Eskom coal plants granted environmental exemptions
Environment Minister Dion George has granted
exemptions to eight of Eskom's coal-fired power stations.
Duvha and Matla will be allowed to operate until their planned shutdowns in 2034.
The exemptions for the remaining six, Kendal, Lethabo, Majuba, Medupi, Matimba, and Tutuka, are capped at five years and expire in 2030.
The department said this allows Eskom to phase out these stations responsibly while ensuring energy stability during the transition.
George said the exemptions come with strict conditions to mitigate each plant's environmental impact until they are phased out.
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"Eskom must deploy air quality monitoring stations and a data-free app alert within eight months," the minister said.
"They must appoint an environmental health specialist within three months and extend community health screening programs within six months, and mobile clinics and green space initiatives will further support affected communities.”
Other interventions call for real-time emissions data to be published immediately, more monitoring stations within a year, and an annual progress report on renewable energy integration by March.
The minister urged Eskom to accelerate its transition to renewable energy.
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"Eskom has been dragging its feet on transmission, and new independent producers will know this. It's not a secret.
"That is something that must end because there is no point in having a monopoly that is not able to actually provide the energy.
"Then you need to have a different thing, and I think that's pretty obvious."
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