pre planning submission op05 derryduff ... - Organic Power
pre planning submission op05 derryduff ... - Organic Power
pre planning submission op05 derryduff ... - Organic Power
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
2.2.3 Positive Impacts<br />
The following environmental benefits of the area will be positively affected by the development:<br />
• Direct local income from sustainable use of the environment will increase significantly, enhancing the economic<br />
integrity and security of the area, including a minimum 1 high quality sustainable job in monitoring, and indirect job<br />
creation through management. Total permanent job creation will be equivalent of 2 full time jobs.<br />
• The facility will require the construction of access roads, a turbine hall, penstock, upper and lower<br />
reservoirs resulting in significant local economic activity during the construction period.<br />
• The project will yield investment return for local and company investors. The facility will be financed<br />
through a prudent combination of debt and equity.<br />
• Strategic energy infrastructure which will be emissions free and imported fuel independent, consistent<br />
with EU, State, and County policy will be commissioned, enhancing the future energy security of the<br />
community.<br />
• The catchment of the Derryduff stream will be increased by placing catching drains along the edge of<br />
the access road to the upper reservoir. This will enhance the productivity of the watershed to the extent<br />
that micro-hydro scheme proposed on the stream by the Unicorn Foundation becomes more viable. The<br />
available penstock head for this micro-hydro scheme will also be increased as a result of the re-routing of<br />
the stream bed around the lower reservoir. (Note: this stream has no fish life, due to its current ephemeral<br />
nature which is caused by low catchment area)<br />
2.2.4 Negative Impacts<br />
The following environmental benefits of the area may be potentially negatively affected by the development:<br />
• The local visual impact is expected to be minimal. Some visibility of the lower reservoir may be<br />
observable from the vicinity of Lough Atooreen on the mountain road from Dromduff to Maugha road in<br />
Tooreen townland. Otherwise visual impacts will be restricted to the outer bank of the upper reservoir<br />
and the exposed sections of the penstock.<br />
• The current use of the proposed site (approximately 30 acres) for grazing sheep will be lost of the site is developed.<br />
• The existing blanket peat in the areas of the two reservoirs will be removed.<br />
• The water supply to the Derryduff farm community and Unicorn Foundation is sourced on the mountain<br />
from surface runoff. During construction of the upper reservoir and its access road, potential contamination of<br />
this water supply could arise from soil and rock disturbance. This will be mitigated by the installation of a<br />
sand & gravel filtering beds on the water supply, to be installed prior to the commencement of works at<br />
higher elevation than the water supply intake.<br />
As is evident from the above list of impacts arising, the benefits that would be foregone in a do-nothing scenario<br />
are significantly greater than the loss of benefits which would result from the development. An attempt to<br />
quantify the economic costs and benefits on an annual basis is given below.<br />
Annual National Economic Cost-Benefit Proposed PUMPED HYDRO ELECTRIC STORAGE SCHEME.<br />
Item Cost Benefit<br />
National Fuel import costs avoided (60,000 barrels year @€75/barrel, based on gas power) 0<br />
4,500,000<br />
National Carbon Payments avoided €20 x 36,000 tonnes 0 720,000<br />
Lost sheep grazing (1 sheep/2ha, 12.5ha lost, sheep @70) 400<br />
National Economic Totals 400 5,220,000<br />
• The net national economic benefits over 50 years will be in the order of €260,000,000.<br />
• A Do-nothing scenario would result in the avoidance of potential savings on the national obligation to<br />
purchase fuel and carbon emissions rights worth over €0.26 billion, over fifty years.<br />
• The proposed development does not have nor will have any detrimental permanent environmental<br />
impacts on the area or surroundings, if properly designed, and operated.<br />
• There are no environmental benefits from a do-nothing scenario.<br />
• In conclusion, a do-nothing scenario should not apply in this case. This is the century where the whole<br />
world is starting to take corrective action against anthropogenic climate change, and to start developing<br />
