Eskom's presentation focused on the organisation's response to minimum emission standards, highlighting its emission reduction achievements; emission reduction plan; retrofit schedule; technology options for reducing particulate matter and nitrogen and sulphur oxides; full compliance vs postponement application; compliance before and after retrofits; health impacts of its operations; and also made reference to Eskom's Household Emission Offset Pilot Study. Eskom indicated that it had a comprehensive framework and plan to execute emission reductions, and appeared optimistic, in this instance. However, notwithstanding the organisation's optimism, the presentation raised many questions from the members of the Committee and also from members of the civil society organisations. For example, Hon Ms Terri Stander asked whether Eskom had done an externality study to determine the potential impact of its operations on the natural environment and human health, particularly in pollution hotspots. Eskom was also asked to clarify how it aimed to address emissions that pose serious human health problems, particularly particulate matter. There were further concerns that the poor and the vulnerable had no access to electricity, but they continued to bear the social costs of electricity generation. A member of civil society specifically wanted to know whether Eskom had the statistics of those poor households, which were previously connected, but had come off the grid due to their inability to afford increasingly expensive electricity tariffs. Concerns were also raised about the fate of power stations that had exceeded their lifespan, and the lack of transparency and access to Eskom's pollution reduction plans.