The High Court of South Africa has ruled that the government’s plans to add new coal-fired power capacity are unlawful, stating that they violate the constitutional right to health.
The government had proposed adding 1.5 gigawatts (GW) of new coal-fired electricity to the national grid. However, environmental activists challenged the plan, arguing that new coal plants would harm public health.
In a ruling released on Wednesday, Judge C.J. van der Westhuizen upheld the challenge brought by three environmental groups. The court declared the government’s plans to procure new coal power as “unlawful and invalid,” according to a Bloomberg report.
South Africa, one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of coal, still depends heavily on coal for its energy needs. Currently, about 85% of the country’s electricity is generated from coal-fired power stations.
Air pollution from coal plants has been linked to severe health risks. A report from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) warned earlier this year that delaying the closure of coal plants could lead to up to 50,000 additional deaths and billions of dollars in health costs. CREA also estimated that if the decommissioning of coal plants is not accelerated, it could result in 32,300 deaths from air pollution and economic losses of $40 billion (721 billion South African rands) by the 2040s.
South Africa has struggled with an ongoing energy crisis for years. The country faces a tough challenge in shutting down coal plants while trying to increase its reliance on cleaner energy sources. To support this transition, South Africa is negotiating loan guarantees for its $9.3-billion Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), an international initiative aimed at reducing the country’s dependence on coal and lowering carbon emissions. However, the lack of loan guarantees has delayed the release of crucial funds for the program.
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