Water Use License Application Report (WULAR) for the Proposed Thabametsi Power Plant within the Lephalale Municipality

This Water Use License Application Report (WULAR) details the water requirements and environmental impact assessments for the proposed 630 MW Thabametsi coal-fired power plant near Lephalale, Limpopo. The report seeks authorization for various water uses under the National Water Act, 1998, including water abstraction, storage, and waste disposal. It emphasizes the use of dry-cooled technology to achieve zero liquid effluent discharge due to regional water scarcity and proposes sourcing water through a permanent transfer of allocation from Exxaro Coal (Pty) Ltd.

• The proposed Thabametsi Power Plant is a 630 MW coal-fired facility that will utilize Circulating Fluidised Bed technology with dry-cooling to ensure a "zero liquid effluent discharge plant". This technology is required by the Department of Water and Sanitation because of "water scarcity currently experienced in the catchment".
• The project requires a water allocation of 720,000 m3/annum. This supply is to be sourced from Exxaro Coal (Pty) Ltd via a permanent transfer of a portion of its existing water allocation under a Section 25(2) application of the National Water Act, 1998.
• The applicant is applying for several water uses under the National Water Act, 1998: Section 21(a) for taking water, Section 21(b) for storing water, Section 21(c) and (i) for impeding or altering watercourses, Section 21(f) for discharging waste water, and Section 21(g) for disposing of waste that may impact water resources.
• Environmental assessments identified several high-significance impacts without mitigation, including catchment yield reduction (score 60), residual impact (score 64), and coal stock yard and AMD (score 56). The report claims these can be mitigated to low or moderate ratings through the Integrated Water and Wastewater Management Plan (IWWMP).
• The project site overlays a minor aquifer with groundwater levels between 14.4 and 53.6 meters below ground level. Potential contamination risks are identified for boreholes LEP10, LEP9, LEP13, and LEP14 from the ash dump and coal stockyard if liners are not installed.
• The project includes several pollution control facilities designed with HDPE liners according to GN 704 regulations, including an Ash Dump PCD (56,000 m3), Coal Stockpile PCD (2,650 m3), Evaporation pond (16,200 m3), Waste Water Collection Pond (1,200 m3), and Storm Water Pond (13,600 m3).
• The project's operational life is planned for 40 years. Infrastructure includes a 50-hectare power plant footprint, a 500-hectare ash dam with a storage volume of 200 million m3, and a 100-hectare coal stockyard.
• The project is expected to have significant socio-economic benefits, including the creation of 14,348 direct and indirect jobs over its life and a planned spend of approximately R820 million to develop local suppliers in the coal and power industry.
• The Environmental Authorisation (EA) for the project, obtained from the Department of Environmental Affairs (Ref: DEA/EIA/0001296/2012), has been suspended while the Minister considers the plant's climate change impacts.

APA

Appelman, C. (2017). Water Use License Application Report (WULAR) for the Proposed Thabametsi Power Plant within the Lephalale Municipality. Centre for Environmental Rights. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/IWULAR-Thabametsi-Report-14.12.17.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Appelman, Charné. Water Use License Application Report (WULAR) for the Proposed Thabametsi Power Plant within the Lephalale Municipality. Centre for Environmental Rights, 2017. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/IWULAR-Thabametsi-Report-14.12.17.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Appelman |first1=Charné |title=Water Use License Application Report (WULAR) for the Proposed Thabametsi Power Plant within the Lephalale Municipality |publisher=Centre for Environmental Rights |date=December 2017 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/IWULAR-Thabametsi-Report-14.12.17.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{appelman2017water, author = {Appelman, Charné}, title = {{Water Use License Application Report (WULAR) for the Proposed Thabametsi Power Plant within the Lephalale Municipality}}, institution = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2017}, month = dec, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/IWULAR-Thabametsi-Report-14.12.17.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }