Bids for construction of the proposed hydropower station on the Orange River on the farm Riemvasmaak north of the Augrabies Falls are due to be submitted by October.
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HydroSA said if its bid was successful, construction would begin in August 2016 and take 36 months.
The hydropower station will extract water 1.5km upstream of the Augrabies Falls, returning the water 7.5km downstream of the Falls. This will generate up to 40MW of electricity.
SANParks previously expressed its concern over its effect on tourism caused by the visual impact the station as well as on visitors’ experience of the Falls.
SANParks has also expressed concerns over the negative effect on the Augrabies Falls, as a sizeable portion of the river would be used. “A minimum reserve flow is required to maintain ecosystem integrity, especially as the choice of the availability of electricity to consumers is likely to supersede the volume of water flowing towards the Falls because the provision of electricity will be regarded as a priority,” said Nadia Lemmetuis, Regional Communication Manager for SANParks.
While SANParks supports renewable energy generated by technologies such as hydro, wind, solar and biogas, the organisation does not support the construction of the weir, canal and portion of the power line within Augrabies Falls. This is because the area through which the canal is planned is a ‘highly protected zone’ and categorised as a special management area. SANParks is seeking to reach an agreement with the National Environmental Management over the Protected Areas Act, 2003.
HydroSA also completed construction on the Kakamas hydro-electric power station in Neusberg, in the Eastern Cape, in January.
