About 12 people attended the meeting last week, but only two or three of them live in Kuisebmond, and none in the area that will be directly affected by the project.

The diesel-powered 50-megawatt plant will be built next to the existing Paratus Power Station on the southwestern end of Kuisebmond's Seapoint location.

Asked about the poor turnout, Marie Hoadley of Ninham Shand Consulting Services (NSCS) said the meeting had been advertised but it appeared local people were just not interested.

"The main concern of those living here is whether there is work and a chance to earn an income.

Environmental issues are secondary.

We are satisfied that we got key stakeholders here," she said.

NamPower wants the project up and running as quickly as possible because of a looming power shortage at the coast and countrywide.

For this reason, it wants a waiver allowing it to go ahead without an Environmental Impact Assessment.

If the waiver is granted by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, the new station could be commissioned by next winter, says NamPower's Reiner Jagau, General Manager: Power System Development.

Jagau said the current 24 MW diesel station would be used as a back-up for the new 50 MW station.

The new station would be used during periods of peak electricity usage, especially when supply from South Africa is limited.

He said the new facility would be much cleaner and quieter than the existing station because of modern technology.

It would also be more fuel efficient, using 8 400 litres of diesel to generate 50 MW compared to the nearly 7 000 litres needed to run the current plant to generate 24 MW.

According to NSCS environmental associate Brett Lawson, the waiver option is possible because the development would be on land already zoned for industrial development, and mainly because it would be an extension of the existing power station.

"The exemption will not be a total disregard of environmental impacts", he said.

"There would be specialist studies done for possible noise and air pollution, which are big concerns.

The finding will also be crucial to the waiver application."

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