Ingula

The Ingula Pumped Storage project was initiated by Eskom in order to supplement the national grid with extra power during peak times. A pumped storage scheme works by allowing water to flow from a dam on the top of an escarpment to a dam at the bottom, through tunnels which contain electricity generating turbines. There was a great deal of controversy over the planned construction because of the existence of a very special bird, the White-winged flufftail in the high altitude wetlands close to Van Reenen's pass on the border of the Free State and Kwa Zulu-Natal.

Originally when the scheme was proposed, BirdLife South Africa objected to it because it was feared that the White-winged flufftail habitat would be lost. However, in negotiations with Eskom it quickly became clear that the environment would stand to gain more if Eskom and BirdLife South Africa were to work together on the environmental aspects of the project.

The record of decision on the environmental impact assessment granting approval for the project to go ahead was also unusual in that it had some innovative conditions attached to it. These were that:

• Eskom was to enter into a partnership agreement with a conservation NGO to ensure that the impacts were properly managed.
• The land obtained for the project be turned into a reserve on completion.
• All the erosion problems on the land were to be re-habilitated.
• All exotic fauna and flora be removed.

A project manager is now working permanently on the site. he is David Maphisa (a Rudd's Lark specialist) and a committee was established to monitor and minimise the environmental impacts throughout the project. This committee includes BirdLife South Africa, Eskom and governmental conservation organisations and is overseen by a steering committee at senior level representing Eskom, BirdLife South Africa and the Middelpunt wetland trust.

Through David Maphisa's monitoring work BirdLife South Africa discovered on the site some very interesting endemic bird species such as Rudd's lark, Yellowbreasted Pipit and all three of our South African crane species.

BirdLife South Africa is also working towards some legal environmental protection for the site which contains wonderful habitat consisting of escarpment forest, high altitude wetlands and some spectacular grassland. For more information on the project click here