{"query_echo":{"q":"","filters":{"climate_tags":["power plant decommissioning"]},"warnings":[{"code":"facet_value_not_in_vocabulary","message":"Value 'power plant decommissioning' for facet 'climate_tags' is not in the controlled vocabulary."}]},"total":{"value":3,"relation":"eq"},"page":1,"page_size":20,"self":"https://climateinsightsdirectory.org/api/v1/search?climate_tags=power+plant+decommissioning","stability":"beta","ai_marking":{"digital_source_type":{"uri":"http://cv.iptc.org/newscodes/digitalsourcetype/trainedAlgorithmicMedia","name":"Created using Generative AI"},"notice":"Summary and key insights are generated using artificial intelligence."},"results":[{"id":"cer-000281","url":"https://climateinsightsdirectory.org/document/cer-000281","title":"8.3-run-until-2035-7-6f0e58c45a1bc0df.pdf","publisher":{"name":"Centre for Environmental Rights","organization":"centre-for-environmental-rights"},"document_type":"report","language":"en","date_published":null,"source_url":"https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/8.3-Run-Until-2035-7.pdf?x21779","generator":"Climate Insights Directory","generated_fields":["summary","key_insights","climate_tags","analysis_type"],"summary":{"text":"This document is an excerpt from the Energy Services Consolidated Life-ex Report for the Hendrina Power Station. It details the remedial programmes and investment costs required to manage the station's common plant areas—including coal handling, boiler house, turbine hall, and cooling towers—to ensure operational viability until the planned decommissioning date of 2035.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"cer-000281#summary","date_modified":"2026-08-17"},"key_insights":[{"text":"The remedial strategy for the common plant area is designed to balance cost-effectiveness by performing interventions early enough to prevent expensive repairs but late enough to avoid unnecessary costs before the 2035 decommissioning date, allowing for a \"manageable (safe) degree of deterioration\" in the final years.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"cer-000281#insight-1","date_modified":"2026-08-17"},{"text":"Critical infrastructure risks are identified in the ash plant; specifically, if a new ash dam is not constructed by mid-2018, the station will exhaust its ash storage capacity.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"cer-000281#insight-2","date_modified":"2026-08-17"},{"text":"The cooling towers require urgent attention, including a forensic investigation into the root cause of cracking in Tower 4 and the lining of sulphuric acid bunded areas to prevent environmental contamination.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"cer-000281#insight-3","date_modified":"2026-08-17"},{"text":"The report warns that failure to implement the majority of the recommendations could lead to drastic increases in maintenance costs and the occurrence of major, potentially life-threatening failures and continuous boiler trips.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"cer-000281#insight-4","date_modified":"2026-08-17"}],"climate_tags":["energy transition","power plant decommissioning","infrastructure maintenance"],"geography_discussed":[],"frame_perspective":[],"analysis_type":["economic evaluation","technical assessment","risk assessment"]},{"id":"cer-000298","url":"https://climateinsightsdirectory.org/document/cer-000298","title":"acacia-additional-information-ea5c2683bc405676.pdf","publisher":{"name":"Centre for Environmental Rights","organization":"centre-for-environmental-rights"},"document_type":"briefing","language":"en","date_published":null,"source_url":"https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Acacia-Additional-Information.pdf?x21779","generator":"Climate Insights Directory","generated_fields":["summary","key_insights","climate_tags","geography_discussed","analysis_type"],"summary":{"text":"This briefing from Eskom to the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) provides additional information supporting an application to postpone compliance with Minimum Emission Standards (MES) for the Acacia Power Station. Eskom argues that the station's infrequent use as a peaking plant results in negligible impacts on ambient air quality and human health, and proposes decommissioning the facility around 2026.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"cer-000298#summary","date_modified":"2026-08-17"},"key_insights":[{"text":"Eskom has established specific stack emission limits for Acacia Power Station for both normal operating conditions and start-up, shut-down, and maintenance conditions. For normal operations, the particulate limit is 75 mg/Nm by 1 April 2015 and 50 mg/Nm by 1 April 2020; the SO2 limit is 1100 mg/Nm by 1 April 2015 and 250 mg/Nm by 1 April 2020; and the NOx limit is 3500 mg/Nm by 1 April 2015 and 500 mg/Nm by 1 April 2020.