NEED FOR IMMEDIATE ENFORCEMENT ACTION RELATING TO ESKOMS FLAGRANT NON-COMPLIANCE WITH ATMOSPHERIC EMISSION LICENCE CONDITIONS AT KENDAL POWER STATION

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) is urging the South African government to penalize Eskom for chronic air pollution at the Kendal power station. Evidence from 2016-2019 shows frequent exceedances of particulate matter (PM) limits, with some units emitting 12 to 13 times the allowable limit. The CER argues that previous enforcement notices have been ineffective and that Eskom is violating both its AEL and the National Environmental Management Act's duty of care, impacting the health of communities in the Highveld Priority Area.

• Kendal power station has demonstrated chronic non-compliance with its atmospheric emission licence (AEL), specifically regarding particulate matter (PM) limits of 100 mg/Nm3, with exceedances occurring in 90% of reported months between April 2016 and December 2017.
• An expert review of Eskom's monthly emission reports for 14 coal-fired power stations from April 2016 to December 2017 identified 3,217 exceedances of daily AEL limits for PM, SO2, and NOx.
• Analysis of sample reports from 2018 and 2019 shows that some units at Kendal power station recorded PM emissions 3.5 to 13 times higher than the legal limit.
• The lack of fabric filters at specific stations, including Kendal, is linked to the high frequency of PM AEL limit exceedances.
• Eskom attributes its emission exceedances to operational failures, including ash backlogs, emission controls being out of commission, and damage to electrostatic precipitators.
• Previous government interventions, including a pre-compliance notice and enforcement notices following a December 2017 inspection, have failed to ensure compliance at Kendal power station.
• The CER asserts that Eskom and Sasol are the two largest polluters in Africa due to coal combustion, contributing to hundreds of premature deaths and thousands of illnesses annually.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2019). NEED FOR IMMEDIATE ENFORCEMENT ACTION RELATING TO ESKOMS FLAGRANT NON-COMPLIANCE WITH ATMOSPHERIC EMISSION LICENCE CONDITIONS AT KENDAL POWER STATION. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/CER-letter-to-Minister-Creecy_-Kendal-enforcment-action_22-July-2019.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. NEED FOR IMMEDIATE ENFORCEMENT ACTION RELATING TO ESKOMS FLAGRANT NON-COMPLIANCE WITH ATMOSPHERIC EMISSION LICENCE CONDITIONS AT KENDAL POWER STATION. 2019. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/CER-letter-to-Minister-Creecy_-Kendal-enforcment-action_22-July-2019.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=NEED FOR IMMEDIATE ENFORCEMENT ACTION RELATING TO ESKOMS FLAGRANT NON-COMPLIANCE WITH ATMOSPHERIC EMISSION LICENCE CONDITIONS AT KENDAL POWER STATION |date=22 July 2019 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/CER-letter-to-Minister-Creecy_-Kendal-enforcment-action_22-July-2019.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrights2019need, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{NEED FOR IMMEDIATE ENFORCEMENT ACTION RELATING TO ESKOMS FLAGRANT NON-COMPLIANCE WITH ATMOSPHERIC EMISSION LICENCE CONDITIONS AT KENDAL POWER STATION}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2019}, month = jul, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/CER-letter-to-Minister-Creecy_-Kendal-enforcment-action_22-July-2019.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }