Eskom, the South African state-owned utility and the world’s largest sulfur dioxide (SO2) emitter, is seeking approval to release more of the pollutant linked to health issues such as heart attacks and asthma.
The company has requested environmental clearance to bypass the flue-gas desulphurization (FGD) unit that removes SO2 from emissions at its Kusile coal-fired power plant. The move would reduce the level of temporary blackouts in the country but result in an eightfold increase of SO2 emissions to 80,000 tons. It would also have an unknown environmental impact.
Eskom disputes the claim that its emissions result in over 2,000 deaths a year, stating that only 320 deaths can be attributed to its emissions.
Eskom provides almost all of South Africa’s electricity, with over 80% of it coming from coal-fired plants and producing about 40% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.
However, the utility’s plants repeatedly broke down during 2022, forcing the country to endure rotational blackouts on more than 200 days of the year.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa last week declared a state of disaster to enable the government to tackle the energy crisis on a war footing.
Source: Mining Weekly
Image Source: Eskom’s Komati Coal-fired Power Plant