RELEVANT INFORMATION IN RELATION TO THE DRAFT INTEGRATED RESOURCE PLAN FOR ELECTRICITY UPDATE & THE DRAFT INTEGRATED ENERGY PLAN

The Centre for Environmental Rights, on behalf of the Life After Coal/Impilo Ngaphandle Kwamalahle Campaign, urges the Portfolio Committee on Energy to compel the Department of Energy to release key technical data and conduct fair public consultations before finalising the IRP Update and IEP. The submission highlights the Department's failure to respond to PAIA requests for modelling assumptions and tariff implications. It further argues that the current planning ignores the health and water costs of coal, the emissions of nitrous oxide from CFB technology, and the financial viability of new coal and nuclear plants. Citing studies by Meridian Economics and the Frankfurt Institute, the document asserts that accelerating the decommissioning of older coal stations and prioritising wind and solar PV is the most cost-effective path for South Africa's energy future.

• The Department of Energy has failed to provide critical technical data and records requested under the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA), including detailed input assumptions for IRP scenarios, tariff implications, and decommissioning plans for coal-fired power stations.
• The public consultation process for the IRP Update and IEP was inadequate because the public was given only a week to review a 300-page document, and meetings were held in major cities rather than in the Highveld, Vaal Triangle, South Durban basin, and Waterberg areas most impacted by energy infrastructure.
• The Department of Energy and the CSIR failed to adequately account for the health and water costs of coal investments, the nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from circulating fluidised bed combustion (CFB) technology used by IPPs like Thabametsi and Khanyisa, and the full costs of nuclear energy, including decommissioning and insurance.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2017). RELEVANT INFORMATION IN RELATION TO THE DRAFT INTEGRATED RESOURCE PLAN FOR ELECTRICITY UPDATE & THE DRAFT INTEGRATED ENERGY PLAN. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/LAC-letter-to-PCE_29-Nov-2017.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. RELEVANT INFORMATION IN RELATION TO THE DRAFT INTEGRATED RESOURCE PLAN FOR ELECTRICITY UPDATE & THE DRAFT INTEGRATED ENERGY PLAN. 2017. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/LAC-letter-to-PCE_29-Nov-2017.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=RELEVANT INFORMATION IN RELATION TO THE DRAFT INTEGRATED RESOURCE PLAN FOR ELECTRICITY UPDATE & THE DRAFT INTEGRATED ENERGY PLAN |date=29 November 2017 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/LAC-letter-to-PCE_29-Nov-2017.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrights2017relevant, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{RELEVANT INFORMATION IN RELATION TO THE DRAFT INTEGRATED RESOURCE PLAN FOR ELECTRICITY UPDATE \& THE DRAFT INTEGRATED ENERGY PLAN}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2017}, month = nov, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/LAC-letter-to-PCE_29-Nov-2017.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }