Durban — Karpowership South Africa has reached a biodiversity offset agreement with Ezemvelo Wildlife KwaZulu-Natal, to mitigate residual environmental impacts, by agreeing to implement both estuarine and land-based biodiversity offsets.
This is in line with its final environmental impact report (EIR) that was submitted on August 30 for its Richards Bay project to the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE).
Karpowership owns and operates the world's largest fleet of floating power plants. Kapowership SA said that the Port of Richards Bay presented a unique circumstance where the active industrial port, used largely for coal exports, operated within an estuarine bay.
“Although a relatively novel practice in South Africa, biodiversity offsetting is a form of impact mitigation. It commonly involves securing an area and managing the biodiversity offset site for a given period.
“Even though the present ecological state of the Mhlathuze Estuary was identified as heavily modified due to surrounding industrial activities, ongoing port operations and coal export activities, biodiversity offsetting is an important tool for conserving biodiversity within this area.”
Kapowership SA further added that it was fundamental to the health and well-being of people, as well as economic activity and socio-economic upliftment.
In a letter shared with DFFE, Karpowership SA said that Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife had indicated that it had been party to and had witnessed the growing success of offset interventions by various role-players along the KwaZulu-Natal coastline.
“As a demonstration of support for Karpowership SA’s ambitious environmental conservation endeavour, Ezemvelo has indicated that it will not object to the environmental authorisation being issued.
“Biodiversity offsetting is one of the ways in which South Africa’s protected and conservation areas can be expanded, thereby promoting conservation, as well as securing ecologically sustainable development together with economic and social development,” it stated.
Karpowership SA added that it hoped to partner with the government to eliminate the country’s worsening energy crisis.
“According to Central Bank estimates, the nation’s electricity crisis is costing the economy as much as US$51 million per day, with South Africans desperate for a glimmer of light and an end to the crippling load shedding the country experiences daily,” it added.
The company already has a strong presence in Africa and 16 operational projects around the World.
Meanwhile, Karpowership has bought and donated a game farm to a provincial wildlife authority in a bid to ease environmental approval for one of the three gas-fired power plants it wants to erect in South Africa.
In exchange for the game farm, the Turkish company said that Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, which manages protected areas in KZN, will not object to its plan for a 450MW ship-mounted power plant at Richards Bay harbour.
“The port of Richards Bay presents a unique circumstance where the active industrial port, used largely for coal exports, operates within an estuarine bay,” Karpowership said. “Biodiversity offsetting is a form of impact mitigation.”
“Karpowership will still need to get final environmental approval and sign an agreement with Eskom.”
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