KM_C554e-20160308100741

The Minister of Environmental Affairs of South Africa dismissed an appeal by Earthlife Africa Johannesburg (represented by the Centre for Environmental Rights) against the Environmental Authorisation (EA) granted to Newshelf 1282 (Pty) Ltd for the Thabametsi Power Station. While the Minister upheld the project's approval, the decision included specific amendments to the EA's conditions regarding runoff water and surface water monitoring.

• The Minister of Environmental Affairs dismissed the appeal against the amendment to the Environmental Authorisation (EA) for the Thabametsi Power Station, a proposed 1200MW coal-fired power station near Lephalale in the Limpopo Province.
• The Thabametsi Power Station is planned as a 1200MW facility to be developed in two 600MW phases, though its capacity is limited by transmission integration and available water.
• The Minister granted condonation for the late filing of the appeal, determining that the interests of justice outweighed the procedural delay, partly due to confusion regarding the transition between the 2010 EIA Regulations and the National Appeal Regulations, 2014.
• The appellant argued that the project violates NEMA principles by ignoring significant health impacts of coal-fired power stations and failing to conduct a comprehensive climate impact assessment.
• The applicant stated that the project would create approximately 32,820 jobs during construction, with one in five created in the Lephalale area, and sustain 7,766 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs annually.
• The Minister found that predicted ambient concentrations of PM10, NO2, and SO2 from the power station would comply with national ambient standards, concluding that the impacts on human health and the environment would be of low significance.
• The project's water supply is intended to be sourced from the Mokolo Crocodile Water Augmentation Project (MCWAP) Phase 2, expected to be complete by 2019, or initially from Exxaro Resources.
• The Minister amended condition 17.2.7 of the EA to specify that runoff water not complying with quality requirements and sporadic leachate must be maintained, lined, and either treated, evaporated in lined dams, or discharged into a sewer.
• Condition 17.5.4 was amended to require the holder of the EA to establish surface water monitoring points approved by the Department before the project commences.
• The Minister dismissed the appellant's claim that the project's air quality impacts were not properly assessed, noting that the facility would use emission control technologies and that newer, cleaner facilities should replace outdated ones to achieve long-term compliance.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (n.d.). KM_C554e-20160308100741. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Thabametsi-Appeal-Decision.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. KM_C554e-20160308100741. n.d. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Thabametsi-Appeal-Decision.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=KM_C554e-20160308100741 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Thabametsi-Appeal-Decision.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrightsndkmc554e20160308100741, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{KM\_C554e-20160308100741}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Thabametsi-Appeal-Decision.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }