South Africa’s national power supplier Eskom says it is considering the implications of a court judgement that set aside the authorisation to build a gas power plant in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.
This week, the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) set aside the Environmental Authority (EA) granted for the proposed 3,000MW open-cycle gas power plant and associated infrastructure.
The court ruled that the public participation process failed to meaningfully include IsiZulu speaking communities directly affected by the project. Additionally, the court said the failure breached the constitutional and statutory requirements for transparency, inclusivity and fairness in environmental decision-making. As a result, the SCA nullified the EA.
In response, the power utility stated that the proposed gas plant is part of its strategic objective to facilitate a competitive future energy industry and contribute to the country’s energy transition.
Further, while the power utility said while it considers the implications of the court judgement its focus remains to advance the gas strategy as the key enabler of energy security, economic growth and the transition to cleaner energy.
Eskom group executive for strategy delivery Alfred Seema said the application was made because gas plays an important role in South Africa’s energy future.
“Gas acts as a backbone for renewable energy integration due to its flexibility and fast-response capability.
“As more renewables become online, dispatchable generation is needed to offset their variability, ensuring energy security and sustaining the gains of the Generation Recovery Plan. At this stage, gas is the quickest and most cost-effective solution for backup and load-following,” Seema said.
Seema said with declining baseload coal, increased variable renewable energy and more behind-the-meter solar that doesn’t generate at night, having gas available on demand is essential to maintain grid safety.
