Case Decision - 198905

The South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) would like to thank you for submitting the revised Draft Environmental Impact Assessment (DEIA) report for the Proposed Gas to Power Powership Project at the Port of Saldanha Bay, Saldanha Local Municipality, Western Cape, South Africa. 
SAHRA previously issued a final comment for this project in May 2021 and Closed(approved) the case, however, the application for Environmental Authorisation was refused. After various stages of appeal, it has been noted that DFFE has advised that an updated EIAr, addressing the various gaps in information, and subject to a Public Participation Process (PPP), must be submitted to the Competent Authority for reconsideration. SAHRA was advised of the new process on 24th October 2022 and informed the applicant that updated documents must be uploaded onto the existing case on SAHRIS so that they can be reviewed for any changes that may impact any heritage resources. The relevant documents were uploaded onto SAHRIS on 14th November 2022. 
Having reviewed the DEIA SAHRA is pleased to note that maritime heritage has been addressed and mitigation measures have been recommended. Sections 6.2.3 and 7.5.10 make reference to maritime heritage and include measures to be undertaken during the proposed project. SAHRA supports these measures and emphasises that the recommendations set out in section 7.5.10 must be adhered to should any cultural heritage come to light. The recommendations must also be included in any EMPr produced for the project.
Should any shipwrecks be identified as part of this project then SAHRA must be notified to enable the information to be added to the national shipwreck database. Any new discoveries or updated data is a valuable resource in adding to our knowledge of South Africa’s maritime history.