The Major Air Polluters in Africa report, released in collaboration with the Centre For Research on Energy and Clean Air, has accused South Africa’s state power company, Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd., of operating some of the world’s worst emission sites for toxic nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide. The report claims that coal-fired plants operated by Eskom account for five of the world’s 10 biggest single-source nitrogen-dioxide emission sites and two of the 10 worst sulfur-dioxide sites.
Eskom disputed these findings, stating that they were based on satellite interpretation of high levels of nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere. The company argued that at ground level, its plants mostly comply with South African nitrogen-dioxide emission levels, with any non-compliance being attributed to nearby vehicle traffic and other industrial sources. However, South Africa heavily relies on coal for more than 80% of its electricity generation, leading to some of the world’s worst air pollution. Despite having emission standards that are less stringent than those in China and India, enforcement is lacking.
To address this issue, Eskom noted that its newest coal-fired plants have low NOx burners to reduce nitrogen dioxide emissions and flue-gas desulfurization units to reduce sulfur-dioxide emissions. However, an accident at Kusile has caused equipment malfunction, resulting in bypassing the equipment meant to reduce emissions from this plant. In response to these concerns, Eskom stated that it is committed to working towards a cleaner energy future by investing in renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power.
