Eskom’s Kendal Power Station Exceedances of Applicable Atmospheric Emission License Limit Values for Particulate Matter from April 2016 to March 2020

The report finds that Eskom's Kendal Power Station recorded 2,851 exceedances of its 100 mg/Nm3 particulate matter (PM) limit between April 2016 and March 2020. Exceedances increased significantly in April 2018 and remained high, with January 2020 recording the highest monthly total of 151. The analysis indicates that existing electrostatic precipitators are failing, and the author recommends either shutting down the plant or rapidly retrofitting all six units with fabric filters to meet AEL and World Bank standards.

• Between April 2016 and March 2020, Kendal Power Station reported 2,851 violations of its Atmospheric Emission License (AEL) limit for particulate matter (PM), which is set at 100 mg/Nm3.
• PM exceedances increased in frequency by three times starting in April 2018 and did not return to previous levels; January 2020 saw the highest number of exceedances in a single month with 151.
• A significant portion of exceedances reached levels many times higher than the legal limit: in 2019, 84% were twice the limit, 36% were four times the limit, and 10% were ten times the limit. In 2018, 2% of exceedances were 25 times the AEL limit.
• The report identifies failures in pollution control and reporting, noting that electrostatic precipitators are not functioning properly and that Eskom underreported 134 PM exceedances in Table 6.2 of reports from August to December 2019.
• The author recommends that the station either be shut down or rapidly retrofitted with fabric filters to meet AEL limits and the World Bank recommended limit of 25 mg/Nm3 for large new power plants in degraded airsheds.

APA

Sahu, R. (. (2020). Eskom’s Kendal Power Station Exceedances of Applicable Atmospheric Emission License Limit Values for Particulate Matter from April 2016 to March 2020. Centre for Environmental Rights. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Annexure-A2.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Sahu, Ranajit (Ron). Eskom’s Kendal Power Station Exceedances of Applicable Atmospheric Emission License Limit Values for Particulate Matter from April 2016 to March 2020. Centre for Environmental Rights, 2020. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Annexure-A2.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Sahu |first1=Ranajit (Ron) |title=Eskom’s Kendal Power Station Exceedances of Applicable Atmospheric Emission License Limit Values for Particulate Matter from April 2016 to March 2020 |publisher=Centre for Environmental Rights |date=12 May 2020 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Annexure-A2.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sahu2020eskoms, author = {Sahu, Ranajit (Ron)}, title = {{Eskom’s Kendal Power Station Exceedances of Applicable Atmospheric Emission License Limit Values for Particulate Matter from April 2016 to March 2020}}, institution = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2020}, month = may, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Annexure-A2.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }