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Article

1 Oct 2017

Author:
Mining Review Africa (South Africa)

So. Africa: Environmentalists institute two new court applications opposing proposed KiPower & Khanyisa coal-fired power stations; applications cite climate change impacts on communities

"Another two proposed coal power plants taken to court", 12 Sept 2017

Environmental justice organisation groundWork, represented by the Centre for Environmental Rights, has instituted two new court applications in the Pretoria High Court against the Minister of Environmental Affairs and others, challenging the decisions of the Minister and the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) to authorise proposed independent power producer (IPP) KiPower and Khanyisa coal-fired power stations, without a full assessment of the plants’ climate change impacts. Both power stations would be based in the Mpumalanga Highveld – declared an air quality priority area a decade ago because of the poor air quality...Earlier this year, the Thabametsi IPP power station planned for Limpopo was challenged in court for its failure to consider climate change impacts...The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), which represented Earthlife Africa Johannesburg (ELA) in the Thabametsi proceedings, is also representing groundWork in the KiPower and Khanyisa cases..“South Africa is very much at risk and vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, particularly the Highveld and the Upper Olifants River Catchment," says director of groundWork, Bobby Peek. "In these areas it is the poor that will suffer most. In any event, South Africa simply cannot withstand more polluting coal-fired power stations, especially given their staggering climate impacts”...The government respondents in the Khanyisa case [had] until 29 September 2017 to file the record of decision...The record of decision in the KiPower case is already overdue, but KiPower and Kuyasa have indicated their intention to oppose the litigation.