towards a sustainable future. In this new world paradigm, the generation of electricity, a commodity that<br />
everybody enjoys and nobody wants to give up, will largely come from low carbon renewable energy.<br />
The proposed project will provide a portion of that future energy requirement.<br />
2.3 Construction<br />
2.3.1 Public Road Access / Coomhola Bridge/ Ford<br />
There are two access alternatives to cross over the Coomhola River from the main Coomhola- Borlin road, which<br />
are currently under evaluation:<br />
• Via Derryduff bridge - widen existing bridge, and widen road to Derryduff farm from bridge<br />
• Improve private existing ford access to Derryduff farm from Rangaroe, upstream (~1km) of bridge<br />
2.3.2 Site Compound, Temporary Site Offices<br />
At the initial stages of construction, the proposed area for the site offices and compound will be stripped of<br />
topsoil and this will be banked around the area. Teram geotextile will be placed on the subsoil to stop the<br />
particles boiling up through the two layers of compacted clause 804. Included in the compound will be parking<br />
for fifteen cars/vans, bunded diesel storage to 110% of the largest tank and a concrete area with gull to a grease<br />
trap and silt trap to catch spills and sediment. A perimeter hoarding 2.4m high, will be constructed and painted<br />
green to match the existing surroundings of trees and green area.<br />
Temporary site structures will consist of ten port-cabins and six small lockable steel shipping containers for small<br />
plant and hand held tool storage, and personel protective equipment (PPE) storage. One of the port-cabins will<br />
be for the subcontractors that are expected during the construction period, and the other will be a larger one for<br />
canteen and meeting room. A toilet unit will also be provided and regularly maintained and content disposed of<br />
by a registered waste management company. The waste management will also provide a number of skips/ large<br />
bins for recyclables and non recyclable materials that will be generated on site and within the compound.<br />
2.3.3 Access Roads<br />
The following sequence of on site road construction will be required<br />
• Improve road from ford to Derryduff forestry road entrance (if using ford for access)<br />
• Improve existing forestry road<br />
• Build new road to access powerhouse/lower lake<br />
• Build new road to reach top lake<br />
• Roads on dam crest<br />
• Ramps onto crest and ramp down to reservoir bed<br />
Access roads into and within the site will range from 4.5m to 6m width and will be laid using 500mm of 50mm<br />
aggregate down. Some sections of this road will be finished with tarmacadam. Stone will be obtained from<br />
quarrying stone during lake excavation, and no imported stone will be required.<br />
2.3.4 Structures.<br />
The proposed project is a large civil engineering project, involving heavy structures to contain the forces of<br />
standing and contained flowing water, in addition to the pump turbine. All structures will be designed by one of<br />
the leading structural engineering practices in the country, Niall Fitzsimons and Company, Consulting Civil and<br />
Structural Engineers. The structures required are described below. Detailed foundation design will be carried out<br />
by, post obtaining <strong>planning</strong> permission.<br />
Peat Storage<br />
Two peat storage structures will be placed on site. The structural integrity of these stockpiles will be provided<br />
by bunding structures and the gravtitational integrity of the peat which will improve with time as the moisture<br />
content reduces. The stockpiles will be sealed by smoothing to allow <strong>pre</strong>cipitation to be shed from their surface.<br />
Gravity Dams For Reservoirs<br />
Dams will be constructed using excavated stone placed on appropriately designed rock benches. As the name<br />
infers, the force of gravity is used to provide structural integrity.<br />
Reservoirs<br />
The reservoirs will be constructed on the existing bedrock, and foundations will be blasted partly into the rock.<br />
A porous drainage layer will lie on top of the bedrock to allow for the cotrol of groundwater seepage. This is<br />
overlaid by an impermeable flexible composite of bituminised concrete and bitumen. The leakage tolerance of<br />
the reservoirs will be 5 l/s each from an economic point of view. Nevertheless, the performance of modern state<br />
of the art sealings are better than 1 l/s.<br />
13