Potential Risks to Water Resources from the Proposed Thabametsi Power Plant

The report concludes that the proposed Thabametsi Power Plant's coal ash dump is unsuitable and its mitigation measures are insufficient. Key concerns include the siting of the dump atop fault zones, which could facilitate rapid contaminant transport and hinder monitoring, and a groundwater monitoring program that omits numerous critical trace elements. The author also notes significant discrepancies in the applicant's estimated coal combustion residue (CCR) production and argues that the proposed liner system may not meet accepted safety standards, increasing the risk of hazardous waste leaking into water resources used by local populations.

• The proposed coal ash dump is exceptionally large and its design capacity is inconsistent across project documents, with estimates ranging from 95 million tons to 257 million tons over 40 years.
• The applicant's estimated CCR production rate is likely a gross underestimate, appearing to be approximately half of the average rate for similar circulating fluidised bed (CFB) plants in the United States.
• Siting the coal ash dump and pollution control dams on or near fault zones, specifically the Daarby Fault and two east-west trending faults, creates a high risk of rapid groundwater contamination and may obstruct effective monitoring.
• The proposed groundwater monitoring program is insufficient because it omits 14 key CCR-related pollutants, including arsenic, selenium, and lead, and lacks monitoring wells to the west where pollution plumes are predicted to flow.
• There is a significant risk that no surface water monitoring will be conducted due to a footnote in the Water Use License Application Report suggesting it may be omitted, which would leave the environment vulnerable to undetected CCR-related pollutants.
• The proposed liner system for the coal ash dump may not conform to accepted standards, specifically regarding the thickness and hydraulic conductivity of the geosynthetic clay liner compared to 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} }