"Clean coal" reality check in South Africa

Jan

Jan

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Empty promises of clean coal in South Africa

The promises of new coal-fired power generation capacity in South Africa (post-Medupi and Kusile), and in particular, the promise of ‘clean coal’ technologies, has long been in the country’s planning pipeline but has been short of a reality check as to the actual potential for delivery.
 
Both medupi and kusile are supposed to have desulphation, but due to costs, eskom has instead applied to be allowed to pollute, what clean coal? When they can't manage it, an application to pollute is easier than fixing stuff.
 
Kawak said:
Both medupi and kusile are supposed to have desulphation, but due to costs, eskom has instead applied to be allowed to pollute, what clean coal? When they can't manage it, an application to pollute is easier than fixing stuff.
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You need only look at our oceans, dams, rivers and countryside (and the horizon on a winters day) to see no one gives a toss about the environment regardless of what is said...
 
Nicodeamus said:
Coal is still sensible for SA, it's cheap, reliable and affordable.
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For the plants that exist, yes. The problem is how hard it will be to get funding for new coal-fired power stations. There is a reason that the coal-fired IPPs have stalled.
 
cr@zydude said:
For the plants that exist, yes. The problem is how hard it will be to get funding for new coal-fired power stations. There is a reason that the coal-fired IPPs have stalled.
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Even for the plants that exists, it's getting unreliable, no longer cheap either once the world turns against it.
 
cr@zydude said:
For the plants that exist, yes. The problem is how hard it will be to get funding for new coal-fired power stations. There is a reason that the coal-fired IPPs have stalled.
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Plants, maybe.
Problem is excess CO2 is dissolving in the ocean causing acidification. This in turn is killing off the phytoplankton which produces the majority of our oxygen.
So yeah, we are literally smothering ourselves ... slowly.
 
De Ruyter gave the Dr Hendrik Johannes van der Bijl Memorial Lecture last night at the University of Pretoria. The future strategy he laid out sounded very different to this article.
 
Nicodeamus said:
Coal is still sensible for SA, it's cheap, reliable and affordable.
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Why worry about the environment right.
I mean that is the next generation's problem.

Pretty much the whole ANC philosophy since they took power.
Only ~27 years later and that policy is working out great.
 
WollieVerstege said:
Plants, maybe.
Problem is excess CO2 is dissolving in the ocean causing acidification. This in turn is killing off the phytoplankton which produces the majority of our oxygen.
So yeah, we are literally smothering ourselves ... slowly.
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I meant power plants, as in power stations.
 
Dave said:
Of course, especially if you’re a little dim witted and don’t care about the environment.
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Coal... Its expensive, it kills people (right now, as well as climate change)... But lots of opportunities for corruption when building and running and maintaining!
 
richjdavies said:
Coal... Its expensive, it kills people (right now, as well as climate change)... But lots of opportunities for corruption when building and running and maintaining!
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I don’t think @Nicodemus is an ANC cadre, he is just a little hard of thinking when it comes to pollution from old energy methods and has an irrational hatred of renewables.
 
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