Final EIAR - Aurecon AME Environmental | Environmental Projects

Proposed Wind and Solar (Photovoltaic) Energy Facilities on Kangnas Farm near Springbok in the Northern Cape: Draft EIR 77
4.3 OPERATIONAL PHASE IMPACTS ON SOCIO-ECONOMIC
ENVIRONMENT
4.3.1 Visual impacts
The landscape of the site comprises open, flat plains which are characteristic of the Nama
Karoo. Man-made additions to this are largely restricted to farm-related structures such as
fences and isolated farmsteads. Such landscapes are dominated by horizontal features and
earthy colours, and are hence susceptible to visual intrusion resulting from the construction of
industrial infrastructure such as PV facilities and wind energy facilities.
Due to the potential visual impacts of the proposed projects, an independent consultant, Mr
Steven Stead of Visual Resource Management Africa CC, was appointed to conduct a Visual
Impact assessment (VIA) of the project. This involved a field visit from 25 - 27 June 2012, the
preparation of visual montages illustrating the envisaged visual impact, and the generation of
viewsheds. The report is included in full in Annexure I and summarised below.
a) Description of the environment
The site consists largely of a vast, open and flat plain which is typical of the Nama Karoo. This
landscape is relatively iconic of the Karoo landscape and is strongly associated with South
African cultural heritage. Land use in this area consists mostly of large-scale sheep farming.
The elevation of the area ranges from 1 000 to 1 100 meters above mean sea level (mamsl),
and topographically prominent features include the Koperberg mountain range to the east of the
site (elevation 1 016 to 1 205 mamsl) and hills approximately 20 km to the west. Visibility is
generally high across the plains and may exceed 24 km.
The scenery present at these sites is common in the area, and as such the overall scarcity of
this landscape is rated as low. Modifications to the landscape are dominated by fences and
farm tracks, which are minor in nature. The overall scenic quality of the site is moderate to low.
a) Impact assessment
Wind Energy Facility Potential Impacts
The degree to which the proposed project would be visible is determined largely by the height of
the turbines and rotors. Visibility is moderated by the distance over which this would be seen,
the weather and season conditions and some back-grounding effect from the environment.
Factors affecting visibility are the open quality of the site and the surrounding land uses and
land cover, which promote high visibility.
© Aurecon (2012) No unauthorised reproduction, copy
or adaptation, in whole or in part, may be made.
P:\Projects\108495 Kangnas WEF & PV EIA's\3 Project Delivery\4 Reports\FEIR\FEIR 210213 Final.doc