KM_C554e-20160408095623

A letter from the National Air Quality Officer (NAQO) of the South African Department of Environmental Affairs to the Centre for Environmental Rights, providing the reasons and legal framework for decisions regarding applications for the postponement of compliance with Minimum Air Quality Emission Standards (MES).

• The Department of Environmental Affairs established a compliance timeline for Minimum Emission Standards (MES) where new plants must comply immediately, existing plants must comply with existing plant standards by 01 April 2015, and existing plants must comply with new plant standards by 01 April 2020.
• To apply for a postponement of compliance timeframes, facilities must provide an air pollution impact assessment by a registered professional engineer or natural scientist, a detailed justification, and a completed public participation process as per the National Environmental Management Act (107) of 1998.
• The National Air Quality Officer (NAQO) decided that no postponement would allow for an increase in emissions compared to the levels the facility was licensed to emit before 01 April 2015. In cases where applicants requested limits higher than their historical emissions, the NAQO rejected those limits and imposed ones based on historic performance and proper plant operation.
• Postponement decisions for specific pollutants followed different guiding principles: particulate matter postponements were limited to the period between 2015 and 2020 due to stricter national ambient air quality standards for PM10 and PM2.5 effective 01 January 2015; sulphur dioxide postponements were generally granted from 2020 to allow for investment or decommissioning; and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) postponements were granted where feasible, noting that NOx are precursors to ozone.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (n.d.). KM_C554e-20160408095623. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/CER-Reasons-and-Decisions-Letter.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. KM_C554e-20160408095623. n.d. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/CER-Reasons-and-Decisions-Letter.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=KM_C554e-20160408095623 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/CER-Reasons-and-Decisions-Letter.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrightsndkmc554e20160408095623, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{KM\_C554e-20160408095623}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/CER-Reasons-and-Decisions-Letter.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }