In Mozambique, several environmental organizations in Maputo province are demanding an in-depth environmental impact study of the Karpower platform, a Turkish company, which is going to produce 415 megawatts of energy. Environmentalists and businessmen in the salt sector don't take kindly to the project because they believe it could have a "profound" impact on the environment.

Environmentalists fear greater damage from the future installation of a floating platform, in 2023, in the bays of Matola, the provincial capital of Maputo, and Maputo, which will produce energy and natural gas.

Salt production companies also disagree with the implementation of the project by the Turkish company Karpower. They fear an increase in pollution, the deterioration of marine life, noise pollution, high greenhouse gas emissions and the danger of fuel oil spills.

The director of the salt company Afrisal, which is also a representative of Biofund, Djamila Posmam, suspects that the polluting waste dumping zone covers a radius of 3km and affects several companies, including her own.

"I don't understand how such a short area is considered. Why isn't the estuary considered... I don't see anywhere the proposal to carry out a study called the study of the distribution radius of polluted water, the study of how atmospheric pollutants disperse. My understanding is that only with this study is it possible to determine the impact zone."

Júlio Amade, a representative of the environmental organization Centro Terra Viva, was concerned about the lack of plans to consult fishermen and small farmers in areas where environmental damage is expected.

"These consultation plans included some fishermen, but we still need to know if there is a plan to reduce the impact, how many communities or community councils were consulted and how this can be safeguarded," he said.

The representative of the Port of Maputo, Jerónimo Tamele, who may also be affected by the project in terms of pollution, asked where the sediments from the platform dredged in the area would be dumped.

"And also in the dredging process we need to realize that there are some impacts that will arise from the movement of these sediments. If they are in that area at the moment and how they will be monitored, in terms of monitoring the impacts of this dredging."

That is why they are calling for an in-depth study of the environmental impact of Karpower's floating thermoelectric power plant project, which has a partnership with the state-owned company Electricidade de Moçambique.

Jonh Hatton, a specialist in environmental studies at the environmental company Impato, which is carrying out the studies, confirmed that in a preliminary assessment the project could cause environmental damage.

"We haven't done the environmental impact study yet. One of the aims of the preliminary study is to provisionally identify the potential environmental and socio-economic impacts."

Mozambique Electricity, which is working in partnership with Karpower, says the company's representative, Rute Rangeiro, that a similar project is proving successful in Nacala, northern Mozambique.

"And since we've been there we haven't had any complaints in terms of environmental situations and this relationship we have with Karpower in 2016 and it's been doing fuel transshipments every month and studies are carried out, environmental audits by an international company." (DW)