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Johannesburg - Anglo American [JSE:AGL] should abandon its plan to mine coal for power generation in Limpopo and instead help source renewable energy, Earthlife Africa said on Tuesday.
"We simply do not have space for such a detrimental amount of pollution that is to come out from that coal-fired power station," the organisation's project co-ordinator Tristen Taylor said at a protest against the mining company in Johannesburg.
"The effect that one more coal-fired power station would have on people's health is too much to comprehend. This country needs renewable energy."
Earthlife activists marched to Anglo's offices in the Johannesburg CBD against the company's planned coal mine and power station in Waterberg, Limpopo. They were supported by groups from Right 2 Know Campaign, the Soweto Residents' Association, and the Traditional Healers' Association.
Taylor said the company planned to build a coal-fired power station next to the mine to produce electricity. The coal-produced power would be used to power the mine, and would also be sold to Eskom, he said.
However, Anglo American said it would not be generating energy from its planned coal mine.
"We have prospecting rights... we have not even applied for mining rights yet," spokesperosn Bheki Khumalo said.
He said Vedanta Resources, a mining company from India, would be buying the coal from the mine and use it to generate power, which it would sell to whoever it chose to.
"Earthlife should actually be protesting against Vedanta, not us. We will not be building a power station. Mining the coal is what we plan to do."
