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The Department of Environmental Affairs said it would refer the environmental authorisation for the Thabametsi Power Station back to the chief director for review.
This, after the North Gauteng High Court, set aside the Department’s environmental authorisation for the power station last month.
It was first challenged in 2016 by Earthlife Africa and Ground Work, who argued in court papers that the Minister had disregarded the devastating climate impact of the 557 MW project, initially approved for a capacity of 1 200 MW.
In a statement on Wednesday, Minister Barbara Creecy said the Department would abide by the court order court and refer the application for an environmental authorisation back to the Chief Director for review and decision.
She said the Environmental Authorisation for the Thabametsi power station in Limpopo was reviewed by order of the High Court in 2017 with a revised decision being issued by the Department in January 2018.
“The Department is committed to ensuring that the Constitutional rights of South Africans to an environment that is not harmful to health and well-being are always taken into consideration while ensuring that economic growth is not hampered,” she said.
Minister Creecy said the National Development Plan maps out the vision of the country for the next 20 years which includes the transition to a lower-carbon economy.
