Proposed Waaihoek Wind Energy Facility, Utrecht, Kwa-Zulu Natal

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Proposed Waaihoek Wind Energy Facility, Utrecht, Kwa-Zulu Natal Scoping Report – June 2014 PROPOSED WAAIHOEK WIND ENERGY FACILITY, UTRECHT, KWA-ZULU NATAL DEA References: 14/12/16/3/3/2/655 SCOPING REPORT Prepared for: 4th Floor, Mariendahl House Newlands on Main Corner Main and Campground Roads Claremont, 7708 Cape Town 021 657 4045 www.mainstreamrp.com Prepared by: Coastal & Environmental Services EAST LONDON 16 Tyrell Road, Berea East London, 5201 043 726 7809 Also in Grahamstown, Port Elizabeth, Cape Town, Johannesburg and Maputo (Mozambique) www.cesnet.co.za June 2014 Coastal & Environmental Services i Waaihoek Wind Energy Facility Scoping Report – June 2014 COPYRIGHT INFORMATION This document contains intellectual property and propriety information that is protected by copyright in favour of Coastal & Environmental Services and the specialist consultants. The document may therefore not be reproduced, used or distributed to any third party without the prior written consent of Coastal & Environmental Services. This document is prepared exclusively for submission to Mainstream Renewable Power Developments (Pty) Ltd, and is subject to all confidentiality, copyright and trade secrets, rules intellectual property law and practices of South Africa. Coastal & Environmental Services ii Waaihoek Wind Energy Facility Scoping Report – June 2014 This Report should be cited as follows: Coastal & Environmental Services, June 2014: Proposed Waaihoek Wind Energy Facility, Scoping Report, CES, East London. REVISIONS TRACKING TABLE CES Report Revision and Tracking Schedule Document Title Proposed Waaihoek Wind Energy Facility, Emadlangeni Local Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal Province Client Name & South Africa Mainstream Renewable Power Developments Address (Pty) Ltd. PO Box 45063, Claremont, 7735 Document Reference DEA Ref: 14/12/16/3/3/2/655 Status Final Issue Date June 2014 Lead Author G Hawley CES East London Reviewer A Carter CES East London Study Leader or Registered Environmental Assessment Practitioner Approval Report Distribution Circulated to No. of hard No. electronic copies copies Department of Environmental 2 2 Affairs This document has been prepared in accordance with the scope of Coastal & Environmental Services (CES) appointment and contains intellectual property and proprietary information that is protected by copyright in favour of CES. The document may therefore not be reproduced, used or distributed to any third party without the prior written consent of Coastal & Environmental Services. This document is prepared exclusively for use by CES’s client. CES accepts no liability for Coastal& Environmental Services any use of this document other than by its client and only for East London the purposes for which it was prepared. No person other than 16 Tyrell Road the client may copy (in whole or in part) use or rely on the East London contents of this document, without the prior written permission 5214 of CES. The document is subject to all confidentiality, +27 43 726 8313 copyright and trade secrets rules, intellectual property law and [email protected] practices of South Africa. www.cesnet.co.za Also in Grahamstown, Port Elizabeth, Cape Town Johannesburg and Maputo Coastal & Environmental Services i Waaihoek Wind Energy Facility Scoping Report – June 2014 THE PROJECT TEAM Coastal & Environmental Services team and responsibilities Dr Alan Carter, Project Leader Dr Greer Hawley, Project management, Vegetation specialist Mr Roy de Kock, Project management, Agricultural & Visual specialist Dr Cherie-Lynn Mack, Stakeholder engagement Ms Louise Bryson, Wetland & Hydrological Impact Assessment and Report production Ms Caroline Evans, Report writing Additional sub-consultant team members and responsibilities Mr Gavin Anderson, Umlando: Archaeological, Tourism and Resource Management. Heritage (History and Archaeological) Impact Assessment Mr Gideon Groenewald: Paleontological Impact Assessment Mr Chris van Rooyen, Chris van Rooyen Consulting: Avi-faunal Monitoring and Impact Assessment Mr Werner Marais, Anamalia Zoological & Ecological Consultation CC: Bat Monitoring and Impact Assessment Mr Brett Williams, Safetech: Noise Impact Assessment Coastal & Environmental Services ii Waaihoek Wind Energy Facility Scoping Report – June 2014 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background to the study .................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Environmental authorisation in South Africa .................................................................... 1 1.3 Environmental Impact Assessment Process .................................................................... 1 1.4 Scoping Phase ................................................................................................................ 5 1.5 Nature and Structure of this Report ................................................................................. 5 1.6 Assumptions and Limitations ........................................................................................... 5 1.7 Details and Expertise of the Environmental Assessment Practitioner .............................. 5 2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION ...................................................................................................... 9 2.1 Project Locality ................................................................................................................ 9 2.1.1 Wind energy facility (WEF) – Ref. No.: 14/12/16/3/3/2/655 .......................................... 9 2.1.2 Powerline - Ref. No.: 14/12/16/3/3/2/654 ................................................................... 11 2.2 Proposed Activity ........................................................................................................... 13 2.2.1 Wind Energy Facility .................................................................................................. 13 2.2.2 Powerline ................................................................................................................... 15 2.2.3 Substation ................................................................................................................. 16 2.2.4 Access roads ............................................................................................................. 16 2.2.5 Additional infrastructure ............................................................................................. 18 2.3 The development phases of a wind farm ....................................................................... 18 2.3.1 Preliminary civil works ............................................................................................... 18 2.3.2 Construction .............................................................................................................. 18 2.3.3 Electrical connection .................................................................................................. 21 2.3.4 Operational phase ..................................................................................................... 21 2.3.5 Decommissioning of the Wind farm ........................................................................... 21 3 PROJECT NEED & DESIRABILITY ..................................................................................... 22 3.1 International ................................................................................................................... 22 3.1.1 The 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) .... 22 3.1.2 The Kyoto Protocol (2002) ......................................................................................... 22 3.2 National ......................................................................................................................... 23 3.2.1 National Development Plan (2011) ............................................................................ 23 3.2.2 National Climate Change Response White Paper (2012)........................................... 23 3.2.3 White Paper on Renewable Energy Policy (2003) ..................................................... 24 3.2.4 Integrated Energy Plan for the Republic of South Africa (2003) ................................. 24 3.2.5 Integrated Resource Plan for Electricity 2010-2030 ................................................... 24 3.2.6 Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) ............................................................................................................................ 25 3.2.7 Long Term Mitigation Scenarios (2007) ..................................................................... 26 3.2.8 Industrial Policy Action Plan 2011/12 – 2013/14 ........................................................ 27 3.2.9 Strategic Infrastructure Projects (2012) ...................................................................... 27 3.3 Provincial ....................................................................................................................... 28 3.3.1 Feasibility of a Renewable/Alternate Energy Cluster in KwaZulu-Natal (2007) ........... 28 3.3.2 Overview and Analysis of Alternative and Renewable Energy Sources as Applicable to KwaZulu-Natal (2007) ........................................................................................................... 28 4 ALTERNATIVES ................................................................................................................... 29 4.1 Reasonable
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