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Cape Town - While 49% of News24 readers deem the possible construction of a hydroelectric power plant in the Orange River, just north of the Augrabies Falls 'a great way to harness green power,' many have come out strongly against the idea in comments and email feedback.
SANParks recently called on the public to have their say regarding the possibility of a 40 megawatt power station being constructed close to the well-loved tourist attraction and natural wonder.
The organisation said in a statement that as custodians of the falls, they want to engage with visitors to ascertain what the general perceptions are by means of a comprehensive survey.
If the response from Traveller24 readers is anything to go by, there is a great need for more information about the project and a general feeling that it would spoil one of South Africa's most beautiful spots.
Here are a few opinions:
A big N-O
Thys Pretotius - You build the scheme you ruin the falls. The decision is, which is more important to retain a beautiful bit if nature or cheap electricity
Julie Rahl - These falls are the most beautiful in South Africa, thus it would be an utter disgrace, and a rape of nature to constuct any man made impediment to the flow of the Orange river at that stage. The state should stop messing with our natural heritage, and no extra power is needed in that sparsely populated area.
Georgina Mackie - I wish to place on record, that as a lover of the outdoors and the splendour of our scenic country and the wonderful wildlife it supports, I would strongly disagree to the erection of a power station at the Augrabies Falls, hopefully this disaster will never become a reality.
Janet Hodkin - I am totally against a power station above Augrabies Falls. It is one of our wonders of south Africa and should be left in a natural state for generations to also appreciate. Conserve our natural heritage. rather install solar power stations in the northern Cape that would not affect the environment.
Joy Skene - It's a really bad idea! Natural wonders should never be compromised by human greed for power or any other resource, please go and build a solar or wind farm nearby, but leave the river alone!
Bob and Jenny Stanley - The loud answer to a hydroelectric power station above the falls is NO, NO, NO. why do they always want to spoil such beautiful nature, the Augrabies attract millions of visitors every year. We have camped there many times and enjoy the beauty everytime we visit.
Chez Kri - We live in a country where the sun shines so brightly but water is a problem. So what is our solution to the power shortage? Harness it from the water!!? That is not even logical. Why not have solar panels in the Karoo?
Everton Bouwer - No way!There are massive energy projects underway in the Northern Cape and more yet to come.The solar panel fields and upcoming nuclear power plants will more than suffice SA's least populous province.A balance needs to be maintaned between environmental conservation,economic and developmental needs.Besides,if legend is to be believed,there is a massive water spirit at the bottom of the waterfall who won't be to pleased with this idea at all...
Maybe not such a bad idea after all
Armand du Plessis - Having seen the Augrabies Falls several times with differing flows of water, I fail to see what difference a Hydro Electric Power Station upstream of the falls would make. If water is drawn off upstream, it should also be possible to direct that water back to the river upstream of the falls.
Ryan Fourie - The whole point of putting any hydroelectric power plant in place is not because it is easy, cheap, or can line the pockets of those in power. A typical coal-fired gas plant atartup time from cold can be anywhere from a week to two months.
A hydroelectric power plant? 10 minutes. That is the advantage of the hydroelectric scheme. Solar power is great but as already been mentioned it only works in the day. And there is no battery available that can store enough power for the entire grid to run off. The only thing that is close is the pump storage scheme in the Drakensberg.
Also, if you actually read the comments in the link, it is a run-of river power plant. The water is not diverted around the falls. Instead, a weir will be put upstream of the falls and the water will flow over turbines and directly back into the river. For those that are unsure, the energy that is harvested is the potential energy of the water passing over the weir. This means no additives will be added to the water, and the river is not affected in any way.
If anything, this entire thing would be more beneficial for the falls, because the water would be more constant, and would never dry up, even in a drought, unless the upstream weir completely runs out.
I really don't understand why they don't do this with every dam in the country. It is completely wasted energy and is the easiest to harvest.
Do you have anything to add? Tell us in the comment section below!
SANParks recently called on the public to have their say regarding the possibility of a 40 megawatt power station being constructed close to the well-loved tourist attraction and natural wonder.
The organisation said in a statement that as custodians of the falls, they want to engage with visitors to ascertain what the general perceptions are by means of a comprehensive survey.
If the response from Traveller24 readers is anything to go by, there is a great need for more information about the project and a general feeling that it would spoil one of South Africa's most beautiful spots.
Here are a few opinions:
A big N-O
Thys Pretotius - You build the scheme you ruin the falls. The decision is, which is more important to retain a beautiful bit if nature or cheap electricity
Julie Rahl - These falls are the most beautiful in South Africa, thus it would be an utter disgrace, and a rape of nature to constuct any man made impediment to the flow of the Orange river at that stage. The state should stop messing with our natural heritage, and no extra power is needed in that sparsely populated area.
Georgina Mackie - I wish to place on record, that as a lover of the outdoors and the splendour of our scenic country and the wonderful wildlife it supports, I would strongly disagree to the erection of a power station at the Augrabies Falls, hopefully this disaster will never become a reality.
Janet Hodkin - I am totally against a power station above Augrabies Falls. It is one of our wonders of south Africa and should be left in a natural state for generations to also appreciate. Conserve our natural heritage. rather install solar power stations in the northern Cape that would not affect the environment.
Joy Skene - It's a really bad idea! Natural wonders should never be compromised by human greed for power or any other resource, please go and build a solar or wind farm nearby, but leave the river alone!
Bob and Jenny Stanley - The loud answer to a hydroelectric power station above the falls is NO, NO, NO. why do they always want to spoil such beautiful nature, the Augrabies attract millions of visitors every year. We have camped there many times and enjoy the beauty everytime we visit.
Chez Kri - We live in a country where the sun shines so brightly but water is a problem. So what is our solution to the power shortage? Harness it from the water!!? That is not even logical. Why not have solar panels in the Karoo?
Everton Bouwer - No way!There are massive energy projects underway in the Northern Cape and more yet to come.The solar panel fields and upcoming nuclear power plants will more than suffice SA's least populous province.A balance needs to be maintaned between environmental conservation,economic and developmental needs.Besides,if legend is to be believed,there is a massive water spirit at the bottom of the waterfall who won't be to pleased with this idea at all...
Maybe not such a bad idea after all
Armand du Plessis - Having seen the Augrabies Falls several times with differing flows of water, I fail to see what difference a Hydro Electric Power Station upstream of the falls would make. If water is drawn off upstream, it should also be possible to direct that water back to the river upstream of the falls.
Ryan Fourie - The whole point of putting any hydroelectric power plant in place is not because it is easy, cheap, or can line the pockets of those in power. A typical coal-fired gas plant atartup time from cold can be anywhere from a week to two months.
A hydroelectric power plant? 10 minutes. That is the advantage of the hydroelectric scheme. Solar power is great but as already been mentioned it only works in the day. And there is no battery available that can store enough power for the entire grid to run off. The only thing that is close is the pump storage scheme in the Drakensberg.
Also, if you actually read the comments in the link, it is a run-of river power plant. The water is not diverted around the falls. Instead, a weir will be put upstream of the falls and the water will flow over turbines and directly back into the river. For those that are unsure, the energy that is harvested is the potential energy of the water passing over the weir. This means no additives will be added to the water, and the river is not affected in any way.
If anything, this entire thing would be more beneficial for the falls, because the water would be more constant, and would never dry up, even in a drought, unless the upstream weir completely runs out.
I really don't understand why they don't do this with every dam in the country. It is completely wasted energy and is the easiest to harvest.
Do you have anything to add? Tell us in the comment section below!
