Evaluation of the quality of public participation in the environmental impact assessment reports (EIARs) of renewable energy projects in the Northern Cape province of South Africa

Abstract

Public participation is mandatory according to the South African National Environmental Management Act (NEMA Act No. 107 of 1998) and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Regulations promulgated in 2014, and as a result the quality of public participation has to be in line with regulatory requirements. The current study evaluated the quality of public participation in the environmental impact assessment reports (EIARs) of renewable energy projects in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. The South African adapted version of the Lee and Colley Review Package methodology was utilised to carry out the assessment on 22 sampled EIARs, in line with the 2014 regulations. Two out of 22 (9.1%) EIARs were allocated the quality grading of “B”, while 18 (81.8%) EIARs received “C” quality level, and the remaining 2 (9.1%) EIARs were assigned a “D” quality score. Detailed reports, particularly on areas involving public participation process reports, were classified as strong as they adequately addressed and were compliant with different clauses of the 2014 NEMA EIA Regulations. On the other hand, poor quality reports were as a result of inadequate information provided regarding the public participation process leading to their weaknesses. The weaknesses were partly due to lack of clarity regarding EIARs on obtaining written permission by landowners of anticipated projects, before environmental authorisation was granted. Also, the weaknesses regarding the reports were due to lack of alternative methods to accommodate stakeholders who cannot understand English and/or Afrikaans. The EIARs which could not furnish any relevant details on the stipulated dimensions of the notice-boards, also led to reports classified as weak due to their poor completion. Taking into consideration the quality trends emanating from the current study, several recommendations are proposed to enhance the writing of EIARs pertaining to public participation in order to contribute to improved planning and better decision-making regarding environmental matters.