Final ESR - Part 2 - Eskom

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REVISED FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL SCOPING REPORT FOR THE PROPOSED COMBINED CYCLE GAS TURBINE (CCGT) POWER PLANT IN THE AMERSFOORT AREA, MPUMALANGA PROVINCE Balancing dam. A more detailed description and assessment of proposed alignments will follow in the EIA phase, in the form of corridors, from the sources of water to the point of usage. 6.7 Alignment of Access Roads Both existing and new access roads will be used or constructed, respectively to link the proposed CCGT power plant with the existing transport network. The alignment of these access roads will be inclusive of temporary and permanent roads. Details regarding the various access road alignments or corridors are not available at this stage of the process but will be designed at a later stage and used to inform the EIA phase studies. 6.8 Construction Village A construction village will either be established or the existing mine hostel or construction village used to house workers for the construction of the Majuba Power Station could potentially be used to accommodate the construction crew. The exact positioning of the construction village is not decided at this stage but will form part of the layout to be designed. However, impacts associated with the construction village will be studied at the EIA phase. ALTERNATIVES 62 11/08/2008
REVISED FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL SCOPING REPORT FOR THE PROPOSED COMBINED CYCLE GAS TURBINE (CCGT) POWER PLANT IN THE AMERSFOORT AREA, MPUMALANGA PROVINCE 7. POTENTIAL IMPACTS ON THE BIOPHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT The proposed CCGT power station and associated infrastructure are anticipated to impact on a range of biophysical and socio-economic aspects of the environment. One of the main purposes of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process is to understand these potential impacts and to determine if they can be minimised or mitigated. The Scoping Phase describes the full range of potential impacts and then proposes, based on a clear motivation, which impacts should be considered in detail in the EIA Phase, and which should be scoped out at this stage. Those scoped out at this stage are addressed at Environmental Management Plan stage to ensure that their mitigation is captured at project implementation. 7.1 CONSTRUCTION PHASE IMPACTS These are impacts on the bio-physical and socio-economic environment that would occur during the construction phase of the proposed project. They are inherently temporary in duration, but may have longer lasting effects e.g. pollution of a wetland during construction could have effects that may last long after construction is over. Construction phase impacts could potentially include: • Disturbance of flora and fauna; • Impacts on water resources; • Increase in traffic volumes in the vicinity of the construction site; • Windblown dust; • Noise pollution; and • Litter/ waste pollution. Based on the temporary duration of the construction phase and the fact that negative impacts of construction can be readily predicted and mitigated, generally speaking, more attention will be given to the operational phase impacts of the proposed power station than to the construction phase impacts. However, wherever relevant, specialist studies would consider construction phase impacts, and in certain cases, would be focused on construction phase impacts e.g. impacts on terrestrial flora and fauna are mainly construction phase impacts. It should be noted that a comprehensive construction phase Environmental Management Plan (EMP) would be developed and implemented to regulate and minimise the impacts during the construction phase. 7.2 OPERATIONAL PHASE IMPACTS Given their long term nature, operational phase impacts will come under close scrutiny in the EIA Phase of this EIA. The specialist studies will identify and assess the implications of these impacts and include measures to minimise predicted impacts. The assessment of potential impacts will help to inform <strong>Eskom</strong>’s selection of preferred alternatives to be submitted to the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) for consideration and approval. In turn, DEAT’s decision on the environmental acceptability of the proposed project and the POTENTIAL IMPACTS ON THE BIOPHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT 63 11/08/2008
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