Abstract
This research looks into the effects of the COVID-19 lockdown on South Africa's coal-fired
power stations, concentrating on their electricity output, trace gas and particulate emissions,
and their overall effect on air quality. As a result of the lockdown, the country saw a sharp
decrease in electricity demand, especially from the industrial and commercial sectors. This
situation had a direct impact on power generation, the findings of the analysis of 15 coal-fired
power plants showed that during a lockout, the amount of electricity generated decreased by
8%.
On the other hand, this generation shortfall appears to have been accompanied by significant
decreases in the pollutants such as CO₂, SO₂, NOₓ, and several particulate types that impact
human health. The air quality around the power stations was better during the lockdown, with
the concentrations of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and PM₁₀ lower than the levels recorded
just before the lockdown. This situation mirrors what happened in many places across the world,
including China and India, when atmospheric pollutants decreased substantially during the time
those countries were under lockdown.
However, one anomaly was the PM2.5, which registered an increase during the lockdown. This
phenomenon could be attributed to several factors, including poor dispersion due to meteorology,
but it seems most likely that residential wood and other types of burning were significant sources
of PM2.5 during this period. The Grootvlei Power Station, identified as a key source of air pollution,
has been found to release a number of harmful substances in abnormally high concentrations,
consistent with being a major direct contributor to poor local air quality. This not only shows the
urgent necessity for sophisticated "diversified energy mix-focused" public policy to be enacted in
South Africa to greatly restrict or eliminate coal-fired power plants as it is the primary cause of
pollution. The diversified energy mix emphasizes the utilization of many energy sources to create
power in order to maintain a consistent, sustainable, and resilient energy supply.
The findings of this study show that the less electricity generated by coal-fired power plants, the
lower the emissions, implying that with good energy policy implementation and the introduction of
renewable energy mix, South Africa can combat greenhouse gas emissions. The key words for
this research are Covid-19 Lockdown, Electricity Generation Load, Greenhouse Gas, Particulate
Emissions, Coal-Fired Power Stations, South Africa.