The department of Environmental Affairs has proposed a set of compliance criteria specifically for wind farms – but will not apply the standard retroactively to wind facilities already granted environmental records of decision.
Concerns have mounted that the imposition of environmental criteria for all but some projects could amount to a pre-selection of wind farms before bidding for the first phase of the renewable energy feed-in tariff (Refit) programme starts.
Refit, which tops up fees paid for renewable energy generation, will give preference to projects that have all the necessary sign-offs to begin construction, including environmental permits.
The fear of pre-picking escalated after what the department described as a “junior official” erroneously said in an e-mail that a moratorium had been imposed on processing wind farm environmental impact assessment (EIA) applications.
But department spokesman Albi Modise said on Friday that the staff member had not been requested or authorised to convey this message.
“The truth is that the department is aggressively pursuing renewable energy, but maintains that it must be developed in an environmentally responsible and sustainable manner,” Modise said.
Modise said the department was finalising its strategic environmental framework for the location of wind farms, with the active input of the SA Wind Energy Association (Sawea). The parties met on Friday to discuss the draft framework.
Sawea chairman Mark Tanton said the framework had generated “a lot of concern in the market place over the last few weeks” but the workshop on Friday had reassured the industry that EIAs were being processed as normal via the National Environmental Management Act.
According to figures from the department, it gave only three positive records of decision for EIAs for wind farms from 2008 to the start of this year. But since March 16, it had authorised five more.
Tanton’s information was that the department had approved about eight wind projects over the past two weeks.
Business Report is aware of at least one developer with recent EIA approval that was not on a list of approved projects supplied by the department.
The department said it had thus far received 67 EIA applications from wind farm developers, making up a large proportion of about 150 EIA applications for all renewable energy projects.
Tanton said the industry still had “some serious concerns” with the content of the draft strategic environmental framework, but first needed to see how the department responded to its comments.
Ompi Aphane, the deputy director-general of electricity, clean energy and nuclear in the Department of Energy, said it passed the risk of securing EIA approval on to developers.
Asked about potentially different standards for wind, Aphane raised the question: “Where does it leave those that might be prejudiced because of the new requirements?”
He said he would ask a joint working group across departments to look into the issue. - Business Report