- Bloomberg reports that Karpowership SA will be donating a game farm to a provincial wildlife authority in Kwazulu Natal.
- In exchange for the game farm, the Turkish company said that Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, which manages protected areas in the southeastern province of KwaZulu-Natal, will not object to its plan for a 450MW, ship-mounted power plant at Richards Bay harbour.
“The Port of Richards Bay presents a unique circumstance where the active industrial port, used largely for coal exports, operates within an estuarine bay,” Karpowership said in a statement sent to Bloomberg. “Biodiversity offsetting is a form of impact mitigation.”
Karpowership SA was awarded preferred bidders’ status for three gas power ship projects totalling 1220MW in South Africa’s controversial Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (RMIPPPP) . Their projects have struggled to reach financial close since July 2021 and face massive push back from environmental groups. The groups have challenged Karpowership SA late and revised EIA application for Richards Bay floating gas power plant.
According to civil society organisations – including the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA), groundWork, The Green Connection, Natural Justice, and the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) – South Africans must be wary of this deal which, if approved, could have far-reaching implications. Read more
The current ruling party, the ANC, stands to benefit financially through the Karpowership SA gas supply value chain. Read more
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
