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

A letter from the Life After Coal Campaign to Eskom's leadership, urging the utility to reject power purchase agreements for two coal-fired independent power producer (IPP) projects—Thabametsi and Khanyisa—based on a study by the University of Cape Town's Energy Research Centre (ERC).

• A report by the University of Cape Town's Energy Research Centre (ERC) indicates that the Thabametsi (557MW) and Khanyisa (300MW) coal-fired power stations would cost South Africa an additional R19.68 billion compared to a least-cost energy system.
• The ERC report finds that the coal IPPs are unnecessary for meeting medium-term electricity demand because wind, solar PV, and flexible gas generation are more economical alternatives.
• The coal IPPs are projected to increase greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 205.7Mt CO2eq over the 30-year duration of the power purchase agreements, which would undermine the government's GHG mitigation plans and the Paris Agreement commitments.
• The ERC report suggests that building new coal plants during a period of low demand could accelerate a 'utility death spiral' for Eskom by forcing a reduction in the output of its existing fleet and increasing overall costs.
• The Life After Coal Campaign asserts that the proposed plants are highly emission-intensive, with an intensity nearly 60% higher than Eskom's Medupi and Kusile plants, and would place vulnerable water resources at high risk of pollution.

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-letter-to-Eskom-re-ERC-report_-8-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-letter-to-Eskom-re-ERC-report_-8-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=8 June 2018 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/LAC-letter-to-Eskom-re-ERC-report_-8-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-letter-to-Eskom-re-ERC-report_-8-June-2018.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }