THE UPDATED INTEGRATED RESOURCE PLAN FOR ELECTRICITY (IRP) AND INTEGRATED ENERGY PLAN (IEP)

The Life After Coal Campaign and Greenpeace Africa have written to South Africa's Minister of Energy to express concerns that the updated Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) for electricity is being fast-tracked without sufficient public consultation. The authors argue that the IRP must be based on the least-cost technology combination, account for external costs to health and climate, and align with South Africa's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement. They specifically oppose the continued inclusion of coal and nuclear power, citing the risk of stranded assets and the need for a just transition to renewable energy. The letter warns that failing to provide a transparent, fair process for public comment would make the final IRP vulnerable to legal challenges.

• The authors contend that the public has not been adequately consulted on the updated IRP, noting that the only opportunity for input was on the base case and assumptions in 2016 and 2017, and that the current version may not even be based on that consulted draft.
• The campaign outlines minimum requirements for the IRP, including that it must be based on the least-cost combination of technologies, factor in external costs to human health and the climate, and use the latest scientific data to keep global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius.
• The document argues that the IRP must align with South Africa's international climate commitments, specifically the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement, and that decarbonising the electricity sector is the most cost-effective way to meet these goals.
• The authors highlight the financial and environmental risks of continuing with coal and nuclear power, specifically mentioning the potential for stranded assets, the loss of water and agricultural land, and the high costs of decommissioning.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2018). THE UPDATED INTEGRATED RESOURCE PLAN FOR ELECTRICITY (IRP) AND INTEGRATED ENERGY PLAN (IEP). https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/LAC-and-GP-letter-to-Minister-Radebe-on-IRP_16-April-2018.DOCX.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. THE UPDATED INTEGRATED RESOURCE PLAN FOR ELECTRICITY (IRP) AND INTEGRATED ENERGY PLAN (IEP). 2018. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/LAC-and-GP-letter-to-Minister-Radebe-on-IRP_16-April-2018.DOCX.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=THE UPDATED INTEGRATED RESOURCE PLAN FOR ELECTRICITY (IRP) AND INTEGRATED ENERGY PLAN (IEP) |date=16 April 2018 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/LAC-and-GP-letter-to-Minister-Radebe-on-IRP_16-April-2018.DOCX.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrights2018updated, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{THE UPDATED INTEGRATED RESOURCE PLAN FOR ELECTRICITY (IRP) AND INTEGRATED ENERGY PLAN (IEP)}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2018}, month = apr, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/LAC-and-GP-letter-to-Minister-Radebe-on-IRP_16-April-2018.DOCX.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }