After the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE) chose not to approve CarpowerShip South Africa's environmental impact assessment (EIA), in a rare victory for the planet, the state where the ship was scheduled to berth is appealing this decision.
In a statement released on Monday morning, the Eastern Cape Maritime Chamber of Commerce (ECMBC) and Nelson Mandela Bay's National African Union Chamber of Commerce (Nafkok NMB) said they “strongly” oppose DFFE's decision.
ECMBC Chairman Unati Sonthi said, “We will appeal as it is our right as representatives of the affected constituencies.''
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Mr Sonti said the DFFE notification had been considered “in detail”, adding that the ministry's conclusions on the EIA were “short-sighted and uninformed”.
“We believe that many of the concerns raised have already been more than adequately addressed, not only in the EIA, but also in subsequent documents submitted to DFFE.”
Conservationists oppose car powership project
Roland Ngam, program manager for climate justice and socio-ecological transformation at the Rosa Luxembourg Foundation, said last month that there was a lack of proper public consultation surrounding car powerships and a lack of assessment of noise pollution levels. , said the study was full of “new information.” was not made public.
He also warned that those who disagree with the DFFE's decision will appeal the decision.
Groups that have spoken out against car powership include South African National Parks, Birdlife, the Environmental Rights Center and Green Connection.
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said Tracy Davis, executive director of the NGO Just Share, and Robin Hugo, director of climate change engagement. citizen It was revealed in March that the Car Power Ship project was using liquefied natural gas, which consists of methane, a greenhouse gas 86 times more toxic than carbon dioxide.
There are growing concerns that the project will hinder the country's transition to renewable energy and end its dependence on any fossil fuels.
The project was initially proposed by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy as a solution to Eskom's power supply problems.
The ships were to be stationed in Coega, Richards Bay and Saldanha Bay for 20 years to provide 1,220 megawatts of power to the national grid.
concerns were denied
Both ECMBC and Nafcoc said they viewed the Karpowership project's public participation process as “robust” and claimed the project met all of the country's “stringent environmental requirements.”
Nafcoc NMB chairman Mtukisi Gaw hinted that South Africa's environmental impact is more sensitive than other countries.
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“[A]Should we understand that the countries that have hosted power ships ashore have not considered the environmental impact as fully as we have?
“If so, is that position still correct, given that many Western economies still use powership today, or is the criticism only levied against countries of the Global South? ”
Mr Gow said consultations had been held with local communities and businesses to secure energy supplies and help “struggling economies and people”.
Mr Gow said he believed it was time for Nafcock to “look beyond the distractions of convenient narratives and look at the root of the problem”.
According to Nafcoc and ECMBC, the Karpowership project will invest approximately R18 billion into the local economy and provide reliable energy supplies to 800,000 South Africans.
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