RELEVANT INFORMATION CONCERNING THE COAL IPPS – A STUDY BY THE ENERGY RESEARCH CENTRE

The letter presents findings from a University of Cape Town Energy Research Centre (ERC) report which argues that the Thabametsi and Khanyisa coal-fired power stations are unnecessary and costly. The report indicates these plants would increase system costs by R19.68 billion and raise greenhouse gas emissions by 205.7Mt CO2eq over 30 years, potentially undermining South Africa's Paris Agreement commitments. The authors urge the Development Bank of Southern Africa to stop funding the Thabametsi project.

• The proposed Thabametsi (557MW) and Khanyisa (300MW) coal-fired power stations would result in an additional cost of R19.68 billion for South Africa compared to a least-cost energy system.
• Coal independent power producers (IPPs) are not required to meet medium-term electricity demand because wind, solar, and flexible gas generation are more economical alternatives.
• The coal IPPs would increase greenhouse gas emissions by 205.7Mt CO2eq over the 30-year duration of the power purchase agreements, which would negate the government's emission mitigation plans and the Energy Efficiency Strategy to 2050.
• Even in a best-case scenario, the two coal IPPs would frustrate South Africa's commitments under the Paris Agreement by increasing the costs of mitigation technology and requiring more significant emission reductions in other sectors.
• South Africa currently has a large surplus in generation capacity, specifically inflexible base supply capacity, and should avoid investments that unnecessarily increase costs in the electricity sector.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2018). RELEVANT INFORMATION CONCERNING THE COAL IPPS – A STUDY BY THE ENERGY RESEARCH CENTRE. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/LAC-and-350-letter-to-DBSA-re-ERC-report_5-June-2018.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. RELEVANT INFORMATION CONCERNING THE COAL IPPS – A STUDY BY THE ENERGY RESEARCH CENTRE. 2018. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/LAC-and-350-letter-to-DBSA-re-ERC-report_5-June-2018.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=RELEVANT INFORMATION CONCERNING THE COAL IPPS – A STUDY BY THE ENERGY RESEARCH CENTRE |date=5 June 2018 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/LAC-and-350-letter-to-DBSA-re-ERC-report_5-June-2018.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrights2018relevant, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{RELEVANT INFORMATION CONCERNING THE COAL IPPS – A STUDY BY THE ENERGY RESEARCH CENTRE}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2018}, month = jun, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/LAC-and-350-letter-to-DBSA-re-ERC-report_5-June-2018.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }