Consultation on intention to adopt standard for the Standard for the Development of Power Lines and Substations
The Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Ms Barbara Creecy, has invited public comment on the Standard for the Development of Power Lines and Substations within Identified Geographical Areas Revision August 2021.
The Minister has also invited comment on the proposed exclusion of certain identified activities for the realization of the development or expansion of powerline and substation infrastructure from the requirement to obtain environmental authorization, based on compliance with the Standard.
The public consultation process was launched through the publication of Government Gazette 46209 (Notice No. 2002) in terms of the National Environmental Management Act on 7 April 2022.
The development of the Standard for the Development of Power Lines and Substations within Identified Geographical Areas Revision 1 August 2021 by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment is based on two Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) processes undertaken for the development of Electricity Grid Infrastructure (EGI) in South Africa.
The exclusion from the requirement to obtain environmental authorisation applies in areas identified by the national web-based environmental screening tool as being of medium or low environmental sensitivity, and confirmed to be such for identified environmental themes, within the strategic transmission corridors for the development or expansion of electricity transmission and distribution powerline infrastructure and substations published by the Department in 2018 and 2021.
This applies to instances where the development or expansion of such infrastructure triggers the requirement for an Environmental Impact Assessment.
The Standard and the exclusions do, however, not apply where any part of the infrastructure occurs on an environmentally sensitive area or where the greater part of the proposed infrastructure falls outside any strategic transmission corridor.
Where the Standard does not apply, and Environmental Impact Assessment will be required in areas that are highly sensitive.
Failure to comply with the requirements of the Standard will constitute an offence in terms of the EIA Regulations.
It should be noted that an environmental authorisation issued prior to the commencement of the Standard and the Gazetted Notice on 7 April 2022 remains valid.
Source: Government of South Africa