Emission Impossible: Expert Insight Behind a 1.3 Kilotonne CO₂ Save

Brief

A developer planned to fund and build a gas-fired Combined Cycle Power Plant (CCPP), having secured conditional approval that offered strategic investment incentives. However, these benefits depended on obtaining approval for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

Despite the developer’s efforts, the EIA was ultimately rejected, halting the project. The refusal was based on the assessment’s failure to meet both national legislation and international environmental standards. In response, the developer initiated legal proceedings against the government, asserting that the EIA met the required standards and challenging the legitimacy of the rejection

What we did

HKA was engaged to provide independent expert opinion on the quality and compliance of the EIA. Our environmental specialists evaluated whether the submission met the requirements of the National Environment Agency, followed best practices, and whether the refusal was justified.

Outcomes

The court ruled in favour of HKA’s client, confirming that the EIA was insufficient and that the permit refusal was lawful. As a result, the development did not proceed, preventing an estimated 1,306 kilotonnes of CO₂ emissions over the plant’s proposed 25-year operating life.

HKA’s involvement helped the court navigate a complex regulatory dispute with clarity and confidence, ensuring that environmental standards were upheld and long-term impacts were responsibly managed.