Lephalale Coal and Power Project

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Lephalale Coal and Power Project is a shelved power station in Lephalale, Waterberg, Limpopo, South Africa. It is also known as LCPP.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name Location Coordinates (WGS 84)
Lephalale Coal and Power Project Lephalale, Waterberg, Limpopo, South Africa -23.536183, 27.925154 (approximate)[1]

The map below shows the approximate location of the power station.

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Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name Status Fuel(s) Capacity (MW) Technology Start year Retired year
Unit 1 shelved coal - unknown[1] 600[1] unknown

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name Owner
Unit 1 Dedicoal Pty Ltd [100.0%]

Project-level coal details

  • Coal source(s): Waterberg Coalfield

Background

In September 2016, a pre-feasibility study was completed for the Lephalale Coal and Power Project (LCPP), which included a coal mine and captive power station. The study was commissioned by the Masimong Group.[2]

A project background document published in April 2017 stated that Dedicoal (Pty) Ltd., a subsidiary of the Masimong Group, was proposing the LCPP. The project included a 600 MW independent power producer (IPP) plant generating power that would "hopefully be sold onto the Eskom grid."[3] The document also stated that "applications at this stage will only be made for the mining section, applications for the IPP would be done in the future once the detailed design of the IPP has progressed."[3]

In August 2020, environmental authorization for the coal mine was granted to Lephalale Coal Mines, another subsidiary of the Masimong Group.[4]

The LCPP was still included on the Masimong website as of January 2024,[5] but with no apparent developments on the power station since 2018, the coal plant was presumed to be shelved.

Opposition

In July 2022, Earthlife Africa launched a judicial review of the environmental authorization granted to Lephalale Coal Mines.[6][7]

In March 2023, Earthlife Africa provided additional expert reports describing the negative environmental, public health, and economic impacts of the proposed coal mine.[7]

Articles and Resources

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20240218220743/https://sahris.sahra.org.za/sites/default/files/additionaldocs/LCPP_Background_Information_Document_20170418_V5_Final.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 February 2024. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. "Boom and Bust in the Waterberg: A history of coal mega projects," groundWork, November 2018
  3. 3.0 3.1 "LCPP Background Information Document," Kongiwe Environmental Science & Engineering, April 18, 2017
  4. "Environmental Authorisation," Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, August 18, 2020
  5. "Mining - Our Investment Portofolio," Masimong Group, accessed January 11, 2024
  6. "Proposed Limpopo coal mine faces court challenge for being stinky on most scores," Daily Maverick, August 2, 2022
  7. 7.0 7.1 "Lephalale Coal Mine Judicial Review," Centre for Environmental Rights, accessed January 11, 2024

Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.