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The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), acting on behalf of the Life After Coal Campaign, has requested critical documentation from Eskom regarding the construction of temporary stacks at the Kusile Power Station following a stack failure in October 2022.

The Centre for Environmental Rights, acting for groundWork, has requested an extension of the time period to institute judicial review proceedings against the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment's decision to grant an Environmental Authorisation Amendment for Richards Bay Gas Power (Pty) Ltd.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), acting for groundWork, sent a formal letter to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) on 30 October 2020. The letter requests detailed reasons and evidence for NERSA's decision to concur with a determination to procure 3,000 MW of gas and 1,500 MW of coal generation capacity between 2023 and 2027, as outlined in the Integrated Resource Plan for Electricity 2019–2030 (IRP 2019).

The Centre for Environmental Rights, acting on behalf of groundWork, has submitted a formal request to the South African Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy for written reasons regarding a Ministerial determination published on 25 September 2020. The determination outlines the procurement of new generation capacity from renewables, storage, gas, and coal based on the Integrated Resource Plan for Electricity 2019–2030 (IRP 2019). The request specifically challenges the inclusion of new fossil fuel capacity and seeks justification for the timing and scale of these allocations.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), acting for the Vaal Environmental Justice Alliance and groundWork, has issued a formal request to the National Air Quality Officer and other authorities for the reasons and supporting documentation behind a decision to partly grant an application by ArcelorMittal South Africa (Vanderbijlpark) (AMSA). The decision relates to the suspension, alternative limits, or postponement of compliance with Minimum Emission Standards (MES) under the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act, 2004.

The Centre for Environmental Rights, acting for groundWork and Earthlife Africa NPC, has formally requested written reasons from the South African Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries regarding an amendment to the Minimum Emission Standards (MES). The amendment, published on 27 March 2020, doubles the permissible sulphur dioxide (SO2) limit for existing solid-fuel combustion installations, which the authors argue is unconstitutional and unlawful.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), acting on behalf of groundWork and Earthlife Africa NPC, sent a follow-up letter to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) on 13 December 2019, requesting written reasons for NERSA's decision to concur in the promulgation of the updated Integrated Resource Plan for Electricity (IRP) published on 18 October 2019.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), acting on behalf of groundWork and Earthlife Africa NPC, submitted a formal request to Minister Gwede Mantashe for written reasons regarding the promulgation of the updated Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) for Electricity published on 18 October 2019.

The Centre for Environmental Rights, acting on behalf of groundWork and Earthlife Africa NPC, submitted a formal request to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) on 5 November 2019 for written reasons regarding the approval of the updated Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) for Electricity published on 18 October 2019.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), representing groundWork and Earthlife Africa, has formally requested the opportunity to comment on the final scoping assessment report for the proposed Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone (SEZ). The CER objects to the adequacy of the public participation process and the content of the scoping report, requesting that the environmental impact assessment (EIA) process be paused until detailed objections are submitted.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) sent a letter to the South African National Treasury on 16 November 2018 seeking clarification on a partial response to a Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) request. The request concerned financial guarantees and agreements related to the Thabametsi and Khanyisa coal-fired power station projects under the Coal Baseload Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme (CBIPPP).

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) sent a formal request to the South African Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) on 25 June 2018, demanding access to pollution prevention plans and greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting records. The CER disputes the DEA's claims of confidentiality regarding emissions data from major companies and calls for transparency to ensure the effectiveness of the national mitigation system.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) submitted a letter to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) on 6 March 2018, requesting procedural details for public hearings regarding generation licence applications for the proposed Khanyisa and Thabametsi coal-fired power stations.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), acting on behalf of groundWork (gW), has issued an urgent request to the South African Department of Water and Sanitation for information and reasons regarding a water use licence (WUL) issued for the proposed 600 MW Khanyisa Independent Power Producer (IPP) coal-fired power station.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) issued a statement to Anglo American plc requesting transparency and public participation regarding the sale of three operational and four closed coal mines to Seriti Resources. The CER expresses concern that transferring mines with significant environmental liabilities to smaller companies may lead to the abandonment of rehabilitation obligations, potentially shifting the financial burden to the South African state and public.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) sent a letter to the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) and other stakeholders requesting confirmation that the proposed Colenso coal-fired power station will undergo a comprehensive climate change impact assessment. This request follows a court judgment in the case of Earthlife Africa Johannesburg v Minister of Environmental Affairs and Others (the Thabametsi judgement), which established that climate change impacts must be assessed before granting environmental authorisation for coal-fired power stations.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), acting on behalf of several environmental organizations, issued a formal request to Eskom on 25 April 2016 for emission reduction plans, compliance roadmaps, and decommissioning schedules for all 15 of its coal-fired power stations. The CER asserts that existing compliance roadmaps provided by the National Air Quality Officer (NAQO) are insufficient to ensure Eskom meets the emission standards set in its atmospheric emission licences (AELs) and the minimum emission standards (MES).

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), representing several non-governmental and community organisations, submitted a formal request to the South African Department of Environmental Affairs on 5 April 2016. The letter urges the strengthening and immediate publication of draft regulations concerning greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reporting, the declaration of GHGs as priority pollutants, and pollution prevention plans, arguing that these are essential for South Africa to meet its commitments under its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) and the Paris Agreement.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), representing various environmental NGOs and community groups, has requested the Department of Environmental Affairs to provide copies of decisions and written reasons regarding the postponement of compliance time-frames for minimum air quality emission standards for 35 facilities.

The Centre for Environmental Rights, acting on behalf of a coalition of 34 non-government and civil society organisations, issued a letter to the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Acid Mine Drainage demanding a response to a previous inquiry and the publication of an expert team's report regarding the release of toxic acid mine drainage into watercourses.