South Africa plan for 1.5 gigawatts of coal faces legal challenge

South Africa’s energy regulator and energy department have are facing a demand from some of the country’s leading environmental groups to halt plans to allow the construction of new coal-fired power plants or face legal action.

Plans for the construction of 1,500 megawatts of coal generation capacity are included in the 2019 Integrated Resource Plan for Electricity and a so-called ministerial determination passed on Sept. 25 last year.

“Our clients’ instructions are to oppose the 1,500 megawatts of new coal in the determination and the IRP 2019 in the event it is to proceed,” the Centre For Environmental Rights, a legal organization, said in a statement on behalf of its clients on Tuesday. The CER is representing groundWork, Vukani Environmental Justice Movement in Action and the African Climate Alliance.

[Antony Sguazzin]

22 September 2021

IEEFA