Heritage Cases

The growing demand for electricity is placing increasing pressure on Eskom’s existing power generation and transmission capacity. Eskom Holdings SOC is committed to implementing a Sustainable Energy Strategy that complements the policies and strategies of National Government. Eskom aims to improve the reliability of electricity supply to the country, and in particular to provide for the growth in electricity demand in the Gauteng and Mpumalanga provinces. For this reason, Eskom obtained environmental authorisation from Department of Environmental Affairs to construct the new 400 kV Bravo (Kusile) coal-fired Power Station located between Bronkhorstspruit and Witbank in 2007. Construction of the Kusile power station has already commenced. Due to this construction, the new Bravo Power Station has reached a stage where it needs to be integrated with the existing Eskom electricity infrastructure. Eskom obtained environmental authorization on 09 October 2009 from the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) for the construction of a new 400 kV power line from the Kusile Power Station (Mpumalanga), to the existing Lulamisa substation near Diepsloot in Gauteng Province (DEA Reference No. 12/12/20/1094) (See Figure 1 below). This line will be approximately 120 km’s in length and will cover an area from Witbank in the east, to Diepsloot in the west. The construction of this proposed 400 kV power line is aimed to ensure sufficient electricity supply to the Diepsloot and Johannesburg North areas, where currently frequent electricity shortages are experienced. Following approval by DEA in 2009, it has been identified that certain tower footings associated with the power lines may impact on watercourse crossings and drainage linesthus requiring Environmental Authorisation in terms of the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) (Act 107 of 1998). Activities identified in Listing Notice 1 of General Notice Regulations (GN R.) 983 and Listing Notice 3 of GN R. 985 are triggered by the proposed project and thus a Basic Assessment (BA) process is being undertaken. Specialist Ecological (Flora and Fauna), Avifauna, Wetland, Social and Heritage Assessments were undertaken during the Basic Assessment and their reports are attached as Appendices to this BAR. Eskom has appointed Envirolution Consulting as independent environmental assessment practitioners, to undertake the Basic Assessment and Environmental Management Programme (EMPr) processes. The main objective of the Basic Assessment and EMPr is to identify and assess potential environmental impacts associated with the proposed project, and to compile appropriate mitigation measures. A Water Use Licence or a General Authorisation Application with the Department of Water and Sanitation may be required in terms of the National Water Act No. 36 of 1998 for the following water uses: • Section 21 (c): impeding or diverting the flow of water in a watercourse; and • Section 21 (i): altering the bed, banks, course or characteristics of a watercourse. The Water use Licence Application will be undertaken as a separate application and will be submitted to the Department of Water and Sanitation. The powerline crosses 6 Quaternary Catchments (A21C, A21B, A21A, A23A, B20D and B20F). Several perennial and non-perennial watercourses are crossed by the proposed powerline. The majority of the water drains in two main directions. The central to western parts of the line drain northwest towards the Hartbeesport Dam and the Crocodile River. This section of the lines falls in the 3rd, Crocodile West, Marico Water Management Area. The remainder drains towards the northeast into the Olifants River and falls within the 4th (Olifants) Water Management Area.Important rivers crossed by the line, from west to east are: Jukskei River; Rietvlei River; Hennops. A total of 31 watercourses are crossed by the proposed line. The total amount of wetlands can be broken down into 8 floodplain wetlands, 20 unchannelled valley bottom wetlands, 2 depression wetlands and one riparian area which may subsequently be affected by the tower footings. Each tower footing will be variable to comply with local conditions (Wetland, water source type, drainage, soils, ) in order to minimise potential impacts. As part of the new 400kV power lines there is a footing that is proposed after approximately every 400m therefore a total of approximately 468 tower footings of which there are 86 towers that are existing and 382 proposed new towers. A 400 kV power line of approximately 120km in length, will start approximately 20km south-east of bronkhorstspruit at the Kusile Power Station and end approximately 3km south of Diepsloot at the Lulamisa Substation. This line (green line in Figure 1 above) isreferred to as Bravo 3(Kusile) –Lulamisa.