Page 15 - Issue 4 2023

VIEWS AND OPINION

Kusile power station’s environmental

exemption: Is it worth it?

Energize intern staffwriter

skom has sought environmental exemption from the Department of Forestry, about 3300 premature deaths, 1000
Fisheries, and Environment (DFFE) - in order to continue using Kusile’s power of which would occur in Gauteng.
Egenerators to help meet demand and reduce load shedding. Sulphur oxides are harmful to people
On 23 October 2022, one of the flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) units broke in a with asthma, heart and lung diseases,
chimney due to a build-up of slurry in its flue. Similar slurry deposits were found in pregnant women, the elderly, and
Units 2 and 3, rendering them unusable. This caused load shedding to increase due to children, making them increasingly at
a loss of about 700 MW of electricity. risk of respiratory infections, strokes,
and death from diabetes.
What is flue gas and why should it be contained? Sulphur oxides react with water
Flue gas is a combination of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, water vapour and sulphur to create acid rain which hinders the
dioxide among other compound gases. FGD is used to remove sulphur oxides – growth of trees and plants. Acid rain
produced by the burning of fossil fuel – from power plant gas emissions. FGD can is capable of polluting water bodies
remove up to 90% of the sulphur oxides from the power production process and is and soil, poisoning the animals and
used in compliance with international and South Africa’s Minimum Emission Standards plants which rely on them. A common
(MES). and dangerous chemical reaction
Sulphur dioxide (SO 2) is a deadly gas and has resulted in many thousands of cases which is prevalent with acid rain, is the
of respiratory ailments and deaths. Therefore, if an exemption were to be approved, precipitation of aluminium from clay
one must ask what that would mean for people’s health and safety, and what soil particles. Large aluminium deposits
environmental impacts could result. will potentially pollute water bodies
Mpumalanga was the largest SO 2 emitter in Africa in 2017 and 2018, and it is and poison plants and animals.
unlikely this has changed. According to a study conducted by Greenpeace Global Air Gauteng is also part of the
Pollution Unit’s Lauri Myllyvirta, doubling the SO 2 emission standard would result in Highveld and is therefore prone to high

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