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Mbombela - The Green Scorpions on Monday started inspections at Eskom's Mpumalanga power stations to check if the power utility complies with environmental laws.
The inspectors, officially known as the Environmental Management Inspectorate (EMI), started their five-day campaign at the Eskom Komati Asbestos site along the N4 ring road.
EMI spokesperson Moses Randitsheni said they will monitor if Eskom adhered to the conditions stipulated in the relevant laws.
He said the Green Scorpions would also take appropriate actions if Eskom is found to be non-compliant.
Targeted areas in Mpumalanga include Eskom’s Camden Substation and the transmission line between Duvha Power Station and Janus Substation in Middelburg.
He said five other Eskom projects had already been inspected in Limpopo.
Randitsheni said the team had inspected Eskom’s construction site at the Medupi Coal Power Station in Lephalale.
This includes associated structures as well as the construction of raw water reservoirs and pipelines for the power station.
“According to the preliminary reports, the projects are progressing quite well and the compliance status is generally satisfactory. The alignment and the construction of a portion of the Afguns road as well as the construction of the telecommunication mast in the vicinity of Medupi power station have been completed and the compliance status is also satisfactory,” said Randitsheni.
“In the construction of the Medupi-Marang 400kV transmission power-line, the Green Scorpions found that Eskom is not complying with certain conditions of the Environmental Management Plan,” he said.
The Green Scorpions had completed other investigations, Randitsheni said.
This included telecommunication company Neotel’s construction of an fibre optic network project from Germiston in Gauteng to Cato Ridge in KwaZulu Natal.
It found that river crossing and abstraction of water from the water course are being carried out without required permits. The rehabilitation plan for the project has not been developed and Neotel is also not complying with certain conditions of the Environmental Management Plan, he said.
Randitsheni said non-compliance are being reviewed and will be met with appropriate action where necessary.