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Governments and corporates across the globe have been at pains to save the planet, intensifying their efforts to reduce emissions and move towards a greener way of production using the latest modern technology.
As the world changes, Eskom says it is keeping up with their environmental responsibilities since load-shedding is largely a thing of the past; by far, the utility says it has invested a total amount of R3 billion in emission reduction projects; with R15.6 billion allocated over the next five years.
The parastatal says to achieve the Minimum Emission Standards (MES) compliance by 2030 will require R257 billion in capital investment and R6.3 billion in annual operating costs which will have a significant impact on Eskom and add up to 10% to the electricity tariff.
This drive, though noble, will see consumers digging deeper into their pockets to purchase electricity.
Eskom says it has made notable progress in reducing Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) emissions across its fleet. Power stations such as Kendal and Matimba were designed with low-NOx boilers, while Medupi and Kusile are equipped with low-NOx burners.
The utility says in 2019, Camden Power Station was successfully retrofitted with this technology. Additionally, Eskom has installed flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) technology at Kusile Power Station to reduce sulphur dioxide (SO₂) emissions and is planning to retrofit the same system at Medupi Power Station.
“We are committed to meeting environmental regulations through continuous monitoring, transparent reporting, and proactive plant upgrades,” said Bheki Nxumalo, Eskom’s Group Executive for Generation.
According to Eskom, in light of its target and the current trajectory of future non-compliance, 22GW of capacity is at risk of being shut down due to SO₂ non-compliance post-2030.
Nxumalo says looking ahead; Eskom is exploring new technologies and is supporting a Just Transition to a low-carbon economy. The utility aims to reduce fleet-wide emissions by 40% by 2030, in alignment with the revised Highveld Priority Area Plan and the draft Integrated Resource Plan (IRP).
