LIFE AFTER COAL CAMPAIGN COMMENTS ON THE DRAFT REGULATIONS AMENDING THE ELECTRICITY REGULATIONS ON NEW GENERATION CAPACITY, 2011

The Life After Coal Campaign argues that the Draft Regulations Amending the Electricity Regulations on New Generation Capacity, 2011 are redundant and legally inconsistent. They contend that the Electricity Regulation Act (ERA) does not require Ministerial approval for municipalities to establish electricity capacity, and that such regulations create unnecessary barriers to the urgent transition to clean energy. The document highlights the severe health, environmental, and economic harms of South Africa's coal-dependent energy sector and criticizes the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2019 for unjustifiably constraining renewable energy while permitting new coal and gas capacity. The campaign recommends that if the regulations proceed, they must include requirements for environmental and health impact assessments, transparent public consultation, and financial support for under-resourced municipalities.

• The Draft Regulations are considered redundant and legally inconsistent because neither the Electricity Regulation Act (ERA) nor the Regulations for New Generation Capacity, 2011 specifically require the Minister's prior approval for municipalities to establish their own electricity capacity.
• South Africa's reliance on coal for 86% of its electricity causes significant harm, including an estimated 2,000 annual deaths from Eskom's coal-fired power station emissions and severe climate risks for Southern Africa if the 1.5 °C limit is exceeded.
• The Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2019 is criticized for placing unjustified annual constraints on solar PV and wind capacity while providing for 1,500 MW of new coal and 3,000 MW of new gas capacity, which the campaign argues is not a least-cost plan.
• South Africa is identified as one of the worst-prepared countries globally for the energy transition, ranking as the second worst-prepared in the World Economic Forum Energy Transition index 2019 and 10th worst-prepared in 2020.
• The campaign argues that the 'sound financial standing' requirement in the Draft Regulations may be unduly restrictive and exclusionary, suggesting that national government should instead provide financial support mechanisms to help less well-resourced municipalities develop clean energy.
• The Draft Regulations are criticized for lacking requirements to consider the impacts of new generation capacity on human health, the environment, and the climate during the feasibility study process.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2020). LIFE AFTER COAL CAMPAIGN COMMENTS ON THE DRAFT REGULATIONS AMENDING THE ELECTRICITY REGULATIONS ON NEW GENERATION CAPACITY, 2011. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Life-After-Coal-Campaigns-comments-to-the-Department-of-Mineral-Resources-and-Energy.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. LIFE AFTER COAL CAMPAIGN COMMENTS ON THE DRAFT REGULATIONS AMENDING THE ELECTRICITY REGULATIONS ON NEW GENERATION CAPACITY, 2011. 2020. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Life-After-Coal-Campaigns-comments-to-the-Department-of-Mineral-Resources-and-Energy.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=LIFE AFTER COAL CAMPAIGN COMMENTS ON THE DRAFT REGULATIONS AMENDING THE ELECTRICITY REGULATIONS ON NEW GENERATION CAPACITY, 2011 |date=4 June 2020 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Life-After-Coal-Campaigns-comments-to-the-Department-of-Mineral-Resources-and-Energy.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centreforenvironmentalrights2020life, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{LIFE AFTER COAL CAMPAIGN COMMENTS ON THE DRAFT REGULATIONS AMENDING THE ELECTRICITY REGULATIONS ON NEW GENERATION CAPACITY, 2011}}, institution = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2020}, month = jun, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Life-After-Coal-Campaigns-comments-to-the-Department-of-Mineral-Resources-and-Energy.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }