Final Synthesis Report

The report evaluates the impact of SO2 emissions from large solid fuel combustion installations in South Africa, primarily those operated by Eskom and Sasol. It concludes that implementing stricter emission standards is technologically feasible and economically beneficial for society due to significant reductions in public health costs, despite the high capital costs for plant operators. The panel recommends a flexible regulatory approach where emission limits are tailored to the remaining lifetime of each plant, suggesting that plants operating beyond the mid-2030s should meet stricter limits of 250 mg/Nm3 or 500 mg/Nm3, while those retiring sooner may be granted more lenient limits of 1000 mg/Nm3. The report highlights that 'expedited retirement' of older coal capacity could reduce retrofit costs by approximately 25% and minimize electricity tariff increases.

• Eskom and Sasol are the dominant sources of SO2 in South Africa, accounting for 99.7% of emissions from solid fuel combustion installations larger than 50MW.
• SO2 emissions from Eskom facilities alone are estimated to cause external health costs of 1135 billion rand per year across various studies.
• The panel identifies several mature technologies for SO2 reduction, with Wet Flue Gas Desulphurisation (Wet FGD) being the most common worldwide and most considered for limits of 500 mg/Nm3 or lower in South Africa due to high efficiency (>90%).
• A cost-benefit analysis (CBA) indicates that it is economically beneficial and technically feasible for all plants operating post-2030 to meet an MES of 1000 mg/Nm3 or lower, with most benefiting from limits of 250 mg/Nm3 or 500 mg/Nm3.
• The 'Expedited retirement' policy option is the most cost-effective, reducing upfront investment costs to R 240 billion and limiting electricity tariff increases to 6.2%.
• Implementing the 'BAT on all plants' scenario (250 mg/Nm3 limit) would reduce public health costs by 92% compared to doing nothing, but would require an upfront investment of R 606 billion and a 14.6% electricity tariff increase.
• The manufacturing sector, particularly the Minerals-Energy Complex (MEC), would be most affected by the resulting electricity tariff increases, with production costs rising between 4.99% and 14.3%.
• Retrofitting emission controls is projected to have a positive impact on employment, with the 'BAT on all plants' option creating an average of 23,000 construction jobs between 2025 and 2030.

APA

Burger, L., Garland, R., Kornelius, G., Malikane, C., Myllyvirta, L., Masekoameng, E., Naidoo, R., & Wright, C. Y. (2021). Final Synthesis Report. Centre for Environmental Rights. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Final-report_SO2Panel_submit.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Burger, Lucian, Rebecca Garland, Gerrit Kornelius, Christopher Malikane, Lauri Myllyvirta, Elizabeth Masekoameng, Rajen Naidoo, and Caradee Y Wright. Final Synthesis Report. Centre for Environmental Rights, 2021. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Final-report_SO2Panel_submit.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Burger |first1=Lucian |last2=Garland |first2=Rebecca |last3=Kornelius |first3=Gerrit |last4=Malikane |first4=Christopher |last5=Myllyvirta |first5=Lauri |last6=Masekoameng |first6=Elizabeth |last7=Naidoo |first7=Rajen |last8=Wright |first8=Caradee Y |title=Final Synthesis Report |publisher=Centre for Environmental Rights |date=27 July 2021 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Final-report_SO2Panel_submit.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{burger2021final, author = {Burger, Lucian and Garland, Rebecca and Kornelius, Gerrit and Malikane, Christopher and Myllyvirta, Lauri and Masekoameng, Elizabeth and Naidoo, Rajen and Wright, Caradee Y}, title = {{Final Synthesis Report}}, institution = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2021}, month = jul, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Final-report_SO2Panel_submit.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }