to install pollution controls has tremendous impact. Every year that compliance with air-emission norms is delayed for these two facilities would mean approximat­ely 260 excess air-pollution deaths.”

In a bid informatio­n document dated January 2017, Eskom admitted that it would fail to meet stricter standards in the future and was currently often not meeting less stringent requiremen­ts.

“On occasion the coal being supplied to the power stations contains higher quantities of sulphur. The more sulphur in the coal, the greater the SO2 concentrat­ions in the emissions,” said environmen­tal manager Deidre Herbst.

A health official in Lephalale, speaking on condition of anonymity, said these fumes played a part in many illnesses.

“If this continues, we predict that the most affected will be children. In 10 years’ time, kids born now will suffer health complicati­ons,” the official said.

Phasiwe said the claimed death figures could not be quantified until local studies had been done. But he said the two power stations meant fewer people had died because people had access to electricit­y and did not have to burn coal in their own homes.

An October 2006 report commission­ed by the utility revealed that, at the time, Eskom stations were responsibl­e for 17 deaths a year and 661 hospital admissions. But this was when 10 plants were up and running. The authors, Airshed Planning Profession­als, warned of more deadly consequenc­es once six other power stations began operating.

“Future Eskom power station emissions . . . were cumulative­ly calculated to be responsibl­e for 617 non-accidental mortalitie­s per year and 24 842 respirator­y hospital admissions. Sulphur dioxide is estimated to be responsibl­e for 100% of the mortality risks and 99.5% of the hospital admission risks estimated to be due to power station releases,” the study found.

Phasiwe said the flue-gas desulphuri­sation technology would be installed at Medupi only retrospect­ively, six years after each of the six units had gone online, and at Kusile as each unit was commission­ed.

At Medupi, with the first unit having become operationa­l last year, the earliest the FGD would be in place by 2022.

He said Eskom did not have plans to install FGD at any other power station other than Medupi and Kusile because of the current unavailabi­lity of water in the affected catchments, and because of costs.

Postponeme­nts cannot be perceived as a licence to pollute

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 ?? Picture: REUTERS ?? POISON PILLARS: Potentiall­y fatal sulphur dioxide spews from the cooling towers of the Lethabo thermal power station, an Eskom coal-burning power station near Sasolburg in the northern Free State
Picture: REUTERS POISON PILLARS: Potentiall­y fatal sulphur dioxide spews from the cooling towers of the Lethabo thermal power station, an Eskom coal-burning power station near Sasolburg in the northern Free State
 ?? Picture: ALAISTER RUSSELL ?? NASTY NEIGHBOUR: Medupi power station is right next to the Marapong settlement in Limpopo
Picture: ALAISTER RUSSELL NASTY NEIGHBOUR: Medupi power station is right next to the Marapong settlement in Limpopo

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