Potential Risks to Water Resources from the Proposed Thabametsi Power Plant

This report evaluates the potential risks to water resources posed by the proposed Thabametsi Power Plant's coal ash dump and pollution control dams. The author concludes that the chosen site is unsuitable and the proposed mitigation measures are insufficient to protect groundwater, surface water, and wetlands.

• The proposed coal ash dump is exceptionally large and contains contradictory production estimates. It is designed to hold 200 million tons of coal combustion residues (CCR) over 40 years and cover 270 hectares, though other project documents estimate generation at 257 million tons or 95 million tons.
• The applicant's estimated CCR production rate may be underestimated by approximately 50%. The projected rate of 0.44 tons CCR per MWh is significantly lower than the United States average for circulating fluidised bed (CFB) plants, which is 0.84 tons CCR per MWh.
• The siting of the coal ash dump and pollution control dams (PCDs) on fault zones creates a high risk of groundwater contamination. The site is located on two east-west trending faults and near the north-south trending Daarby Fault, which may act as "preferential pathways for groundwater movement".
• The proposed groundwater monitoring program is insufficient because it omits 14 key CCR-related pollutants, including arsenic, selenium, and lead. Additionally, the program lacks monitoring wells to the north or west of the dump, despite plume modeling indicating pollutants would travel west.
• There is a significant risk that surface water monitoring will not be conducted at all. A footnote in the Water Use License Application Report (WULAR) suggests that monitoring of surface water bodies "may be omitted due to far distance from the resource".
• The proposed liner system for the coal ash dump does not conform to accepted U.S. standards. While the 1.5mm HDPE geomembrane meets thickness requirements, the proposed geosynthetic clay liner is only compared to a 300mm compacted clay liner, which is half the two-foot thickness required by U.S. regulations.

APA

Hansen, E. (2018). Potential Risks to Water Resources from the Proposed Thabametsi Power Plant. Centre for Environmental Rights. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Annexure-C-E-Hansen-Thabametsi-Report-FINAL-3-2-2018.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Hansen, Evan. Potential Risks to Water Resources from the Proposed Thabametsi Power Plant. Centre for Environmental Rights, 2018. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Annexure-C-E-Hansen-Thabametsi-Report-FINAL-3-2-2018.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hansen |first1=Evan |title=Potential Risks to Water Resources from the Proposed Thabametsi Power Plant |publisher=Centre for Environmental Rights |date=2 March 2018 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Annexure-C-E-Hansen-Thabametsi-Report-FINAL-3-2-2018.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hansen2018potential, author = {Hansen, Evan}, title = {{Potential Risks to Water Resources from the Proposed Thabametsi Power Plant}}, institution = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2018}, month = mar, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Annexure-C-E-Hansen-Thabametsi-Report-FINAL-3-2-2018.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }