UPDATED EXPERT ANALYSIS OF THE AIR QUALITY IMPACTS AND HEALTH EFFECTS DUE TO THE EMISSIONS FROM ESKOM’S KENDAL POWER STATION

The Centre for Environmental Rights submitted a letter to the South African Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries reporting that Eskom's Kendal power station had 2,851 particulate matter emission exceedances between April 2016 and March 2020. The letter alleges that Eskom may be improperly reporting these contraventions as 'Grace' or 'Section 30' exceedances to avoid penalties and highlights that emissions from 13 of Eskom's coal-fired plants were linked to 320 premature deaths in 2018.

• Between April 2016 and March 2020, the Kendal power station recorded 2,851 exceedances of its Atmospheric Emission Licence (AEL) limit for average daily particulate matter (PM) emissions, which was set at 100 mg/Nm3. The document notes that as of 1 April 2020, this limit was reduced to 50 mg/Nm3 under the 2020 minimum emission standards, making further exceedances likely based on historical performance.
• There are allegations of improper reporting of emission exceedances at the Kendal power station. Specifically, an expert report by Dr Sahu suggests that exceedances are being coded as "Grace" or "Section 30" without sufficient explanation to avoid being marked as contraventions, which may result in underreporting.
• The document highlights the broader impact of Eskom's coal-fired power stations, stating that emissions from 13 of these stations would have caused an additional 320 premature deaths in 2018 according to Eskom's own version.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2020). UPDATED EXPERT ANALYSIS OF THE AIR QUALITY IMPACTS AND HEALTH EFFECTS DUE TO THE EMISSIONS FROM ESKOM’S KENDAL POWER STATION. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/CER-letter_-Kendal-enforcement-action_14-May-2020.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. UPDATED EXPERT ANALYSIS OF THE AIR QUALITY IMPACTS AND HEALTH EFFECTS DUE TO THE EMISSIONS FROM ESKOM’S KENDAL POWER STATION. 2020. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/CER-letter_-Kendal-enforcement-action_14-May-2020.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=UPDATED EXPERT ANALYSIS OF THE AIR QUALITY IMPACTS AND HEALTH EFFECTS DUE TO THE EMISSIONS FROM ESKOM’S KENDAL POWER STATION |date=14 May 2020 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/CER-letter_-Kendal-enforcement-action_14-May-2020.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrights2020updated, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{UPDATED EXPERT ANALYSIS OF THE AIR QUALITY IMPACTS AND HEALTH EFFECTS DUE TO THE EMISSIONS FROM ESKOM’S KENDAL POWER STATION}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2020}, month = may, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/CER-letter_-Kendal-enforcement-action_14-May-2020.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }