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Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air

Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air

We are an independent research organisation focused on revealing the trends, causes, and health impacts, as well as the solutions to air pollution.

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Eskom is now the world’s most polluting power company

5 October 2021 by Lauri Myllyvirta

Data analysis by CREA finds that South Africa’s national utility Eskom has become the largest emitter of health-harming sulfur dioxide in the world, surpassing the entire power sector emissions of any country in the world, except for India.

These emissions contribute to high levels of ambient air pollution and to air pollution-related deaths in South Africa, responsible for approximately 2,200 deaths annually according to a study by air pollution expert Mike Holland. Most of these deaths are due to SO2 emissions, which form deadly PM2.5 particles once released into the air.

As most other regions with large power sector air pollutant emissions have made rapid progress in reducing emissions, Eskom has been stuck in place, lobbying against even the most rudimentary requirements to curb its SO2 pollution. 

As a result, the company has now become the worst SO2 emitting power company in the world. Eskom also emits more SO2 than the entire power sector of the EU and US, or the US and China, combined.

Eskom’s sulfur dioxide emissions in 2019 exceeded those from the power sectors from each of the world’s three largest economies. Eskom’s emissions are shown for FY 2019–2020.

Read the full analysis.

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Tagged With: air pollution, Coal, electricity, emissions, eskom, south africa, sulfur dioxide

Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air | 2022
  • Home
  • About us
    • Staff
    • Board
    • For Media
    • Jobs
  • What we do
    • On the map
    • Air quality standards tracker (global)
    • China targets tracker
    • COVID-19 Air Pollution Rebound Tracker
  • Partner with us
  • Publications
    • All
    • Financing Putin’s war
    • Ripe for Closure
  • Data Products
  • News
  • 中文 (中国)