Eskom can bring Kusile units back early – but at a great cost
The National Air Quality Officer (NAQO) has granted Eskom postponement to meet Minimum Emission Standards (MES) at the embattled Kusile power station, which could see the power utility cut load shedding by two stages by the end of the year.
However, as a result, the group will see its Sulphur Dioxide emissions increase significantly, adding to environmental and health worries in the affected areas.
The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment said that postponement started on 5 June 2023 and will last until 31 March 2025; however, the utility will be subject to strict conditions.
“The postponement application was necessitated by the failure of Kusile West stack on 23 October 2022. The failure limited the power station’s ability to operate three commissioned generating units (units 1,2, and 3),” the department said.
Eskom’s short-term solution is to return these units via the construction of three temporary stacks that will not have a Flue Gas Delsuphurisation (FGD) plant. Repairs to the affected stack are ongoing.
These three temporary stacks will allow for the return of 2,100 MW to the grid to reduce load shedding by the end of the year.
The NAQO, in consultation with the Nkangala District Municipality as the Atmospheric Emissions License authority, said that the application would be granted under the following conditions:
- Eskom must take measures to mitigate the harm caused by the exposure of sulphur dioxide (SO2) to its employees and surrounding communities. This must include, at minimum, independent health screenings and the referral of people requiring healthcare to the appropriate public health facilities for treatment.
- Eskom must submit a detailed plan on the mitigation measures it intends to implement within 21 days of receipt of the decision. This plan will be approved by the NAQO and Nkangala District Municipality.
- Eskom is required to submit quarterly progress reports on the implementation of the compliance road map and commitments made towards recommencing use of the Flue Gas Delsuphurisation.
- This decision must be reflected in Kusile Power Station AEL to be of any force and effect.
- Any additional requirements set out by the Nkangala District Municipality.
Eskom welcomed the announcement, adding that it should be able to return the three units to operation by the end of the year.
“As previously communicated, the temporary stack structures for Unit 3 will be completed by November 2023, and for units 1 and 2 by December 2023. This will enable the return of 2,100MW, further alleviating pressure on the power system and reducing load shedding by two stages,” Eskom said.
Concerns
Although the postponement should help Eskom reduce its power outage, concerns have been raised over the potential health consequences caused by the increase in pollution.
By bypassing the FGD, Eskom will increase its SO2 emissions eightfold, to 80,000 tons at Kusile alone. A 2021 study by the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) in Finland already noted that Eskom was the world’s largest emitter of SO2.
“The pollutant is responsible for the brunt of the public health impacts caused by the company’s emissions,” Lauri Myllivirta, lead analyst at the CREA, said.
She said that the request would add to the utility’s public heath toll, which she says stands at over 2,000 deaths per year. However, Eskom has previously stated that deaths linked to its emissions only stand at 320 a year.
However, electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said that Eskom will do everything in its power to minimise the emissions.
“Eskom will do anything that is possible to ensure that we [mitigate the] impact of SO2 that gets emitted into the environment,” Ramokgopa said.
“Although we have these exemptions, Eskom is meeting all the emissions parameters, barring the ones of SO2 content… and that’s why we have asked for an exemption, which is provided for in the legislative dispensation in the country.”
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