THE DEVELOPMENT BANK OF SOUTHERN AFRICA’S ROLE IN THE FINANCING OF THE PROPOSED THABAMETSI COAL-FIRED POWER PLANT

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) has challenged the Development Bank of Southern Africa's (DBSA) financing of the Thabametsi coal-fired power plant. The CER highlights a March 2017 North Gauteng High Court ruling that suspended the project's environmental authorisation because climate change impacts were not adequately considered. The CER notes that Thabametsi's own assessments indicate it would be one of South Africa's highest greenhouse gas emitters and faces high water availability risks. The document argues that financing new coal projects contradicts the DBSA's stated goals of supporting a low-carbon economy and its status as a UN Green Climate Fund entity, warning that the plant is likely to become a stranded asset given South Africa's commitments under the Paris Agreement.

• The North Gauteng High Court ruled on 8 March 2017 that the environmental authorisation for the Thabametsi power station was granted without properly researching climate change impacts for the specific area and South Africa generally.
• Thabametsi's own climate change impact assessment indicates the project would be among the highest greenhouse gas emitters in South Africa, with an emission intensity approximately 60% higher than the Medupi and Kusile plants, and faces high risks regarding water availability in the Mokolo catchment.
• The CER argues that the Thabametsi plant faces a high risk of becoming a stranded asset because its proposed 40-year lifespan, starting in 2021, conflicts with South Africa's Nationally Determined Contribution to peak emissions between 2020-2025 and decline from 2035.
• Financing the Thabametsi project is presented as a contradiction of the DBSA's legal mandate for sustainable development, its 2015/2016 commitments to a low-carbon economy, and its accreditation as a United Nations Green Climate Fund entity.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2017). THE DEVELOPMENT BANK OF SOUTHERN AFRICA’S ROLE IN THE FINANCING OF THE PROPOSED THABAMETSI COAL-FIRED POWER PLANT. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/170906-CER-to-DBSA-Thabametsi.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. THE DEVELOPMENT BANK OF SOUTHERN AFRICA’S ROLE IN THE FINANCING OF THE PROPOSED THABAMETSI COAL-FIRED POWER PLANT. 2017. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/170906-CER-to-DBSA-Thabametsi.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=THE DEVELOPMENT BANK OF SOUTHERN AFRICA’S ROLE IN THE FINANCING OF THE PROPOSED THABAMETSI COAL-FIRED POWER PLANT |date=6 September 2017 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/170906-CER-to-DBSA-Thabametsi.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrights2017development, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{THE DEVELOPMENT BANK OF SOUTHERN AFRICA’S ROLE IN THE FINANCING OF THE PROPOSED THABAMETSI COAL-FIRED POWER PLANT}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2017}, month = sep, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/170906-CER-to-DBSA-Thabametsi.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }