Picture: IOL
Karpowership SA’s proposed Saldanha Bay plant is facing a new challenge as two eco-justice groups plan to contest the decision made by Forestry, Fisheries, and Environment Minister Barbara Creecy. In July, Minister Creecy reversed her department’s chief director’s decision to deny Karpowership SA an extension to submit a Generic Environmental Management Programme report (GEMPr) for their 320MW plant in Saldanha Bay. However, Green Connection and Natural Justice claim that an “administrative error” prevented the minister from receiving their objections, which they believe would have had a significant impact on her appeal decision.
In a joint statement issued by the two groups, they expressed their concerns and called for a review of the minister’s decision. They have also reached out to the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and Environment to confirm the alleged error and await a response.
According to a letter addressed to the DFFE, the groups’ lawyers have set a deadline of September 8th for the minister’s office to indicate whether they will initiate a court review of her appeal decision. If the minister does not take action, the groups are prepared to pursue a legal review themselves.
Neville van Rooy, the Green Connection’s community outreach coordinator, voiced their stance, saying, “The minister did not have the Green Connection and Natural Justice’s submissions before her when she made her decision. We believe that Minister Creecy’s decision to now allow for the late submission of Karpowership’s Generic Environmental Management Programme report is incorrect since she did not consider all the information that should have been available to her.” Van Rooy added that they believe the minister should take the initiative to approach the courts to overturn her decision.
Karpowership SA was selected as a preferred bidder in South Africa’s Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme in 2021. Their proposal included three floating gas plants at different ports, namely Richards Bay in KwaZulu-Natal, Ngqura in the Eastern Cape, and Saldanha Bay in the Western Cape, which together would account for approximately 60% of the 2,000MW to be procured. The initial denial of environmental authorization for these projects was due to shortcomings in the public consultation processes. However, they have now been given another opportunity to seek environmental approval.
These projects have drawn criticism primarily because of their estimated costs, which are projected to exceed R200 billion over a 20-year period. Western Cape Premier Alan Winde has also expressed reservations about entering into a 20-year contract with Karpowership, as it clashes with Saldanha Bay’s development plans.
In a recent development, Karpowership reached a biodiversity offset agreement with a wildlife conservation authority in KwaZulu-Natal, which is linked to their environmental authorization application for a proposed 450MW plant in Richards Bay.
Furthermore, the DFFE has granted Karpowership the opportunity to continue their appeal against a previous decision that denied them environmental authorization for the 450MW plant at the port of Ngqura.
Karpowership’s Saldanha Bay Plant Faces Fresh Challenge
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