The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment rejected the appeal to moor a ship-mounted power plant capable of generating about 450 megawatts at the Coega harbour in the Eastern Cape province, the person said. Decisions on plants planned at the Saldanha and Richards Bay harbors have yet to be communicated to the company, the person said, asking not be identified because the government hasn’t made the information public.
The ruling complicates the South African government’s attempts to tackle the nation’s worst power crisis yet, with a shortage of generation capacity causing rotational blackouts of as many as 12 hours a day. The Turkish company won a tender in March 2021 to supply the electricity but has since been mired in lawsuits and environmental challenges.
Albi Modise, a spokesman for the ministry, said he couldn’t comment, while a spokeswoman for Karpowership didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. While Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe has repeatedly said Karpowership should be allowed to proceed with its plans, Environment Minister Barbara Creecy has said the power crisis won’t see environmental concerns disregarded.
Is there no a better solution than this karpowerships that can be implemented without even minister Mantashe knowing that it has been realized?
Not a solution it is a straight forward deal with the ANC GwedeMantashe1. Court should rule out the use of these ships once and for all. PresidencyZA CyrilRamaphosa