Eskom responded by pointing out that there were no externality studies conducted to assess the impact of its power stations on the environment and human health. The organisation pointed to its multibillion rand solar power plant in the Northern Cape Province, as a viable initiative for dealing with its heavy dependency on coal in other parts of the country, and the associated particulate matter. Eskom affirmed that it would not altogether deal with the issue of particulate matter even if all of its older generation power stations were retrofitted. It further indicated that 2.5 million houses were electrified in the past 10 years, of which 2 500 houses took place in rural areas and 1 500 connections were done in the previous year alone. It had no data on the number of people who were disconnected due to increasing lack of affordability and did not answer the question relating to its power stations that had exceeded their lifespans.