Cape Town - After its initial environmental authorisation was denied, Karpowership SA was in the process of reapplying for environmental authorisation and making a second attempt to provide more than 1 200MW of power to South Africa’s grid through its three gas-power projects at the ports of Ngqura, Richards Bay and Saldanha Bay.
Karpowership SA was unsuccessful in obtaining environmental authorisation from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE) for its first application and was also unsuccessful in its bid to appeal this decision by the DFFE.
The company revealed that it was in the process of addressing all “perceived gaps” within its initial environmental impact assessment (EIA) applications, and the public participation process in particular.
This after a discussion between Karpowership SA and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE).
Department spokesperson Albi Modise said Karpowership’s application for environmental authorisation was refused due to various gaps in information in their reports that had been submitted as part of their environmental authorisation applications and procedural defects in relation to the public participation process.
A Karpowership SA spokesperson said the items raised by the DFFE during their meeting included issues relating to underwater noise studies, the potential impact on marine life and fishing communities, as well as mitigation of emission levels – which were now being revisited and addressed in detail.
Public meetings for these proposed power projects were scheduled to be held in November.
However, this second attempt by the company was not welcomed by some of the eco-justice groups and coastal fishers that opposed Karpowership SA’s initial application.
Liz McDaid, the strategic lead of eco-justice group The Green Connection, said: “Gas is not a part of a just energy transition and it is the people that will bear the brunt of the government’s failure to take climate change seriously.
“If the government is serious about climate change, it must halt coal, oil and gas projects and focus on investing in people-focused adaptation and mitigation projects to climate change, McDaid said.
The Green Connection, together with members of small-scale fishing co-operatives and civil society organisations, hosted a national workshop Saldanha in September to discuss advocacy strategies to protect their livelihoods from oil and gas exploration.
A fisher with Coastal Links Saldanha Bay, Carmelita Mostert, said: “All we want is a clean ocean to fish from as it is our livelihood and our custom. Our heritage. We have the right to protect our oceans and marine life.”
Karpowership SA said this project was a critical pillar of support to up-scale South Africa’s renewable energy capacity and a crucial part of the transition to cleaner fuels.