Karpowership, Turkish A company aiming to bring more than 1.2 GW of electricity to South Africa said its appeal to overturn an environmental ruling against its plans had failed in another blow to the country’s efforts to tackle its energy crisis.
The company that supplies the ships’ gas-fired power plants will be allowed to fix “perceived gaps” in their application, it said in a statement on Sunday.
Karpowership last year won more than 60% of the emergency power tender to obtain 2GW of electricity to ease the power shortage that has plagued South Africa since 2008. Although the companies were originally supposed to start deliveries this month, projects worth just 150 MW have completed their financing arrangements and are more than a year away from commissioning.
Environment Minister Barbara Creasey last year rejected Karpowership’s original application after environmental activists complained about its impact on fishing, local ecosystems and potential greenhouse gas emissions.
“We respect the execution of Minister Chrissy’s mandate, but we are very disappointed with the outlook, especially given the time it has taken to make a decision,” Karpowership said in a statement. The company will rework its application and hopes to “make the process much more timely than it has been to date,” it said.
Last month, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced changes to the country’s energy laws to encourage private developers to supply electricity that Eskom has been unable to provide. The country is facing its worst year of blackouts.
“South Africa needs dispatchable power right now,” said Karpowership. “We remain committed to being part of South Africa’s energy security solution and are ready to deploy our Powerships immediately.”
The amount of energy that Karpowership plans to supply can meet the needs of more than 800,000 homes. – © 2022 Bloomberg LP
