annexure-h_eskoms-response-to-deas-additonal-information-request-in-terms-of-the-postponement-applications_lethabo-power-station-8abc67952e171fd4.pdf

This document is a letter from Eskom to the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) dated 17 July 2014, providing additional information to support a postponement application for the Lethabo Power Station's compliance with Minimum Emission Standards (MES). Eskom outlines current stack emission limits, argues that full compliance by 2015 and 2020 is not practically feasible, and provides ambient air quality monitoring data and a register of public complaints regarding pollution.

• Eskom has stated that it will not upgrade the Lethabo Power Station to meet 'new plant' emission limits for particulate matter (PM), sulphur dioxide (SO2), and nitrogen oxides (NOx), as it considers full compliance by the 2015 and 2020 timeframes to be neither "practically feasible or beneficial for South Africa".
• Under normal operating conditions, the stack emission limits for Lethabo Power Station are 75/300 mg/Nm3 for PM (average period), 4000 mg/Nm3 for SO2 (hourly), and 1700 mg/Nm3 for NOx (monthly).
• Ambient air quality monitoring at the Three Rivers station indicates that while SO2 and NO2 concentrations are in compliance with South African standards, PM levels are in non-compliance. In 2012, 86 exceedances of the 24-hour limit value for PM were recorded, compared to an allowed limit of 4 per year, with most exceedances occurring between May and August.
• Eskom reports that PM2.5 concentrations are not monitored at the Three Rivers station and there is insufficient data on particle size distribution to model the impact of PM2.5 emissions from Lethabo. However, Eskom claims that PM2.5 emissions from the station make only a "very small contribution" to total ambient particulate levels.
• The document includes a complaints register for Lethabo Power Station featuring reports from residents in Three Rivers regarding "heavy greyish ash" and "Yellow Dust Fall-out" covering cars and patios, as well as health issues including "sinus & bronchial problems".
• Eskom identifies several operational causes for emission excursions, including the non-functioning of the Unit 5 SO3 plant, high hopper levels in Electrostatic Precipitators causing ash re-entrainment, and failures in the ash plant (stackers not available).
• A pre-directive issued to Lethabo Power Station on 17 July 2012 was closed by the DEA on 3 February 2014, with the DEA notifying the station that no further compliance enforcement action would be taken.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (n.d.). annexure-h_eskoms-response-to-deas-additonal-information-request-in-terms-of-the-postponement-applications_lethabo-power-station-8abc67952e171fd4.pdf. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Annexure-H_Eskoms-response-to-DEAs-additonal-information-request-in-terms-of-the-postponement-applications_Lethabo-Power-Station.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. annexure-h_eskoms-response-to-deas-additonal-information-request-in-terms-of-the-postponement-applications_lethabo-power-station-8abc67952e171fd4.pdf. n.d. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Annexure-H_Eskoms-response-to-DEAs-additonal-information-request-in-terms-of-the-postponement-applications_Lethabo-Power-Station.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=annexure-h_eskoms-response-to-deas-additonal-information-request-in-terms-of-the-postponement-applications_lethabo-power-station-8abc67952e171fd4.pdf |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Annexure-H_Eskoms-response-to-DEAs-additonal-information-request-in-terms-of-the-postponement-applications_Lethabo-Power-Station.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centreforenvironmentalrightsndannexureheskomsresponsetodeasadditonalinformationrequestintermsofthepostponementapplicationslethabopowerstation8abc67952e171fd4pdf, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{annexure-h\_eskoms-response-to-deas-additonal-information-request-in-terms-of-the-postponement-applications\_lethabo-power-station-8abc67952e171fd4.pdf}}, institution = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Annexure-H_Eskoms-response-to-DEAs-additonal-information-request-in-terms-of-the-postponement-applications_Lethabo-Power-Station.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }