KM_C554e-20180131112205

The Minister of Environmental Affairs of South Africa issued a decision on 30 January 2018 to confirm the Environmental Authorisation (EA) for the construction of the 1200MW Thabametsi coal-fired power station. This decision followed a North Gauteng High Court order remitting the matter for reconsideration specifically regarding climate change and paleontological impact assessments.

• The Minister confirmed the Environmental Authorisation for the 1200MW Thabametsi coal-fired power station, acknowledging that while the plant will cause "significant GHG emissions" and high climate change impacts, these do not constitute a "fatal flaw."
• A peer review conducted by EOH Coastal and Environmental Services (EOH) found that the specialist studies on climate change risks were of a high standard and followed international best practices. However, EOH noted that GHG emission risks could be "very high" and suggested this implies a "high social cost."
• The Minister justified the approval by referencing the Integrated Resource Plan for Electricity 2010 - 2030 (IRP), stating that decision-makers determined the benefits of additional energy generation capacity outweighed the harms of establishing new coal-fired facilities.
• The paleontological impact assessment did not find any reasons to prevent the construction of the power plant or its infrastructure, provided that appropriate mitigation measures are implemented.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (n.d.). KM_C554e-20180131112205. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Annexure-A-Thabametsi-Appeal-Decision-30-January-2018.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. KM_C554e-20180131112205. n.d. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Annexure-A-Thabametsi-Appeal-Decision-30-January-2018.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=KM_C554e-20180131112205 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Annexure-A-Thabametsi-Appeal-Decision-30-January-2018.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrightsndkmc554e20180131112205, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{KM\_C554e-20180131112205}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Annexure-A-Thabametsi-Appeal-Decision-30-January-2018.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }