Журнал дистанционного зондирования и ГИС

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A Review of the Environmental Authorization Followed During the Construction of Eskom’s Kusile and Medupi Power Stations, South Africa

Shadung John Moja, Mamonene Emmy Molepo, and Gladness Madibakisha Chadi

Environmental impact assessment follow-up has been widely addressed by various researchers. However, there is still a gap in the actual implementation of this process. This study was aimed at addressing this gap by evaluating the effectiveness of implementing the environmental authorizations of South African Eskom’s Kusile and Medupi Power Stations during the construction phase. The main focus was to determine whether the environmental authorization conditions are effectively implemented by project developers and whether full compliance which could lead towards sustainable developments is at the forefront of Kusile and Medupi Power Stations construction developments. The survey data collection method was used whereby questionnaires were formulated and completed by 50 participants involved in the implementation of both power stations’ environmental authorizations. The results of the study showed that the power stations understand the importance of protecting the environment and complied with the overall projects’ environmental authorization conditions. The external audit results stretching for six years have shown over 90% compliance with the environmental authorization at both power stations. These results confirm that the environmental management through compliance with the environmental authorization is at the forefront of the Eskom’s developments and thus promotes sustainable development. The outcome of this study has a wide application that includes being applied to any new project that involves building infrastructure.