Johannesburg - When Eskom was asked for its response this week to Greenpeace’s newly updated 12-month analysis on the impacts of the utility’s pollution, its media desk issued the same response it had in October, when the environmental organisation released its three-month analysis.
“Eskom takes note of the analyses completed by Greenpeace which indicates that ‘the whole of Mpumalanga is suffocating under dirty air’ due to high NO2 emissions,” it stated.
“(This) is misleading and an over-simplification of a complex problem.
“The Greenpeace study was carried out for a period of only three months; the high levels of pollution measured were hundreds of meters above the earth’s surface and not the air which people are exposed to at ground level.”
Eskom said it carried out extensive monitoring of ground level pollution of NO2 emission for the last 30 years “and in recent years the DEA (Department of Environmental Affairs) and provincial authorities have been monitoring. It is evident from this monitoring that there are pockets of ‘dirty air’ in Mpumalanga.
“However, ambient air quality monitoring stations positioned across Mpumalanga confirm that NO2 concentrations do not exceed the ambient air quality standards on the Highveld.
“In fact except for very few exceptions at one monitoring station, NO2 levels are well below the ambient standards set by the DEA.”
It acknowledged that all pollution sources needed to be minimised “so that health impacts can be reduced”.
All Eskom power stations complied with the NO2 Minimum Emissions Standards (MES) and continued to develop improved technology of low NOx burners to reduce emissions.
Eskom remained committed to continually reducing emissions, in addition to low NOx burners (used in utility boilers to produce steam and electricity) to reduce NO2.
“Most power stations have been retrofitted with technology, which reduces particulate emissions below new plant emission standards or a progressive step toward this. Kusile power station is the first power station to be retrofitted with flue gas desulphurisation to reduce sulphur dioxide.
“As older power stations are decommissioned the total emissions from Eskom will reduce significantly and the air quality in Mpumalanga will improve. Eskom is not only reducing emissions from its power stations but has initiated a project which will switch thousands of low-cost houses from using coal to using cleaner energy. This offset project includes the insulation of houses increasing minimum temperatures and comfort levels in homes. At least 160000 people will breathe cleaner air once this programme is implemented.”
Its plan would result in a continuous reduction of emissions from 2020.
“The implementation of the plan will result in a reduction of particulate emissions by 58%, sulphur dioxide by 66% and nitrous oxide by 46%.
“These reductions will be achieved through the implementation of a retrofit programme which will cost R45billion (overnight cost) and the closure of stations which have reached the end of life. This programme is a continuation of a successful programme started in the late 1980s.
“The electrification of low-cost housing since 1994 has also reduced the exposure of millions of South Africans who now use electricity rather than coal for cooking and heating, this positive outcome has been demonstrated by several studies which measured pollution before and after areas were electrified.”