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"cer-000298#insight-1","date_modified":"2026-08-17"},{"text":"Dispersion modelling for ambient NOx concentrations was based on calculations from fuel specifications and the EPA-AP42 emission factor rather than actual measurements. Eskom expects these to be accurate due to the uniform properties of the kerosene used, and plans to share actual emission testing results by April 2015.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"cer-000298#insight-2","date_modified":"2026-08-17"},{"text":"Acacia Power Station is a peaking station that operated for less than 53 hours in 2012. Because of this low usage, Eskom claims the requested emission limits pose little risk of exceeding National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).","ai_generated":true,"unit":"cer-000298#insight-3","date_modified":"2026-08-17"},{"text":"Eskom does not intend to upgrade Acacia to meet the 'new plant' NOx emission limit. The facility is expected to be decommissioned around 2026 based on a 50-year life plan, though this depends on national electricity demand. Additionally, new gas turbine units at Ankerlig are intended to reduce Acacia's load factor.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"cer-000298#insight-4","date_modified":"2026-08-17"},{"text":"Eskom argues that PM and SO2 emissions from Acacia do not significantly affect human health because their mass flow rates are substantially lower than those of NOx. To further monitor this, Eskom is purchasing an ambient air quality monitoring station for the residential area downwind of the plant, expected to be operational by April 2015.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"cer-000298#insight-5","date_modified":"2026-08-17"}],"climate_tags":["energy transition","air quality","emission standards","power plant decommissioning"],"geography_discussed":["Bothasig","Goodwood","Ankerlig Power Station"],"frame_perspective":[],"analysis_type":["compliance report","environmental impact assessment"]},{"id":"cer-001058","url":"https://climateinsightsdirectory.org/document/cer-001058","title":"KM_C554e-20150213195516","publisher":{"name":"Centre for Environmental Rights","organization":"centre-for-environmental-rights"},"document_type":"statement","language":"en","date_published":null,"source_url":"https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Komati-Letter.pdf?x21779","generator":"Climate Insights Directory","generated_fields":["summary","key_insights","climate_tags","analysis_type"],"summary":{"text":"A letter from the South African Department of Environmental Affairs to Eskom regarding an application for the postponement of compliance time-frames with the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act 39 of 2004 for the Komati Power Station.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"cer-001058#summary","date_modified":"2026-08-17"},"key_insights":[{"text":"The National Air Quality Officer denied postponement applications for particulate matter (PM) limits beyond 2020, citing stricter national ambient air quality standards effective from 01 January 2015. The requirement for existing plants to comply with minimum emission standards remains in place.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"cer-001058#insight-1","date_modified":"2026-08-17"},{"text":"A postponement of compliance with the minimum emission standard for new plant is granted from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2025, with a limit of 2600mg/Nm3, based on the sulphur content of the fuel.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"cer-001058#insight-2","date_modified":"2026-08-17"},{"text":"A postponement of compliance with the minimum emission standards for existing plant regarding NOx is granted from 01 April 2015 to 31 March 2020, with a limit of 1300mg/Nm3.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"cer-001058#insight-3","date_modified":"2026-08-17"},{"text":"Eskom is required to implement an offset programme to reduce PM pollution in the ambient/receiving environment, with a definite implementation plan due by 31 March 2016.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"cer-001058#insight-4","date_modified":"2026-08-17"},{"text":"The Komati Power Station is scheduled for decommissioning between 2024 and 2029, based on a 50-year life span.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"cer-001058#insight-5","date_modified":"2026-08-17"}],"climate_tags":["energy transition","air quality","emission standards","power plant decommissioning"],"geography_discussed":[],"frame_perspective":[],"analysis_type":["regulatory decision"]}]}