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Karpowerships Dodgy Procurement Process Leaves Many Questions Unanswered
29 April 2021 - The procurement of Karpowership services as “emergency” power will lock the country into gas for the next 20 years, increasing electricity tariffs and move us away from the presidential commitment to a just transition and low carbon economy.
On 31 March groundWork submitted Environmental Impact Assessment Report comments for the proposed gas combustion Karpowerships application in all three ports, namely Richards Bay, Saldhanha Bay and the Port of Ngqura.
Community organisations have called for Public Hearings on the Risk Mitigation Independent Powers Producers Procurement Programme (RMIPPP), and the selection of Karpowerships as a preferred bidder, taking the lion’s share of the energy procurement. Civil society has questioned how a foreign-owned company was able to obtain exemptions from local content and put us at further risk to climate change impacts with increased greenhouse gas emissions associated with gas. Renewable energy solutions which are more affordable, sustainable, accessible, and cleaner, with better local content prospects have been deliberately excluded in the build-up to the procurement process.