UPDATE ON THE PREFERRED BIDDERS UNDER THE FIRST BID WINDOW OF THE COAL BASELOAD IPP PROCUREMENT PROGRAMME AND THE PROPOSED THABAMETSI & KHANYISA COAL-FIRED POWER STATION

A letter from the Centre for Environmental Rights to the IPP Office of the Department of Energy requesting updates on the commercial and financial close deadlines for the Thabametsi and Khanyisa coal-fired power station projects, while asserting that neither project is currently capable of reaching such close due to outstanding licenses and pending litigation.

• The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) is seeking confirmation on whether the bid validity extensions for the Thabametsi and Khanyisa projects—previously set for 2 May 2019 and 3 May 2019, respectively—remain the current deadlines for commercial and financial close.
• The CER asserts that the coal IPPs cannot reach commercial and financial close because several required authorizations and licenses are outstanding or being challenged through internal appeals and High Court review proceedings.
• The Khanyisa project faces specific legal and regulatory hurdles, including an Environmental Authorisation (EA) under judicial review at the Pretoria High Court, a Water Use Licence (WUL) under appeal before the Water Tribunal, a Provisional Atmospheric Emission Licence (PAEL) under appeal before the Nkangala District Municipality’s appeal authority, and an undecided electricity generation licence.
• The Thabametsi project is similarly stalled, with its Environmental Authorisation (EA) undergoing judicial review at the Pretoria High Court, while its electricity generation licence, Water Use Licence (WUL), and Atmospheric Emission Licence (AEL) applications remain undecided.
• The CER notes that according to the Request for Proposals, proof that appeals or reviews against environmental consents have been resolved must be provided at least one month before the financial and commercial close deadline, or the preferred bidder appointment may be terminated.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2019). UPDATE ON THE PREFERRED BIDDERS UNDER THE FIRST BID WINDOW OF THE COAL BASELOAD IPP PROCUREMENT PROGRAMME AND THE PROPOSED THABAMETSI & KHANYISA COAL-FIRED POWER STATION. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/CER-letter-to-IPP-office-17.04.19.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. UPDATE ON THE PREFERRED BIDDERS UNDER THE FIRST BID WINDOW OF THE COAL BASELOAD IPP PROCUREMENT PROGRAMME AND THE PROPOSED THABAMETSI & KHANYISA COAL-FIRED POWER STATION. 2019. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/CER-letter-to-IPP-office-17.04.19.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=UPDATE ON THE PREFERRED BIDDERS UNDER THE FIRST BID WINDOW OF THE COAL BASELOAD IPP PROCUREMENT PROGRAMME AND THE PROPOSED THABAMETSI & KHANYISA COAL-FIRED POWER STATION |date=17 April 2019 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/CER-letter-to-IPP-office-17.04.19.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrights2019update, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{UPDATE ON THE PREFERRED BIDDERS UNDER THE FIRST BID WINDOW OF THE COAL BASELOAD IPP PROCUREMENT PROGRAMME AND THE PROPOSED THABAMETSI \& KHANYISA COAL-FIRED POWER STATION}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2019}, month = apr, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/CER-letter-to-IPP-office-17.04.19.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }