record-13.3-pg-37-48-49c46c903a0cbe91.pdf

This document is an excerpt from the Eskom Air Quality Improvement Plan, detailing the strategies, technical requirements, and financial implications for reducing emissions from Eskom's power station fleet to comply with South Africa's Minimum Emission Standards (MES).

• Eskom identifies that long-term complete reduction of fossil fuel-fired power station emissions requires a transition to cleaner generation options such as renewables or nuclear power. In the interim, the company aims to reduce emissions from its existing coal-fired fleet to minimize health impacts and ensure compliance with Atmospheric Emission Licences and legislation.
• Achieving full compliance with the Minimum Emission Standards by 1 April 2020 would require significant technical retrofits, including flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) at 14 power stations (including Medupi), low NOx burner retrofits at eight stations, and various fabric filter plant (FFP) and dust handling plant (DHP) upgrades.
• The resource requirements for full Minimum Emission Standards compliance are substantial, involving a capital expenditure (CAPEX) of R224 billion and annual operational expenditure (OPEX) of approximately R6 billion for FGD operation. Environmental impacts include a 20% increase in water consumption (67 million m3/annum), an auxiliary power consumption increase of 2,255 GWh/year, and the production of 9.5 million tons/annum of FGD by-product.
• Eskom's SWOT analysis identifies several internal weaknesses and external threats to air quality management, including a shortage of skilled personnel, aging plants, and financial constraints that defer funding for upgrades. External threats include deteriorating coal quality, increasing sulphur content in coal, and potential legal liabilities or plant shutdowns due to non-compliance.
• The document outlines specific technical paths for pollutant reduction: Fabric filter plants (FFP) or large electrostatic precipitators (ESP) with flue gas conditioning are used for particulate matter (PM) to reach 50 mg/Nm3; wet or semi-dry flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) is required for SO2 limits of 500 mg/Nm3; and low NOx burners, SNCR, or SCR are used for NOx reduction to reach 750 mg/Nm3.
• The plan's validity relies on key assumptions: that funds will be approved in the MYPD4 tariff application, that coal quality will not change drastically, and that power stations will be decommissioned after a maximum 60-year life. A specific risk is noted if high sulphur content Waterberg coal is used at stations in Mpumalanga.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (n.d.). record-13.3-pg-37-48-49c46c903a0cbe91.pdf. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Record-13.3-pg-37-48.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. record-13.3-pg-37-48-49c46c903a0cbe91.pdf. n.d. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Record-13.3-pg-37-48.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=record-13.3-pg-37-48-49c46c903a0cbe91.pdf |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Record-13.3-pg-37-48.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centreforenvironmentalrightsndrecord133pg374849c46c903a0cbe91pdf, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{record-13.3-pg-37-48-49c46c903a0cbe91.pdf}}, institution = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Record-13.3-pg-37-48.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }