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

A technical report by Dr. Ranajit Sahu for the Centre for Environmental Rights analyzing particulate matter (PM) emissions at Eskom’s Kendal Power Station from April 2016 to March 2020. The analysis finds thousands of exceedances of the Atmospheric Emission License (AEL) limit, suggesting that the plant's electrostatic precipitators are failing and recommending the installation of fabric filters or the shutdown of the facility.

• Between April 2016 and March 2020, Kendal Power Station recorded 2,712 exceedances of its Atmospheric Emission License (AEL) limit for average daily particulate matter (PM) emissions, which is set at 100 mg/Nm3.
• The frequency of PM exceedances increased threefold starting in April 2018 and remained at these higher levels through March 2020. January 2020 recorded the highest number of exceedances in a single month with 151.
• A significant portion of the exceedances were many times higher than the legal limit. In 2019, 83% of exceedances were at least twice the PM limit, 35% were four times the limit, and 10% were 12 times the limit. In October 2018, 16 days saw emissions reaching or exceeding 2,500 mg/Nm3, which is 25 times the legal limit.
• The report identifies failures in pollution control and reporting. Electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) are described as not working properly even after maintenance. Additionally, monthly reports from August through November 2019 contained summation errors in Table 6.2, underreporting total PM exceedances by between 24 and 30.
• The author recommends that Kendal Power Station either be shut down or rapidly retrofitted with fabric filters. Such retrofitting would allow the plant to meet its AEL limits and the World Bank recommended limit of 25 mg/Nm3 for large 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/2020/04/Annexure-A_Dr-Sahu-Kendal-report-April-2020.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/2020/04/Annexure-A_Dr-Sahu-Kendal-report-April-2020.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=24 April 2020 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Annexure-A_Dr-Sahu-Kendal-report-April-2020.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 = apr, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Annexure-A_Dr-Sahu-Kendal-report-April-2020.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }