Kendal power plant: Eskom
The Department of Environment, Forest and Fisheries’ (DEFF) announced on Monday that it plans to pursue criminal prosecution against Eskom for non-compliance with air pollution standards - and supplying false and misleading information in reports to an Air Quality Officer at the Kendal Power station.
The alleged offense took place between 2018 and 2019.
The summons orders Eskom representatives to appear in the Witbank Regional Court on the 28th of January next year.
This follows an internal investigation and report prepared by Eskom audit and forensic into air quality compliance and reporting – and which was initiated by Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter in May of this year.
Greenpeace Africa has welcomed the Department’s move.
Greenpeace Africa Climate and Energy Campaigner Nhlanhla Sibisi said that the Kendal power plant has earned Kriel, Mpumalanga, the title of a global hotspot for SO2 emissions, the largest hotspot in Africa and the largest hotspot driven by coal combustion worldwide.
Sibisi said that while it is commendable that the Department has finally woken up to a realization of the air pollution crisis facing South Africa, this decision is well within the Department's mandate and long overdue.
