DECISION ON THE APPEAL OF THE AMENDED ENVIRONMENTAL AUTHORISATION GRANTED TO NEWSHELF 1282 (PTY) LTD FOR THE PROPOSED THABAMETSI POWER STATION

A letter from the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), acting for Earthlife Africa Johannesburg, to Gunn Attorneys regarding the appeal decision for the Thabametsi power station. The CER seeks clarification on the implementation of new conditions for climate change and paleontological assessments and disputes the lawfulness of the decision.

• The appeal decision for the proposed 1200MW coal-fired Thabametsi power station near Lephalale, Limpopo, requires Newshelf 1282 (Pty) Ltd (now Thabametsi Power Project (Pty) Ltd) to complete several assessments prior to the project's commencement. These include a climate change impact assessment (CCIA) to be started within six months of the appeal decision, the establishment of surface water monitoring points approved by the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA), and a paleontological impact assessment report (PIAR) to be submitted to the DEA and the South African Heritage Resource Agency (SAHRA) within six months.
• The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) argues that the required climate change impact assessment must go beyond global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. They submit that the assessment should specifically evaluate water resources available for the project, the project's impact on GHG emissions, and adaptation to a changed climate, including the maximization of GHG emission reductions and the avoidance of 'maladaptations'.
• There is a dispute regarding the assessment of health impacts. While the appeal decision suggests that the Atmospheric Impact Report within the atmospheric emission licence (AEL) application process will cover impacts on human health and the environment, Earthlife Africa Johannesburg disputes that this replaces the requirement to assess health impacts during the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process.
• The CER notes that an AEL application was submitted to the Limpopo Economic Development Environment and Tourism Department (LEDET) in July 2014, but the application was reported by LEDET as incomplete. The CER and its client had not seen or commented on this application at the time of the letter.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2016). DECISION ON THE APPEAL OF THE AMENDED ENVIRONMENTAL AUTHORISATION GRANTED TO NEWSHELF 1282 (PTY) LTD FOR THE PROPOSED THABAMETSI POWER STATION. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/CER-Letter-to-Gunn-Attorneys-Thabametsi-23-March-2016.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. DECISION ON THE APPEAL OF THE AMENDED ENVIRONMENTAL AUTHORISATION GRANTED TO NEWSHELF 1282 (PTY) LTD FOR THE PROPOSED THABAMETSI POWER STATION. 2016. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/CER-Letter-to-Gunn-Attorneys-Thabametsi-23-March-2016.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=DECISION ON THE APPEAL OF THE AMENDED ENVIRONMENTAL AUTHORISATION GRANTED TO NEWSHELF 1282 (PTY) LTD FOR THE PROPOSED THABAMETSI POWER STATION |date=23 March 2016 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/CER-Letter-to-Gunn-Attorneys-Thabametsi-23-March-2016.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrights2016decision, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{DECISION ON THE APPEAL OF THE AMENDED ENVIRONMENTAL AUTHORISATION GRANTED TO NEWSHELF 1282 (PTY) LTD FOR THE PROPOSED THABAMETSI POWER STATION}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2016}, month = mar, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/CER-Letter-to-Gunn-Attorneys-Thabametsi-23-March-2016.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }