Back to the Drawing Board. Saldanha Gas to Power Powerships Project Suspended

The application for authorisation to position gas to power powerships in Saldanha Bay harbour in the Western Cape, has been suspended – for now.

This will be good news for the local community, environmental groups, and fishers.

They are extremely concerned that there is insufficient information in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to justify the powerships’ presence in the harbour for the next 20 years.

On 11 June, TriplO4 Sustainable Solutions forwarded the suspension notice it had received from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) to The Green Connection.

It is in response to the environmental justice organisation’s formal complaint lodged with the Department on 31 May 2021.

Underwater noise

According to The Green Connection’s Strategic Lead Liziwe McDaid, “The basis for this complaint, is the fact that the practitioners’ failed to conduct a specialist study of the potential consequences or impacts of underwater noise generated by the ships – on the environment and marine resources of Saldanha Bay – prior to submission of the final environmental impact assessment report (FEIAR).

“We are particularly concerned about the consequences for small-scale fishers of Saldanha Bay, who depend on a healthy ocean and marine environment for their livelihoods.” 

Read the article : The Devil is in the Detail. Paying the Price for Powerships

What the notice says

The notification of suspension from TriplO4 reads as follows:

“In terms of Regulation 14 (6) of the EIA Regulations, 2014, as amended, you are hereby informed of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment’s (DFFE) decision to suspend the application for authorisation and associated timeframes due to allegations made by Green Connection.

“The extended timeframe for the processing of the application will be communicated once a decision on the matter has been reached in terms of Regulation 14 (5) of the EIA Regulations 2014 as amended.”

Response

The Green Connection has welcomed the decision.

According to a Daily Maverick report, Karpowership claims the environmental assessments submitted to the department are “robust and compliant”.

The company is also confident the suspension will be lifted “to allow us to move on with the process”.

The notice of suspension of the EIA currently does not appear on the DFFE website nor on that of TriplO4 .