WHO’S SPEWING OUT MORE DIRT
Bid to postpone emission targets for two power stations in Limpopo
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