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

A letter from the Life After Coal Campaign to the Portfolio Committee on Environmental Affairs presenting findings from a University of Cape Town Energy Research Centre (ERC) report. The letter argues that the proposed Thabametsi and Khanyisa coal-fired power stations are unnecessary, financially risky, and would undermine South Africa's climate commitments.

• The University of Cape Town’s Energy Research Centre (ERC) report indicates that the Thabametsi (557MW) and Khanyisa (300MW) coal-fired power stations would increase costs for South Africa by R19.68 billion compared to a least-cost energy system.
• The coal IPPs are deemed unnecessary for meeting medium-term electricity demand because alternative sources, such as solar pv, wind, and flexible gas generation, are more economical.
• The two coal IPPs are projected to increase greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 205,7Mt CO2eq over the 30-year period of the power purchase agreements, which would negate the government's GHG emission mitigation plans and the Energy Efficiency Strategy to 2050.
• The inclusion of these coal plants could put Eskom at risk by reducing the output of its existing fleet and potentially accelerating a "utility death spiral," especially given South Africa's current surplus in inflexible base supply capacity.
• The Life After Coal Campaign asserts that the proposed plants have an emission intensity nearly 60% higher than Eskom's Kusile and Medupi stations and that their price of R1.03 per kilowatt hour is significantly more expensive than recent renewable IPPs.

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-PCEA-re-ERC-report_7-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-PCEA-re-ERC-report_7-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=7 June 2018 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/LAC-letter-to-PCEA-re-ERC-report_7-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-PCEA-re-ERC-report_7-June-2018.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }