A 3,000-megawatt power plant fired by gas that was set to be built in South Africa has had its proverbial plug pulled — at least temporarily.
The project was initially opposed in 2022, when the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance and Groundwork said that, according to Mongabay, the gas-powered plant was "inconsistent with South Africa's commitment to decarbonization."
But the South African court ruled in favor of Eskom.
Now, the South African Supreme Court of Appeal has reversed that ruling, for reasons "including the failure to adequately consult local residents and consider the full impacts of the power plant's entire life cycle on climate change," according to Mongabay.
While many African countries have made commitments to transitioning to greener energy and have begun moving away from coal toward gas, the production of gas in a plant like the one proposed still releases dangerous amounts of methane into the atmosphere.
This ruling champions community input, meaning that future plans will need to involve greater consultation with the nearby residents they will affect.
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While Eskom, the largest electricity generator in Africa, has been able to expand its nuclear capacity to modernize South Africa's power grid, it has also faced controversy. In 2021, the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air reported that Eskom was only behind India in planet-warming sulfur dioxide pollution.
In August, Business Leadership South Africa accused the company of subverting the nation's attempts at energy reform. "Eskom's current strategy of litigation and obstruction is directly undermining South Africa's national goal of achieving energy security," the organization wrote in a media statement.
According to Reuters, Desmond D'Sa of the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance said: "Eskom, for too long as a state (company), has gotten away with injustices and people that have lived alongside its facilities will suffer from the ... high levels of pollution."
Groundwork's Yegeshni Moodley said of the recent nullification, according to Mongabay: "This ruling shows that environmental authorities must protect people and future generations, not fossil fuel interests."
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