CER application to be admitted as amicus curiae in the City of Cape Town v NERSA and Minister of Energy (case no: 51765/2017)
The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) is seeking to be admitted as amicus curiae (a friend of the court) in the application brought by the City of Cape Town against the National Energy Regulator (NERSA) and the Minister of Energy, which is focused on the question of whether municipalities have the power – legally – to procure electricity generation capacity in the absence of a determination from the Minister of Energy. The Constitutional obligations of local government to provide services are a central focus of the case.
The CER’s application seeks to highlight, and bring to the attention of the Court, the Constitutional obligations of local government to protect the environment, including people’s health and wellbeing. Not only does local government have a duty to provide affordable and accessible electricity services to people, but it also has a duty to provide clean and healthy electricity, which does not give rise to harmful air and water pollution or climate change.
The City of Cape Town’s plans to procure renewable energy capacity would be aligned with these Constitutional obligations, as local government has a vital role to play in decarbonising and transitioning the electricity sector from harmful fossil fuel-based electricity capacity to renewable (solar and wind) capacity.
Court Documents
- Notice of Motion and Founding Affidavit
- Minister of Energy’s Answering Affidavit
- Second Respondent’s Further Affidavit (8 May 2020)
- NERSA’s Answering Affidavit
- NERSA’s Supplementary Affidavit (unsigned) and IRP 2019 Annexure (11 May 2020)
- COCT Filing Notice, Practice Note and Heads of Argument
- Minister of Energy’s Filing Notice and Heads of Argument
- NERSA Filing Notice, Practice Note and Heads of Argument
- CER Application for admission as Amicus Curiae: