Backers of Kenya\u2019s Lamu coal plant have been instructed by the courts to conduct a new environmental impact assessment and halt work on the project, in a ruling celebrated by local environmental groups.<\/p>\n
The mostly Chinese-financed plant is the biggest coal project in eastern and central Africa. Lamu county is on Kenya\u2019s northern coast and includes a small archipelago in the Indian Ocean. The area is a World Heritage Site and a major draw for tourists.<\/p>\n
The June 26 ruling by the National Environmental Tribunal cancelled the licence given to Amu Power by the National Environment Management Authority.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe people of Lamu and Kenyans finally have got justice three years after knocking on the doors of the Tribunal in 2016,\u201d said Omar Elmawi, head of Decoalonize<\/a>, a local activist group.<\/p>\n Construction of the project was expected to start in 2016 but was delayed following a legal challenge from Decoalonize and Save Lamu<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe won because we had a very strong case that was anchored on myriad grounds including inadequate public participation, environmental and health impacts. Also because of economic unviability of the project among others,\u201d Elmawi told chinadialogue<\/em> after the verdict was delivered.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are happy we won\u2019t be subjected to all these impacts as the project proponents and their friends make profits at our expense,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Danger to marine life<\/strong><\/p>\n Those opposed to the project argued that it would pollute local air and water, increase the country\u2019s carbon emissions, and put thousands of farmers and fishermen out of work.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will have to forget Lamu as we know it today,\u201d complained Somo Mohammed Somo, a fishing dhow captain and chairman of the Lamu fishermen association, before the decision was announced. He said that water pollution would harm the mangrove forests, an important breeding ground for fish, and risk the livelihoods of more than 6,000 fishermen.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are saying no to this project. What we need in Lamu is something like a fish processing factory, or an international airport to bring in more tourists,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Activists feared that fly ash and the release of water used to cool the coal plant would damage the marine ecology.<\/p>\n \u201cExperts have warned against this as the rise in temperature from the now hot water will impact negatively on the marine life, and fishermen will have less or nothing catch. Additionally, effluent from the plant will have elements including mercury, which when disposed in the sea will be consumed by the fish which in turn will be consumed by the local community,\u201d said Elmawi.<\/p>\n A study on the plant\u2019s potential impacts<\/a> by Greenpeace found that air pollution would affect almost half a million people and result in 1,600 premature deaths and 800 low birth weight births over 40 years of operation. In addition, polluted air and fly ash \u2013 the latter stored in an area prone to coastal flooding \u2013 would lead to acid rain and the deposition of toxic heavy metals on farmland.<\/p>\n However, the ruling does not spell the end of the plant. Amu Power has 30 days to appeal the decision and restore its environmental and social impact assessment license. Alternatively, it can conduct a new assessment in the hope of being awarded a fresh license. This would require the company to properly consult the public and outline clear plans for managing fly ash.<\/p>\n Ambassadors weigh in<\/strong><\/p>\n In a surprise move both the Chinese and US ambassadors to Kenya commented on the court\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n US ambassador, Kyle McCarter, tweeted: \u201cKenya needs a larger less costly base load of power first. Coal is the cleanest least costly option. Investors will come.\u201d<\/p>\n In contrast, the Chinese ambassador Wu Peng said that he was personally opposed to coal power and that \u201cIt has been and always will be the people of Kenya who can decide whether there would be a coal power plant or not,\u201d in comments published<\/a> by campaign groups that were invited to meet him.<\/p>\n While the US ambassador\u2019s comments were perhaps expected given the Trump Administration\u2019s attempts to stem the decline in the US coal sector, the Chinese ambassador\u2019s invitation to meet the campaign groups was a surprise as attempts to discuss the project with the Chinese embassy were previously ignored.<\/p>\n \u201cWe believe they didn\u2019t take the letters seriously until when they saw that the communities and the people of Kenya were in the streets protesting and trying to reach the Chinese embassy,\u201d said Elmawi, who attended the meeting.<\/p>\n Who is backing the Lamu coal plant?<\/strong><\/p>\n The US$2 billion coal plant was agreed in May 2017 when a high-level Kenyan delegation visited China for bilateral trade and development talks. An investment agreement was signed between Chinese energy company China Power Global, the Kenyan government, and Amu Power Limited, which is a joint venture between Gulf Energy and Centum Investment.<\/p>\n The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) committed to finance the venture to the tune of US$1.2 billion, a 60% stake in the project.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the Chinese withdrew from funding this project it would surely collapse,\u201d said Elmawi.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know that the Chinese government owns a large stake of ICBC and therefore they can\u2019t treat this as if it is just an issue of private Chinese companies being involved in the Lamu coal plant,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Kenya\u2019s renewable resource<\/strong><\/p>\n To get a new license, Amu Power must also explain whether the proposed 1,050 megawatt coal plant is in line with the country\u2019s climate change legislation. The planned electricity capacity is nearly half of Kenya\u2019s installed generation<\/a> of around 2,400 megawatts.<\/p>\n The project would hinder Kenya\u2019s ability to meet its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030 relative to a business as usual scenario. Kenya\u2019s emissions in 2010 were equivalent to 73 million tonnes of CO2. The coal project alone would add 8.8 million tonnes per year.<\/p>\n Mithika Mwenda, executive director of climate group Pan African Climate Justice (PACJA) said countries are abandoning coal power and other forms of \u201cdirty\u201d energy in favour of renewables and that Kenya should focus on tapping its enormous clean energy potential.<\/p>\n