Reflection: The Small Matter of the Gas Turbine

Photo by Alessandro Bianchi on Unsplash

A small matter tested my judgment recently, from the perspective of a climate/environmental attorney in the global south. The choice was whether to insist on full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) compliance and give the government an excuse to stall (as it seems to be the custom) a gas turbine project — or to allow it and risk future harm to the community and to environmental governance. Ever-present trade-offs. I hope I chose right.

Generally, beyond the EIA demands, I think the government could make better choices, in terms of the type of power generator (its environmental friendliness), its capacity and distributive reach (how many people it will serve and the tariff rates) .

No doubt.

So, of course, the dilemma would not arise if politicians were known to be responsible with the commonwealth or could be trusted to deliver on projects; I have come to learn that, often, they campaign in poetry but govern in theatre. But that’s a digression from this reflection.

The potential gains were clear: a considerable addition of wattage to the grid, improved power reliability for local industries, and jobs, however few, for the community. For a region long starved of these, delay felt costly.