430 MW combined cycle power plant National Infrastructure Plan #34 Environmental Impact Assessment Including response to requirements of completions, November 2012 "And upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around…." Ezekiel 1:27 EIA for National Infrastructures Plan 34 – IPM Power Plant – November 2012 Conducted and Edited by AdaMa – Environmental and Geological Sciences About the project - National Infrastructure Plan No. 43 ("The plan") designates land and determines building instructions for the construction of a power plant with a capacity of about 430 MW. The power plant ("The plant") will be fuel burned by natural gas. Initiating the station and declaring it as a national infrastructure is the result of the Ministry of National Infrastructure and The Ministry of Environmental Protection Policy. According to the Ministry of Infrastructure's policy, 20% of production capacity in the country will be from power plants owned by private producers, which will be duly licensed by the state. According to the Ministry of Environment Policy, power plant will be located in areas designated for industry. The first version of the EIA was submitted in September 2011. The EIA submitted in January 2012 contains additions required by the environmental consultant of the National Infrastructure Committee. The current version is submitted after completing the conditions for deposit as provided by the permit of the environmental consultant of the National Infrastructure Committee. The proposed station is on a lot the size of approximately 60 "dunam" (unit for measuring land area, about 1/4 acre) in the Beer Tuvia industrial zone, tangent to road 40. The lot is situated near industrial area factories manufacturing metals, food and prefabricated construction elements. The plant is fed by a natural gas pipeline at a pressure of 80 bars. The plot is located within 6 Km to the east of the valve station "Tzafit" in aerial line. The energy will be produced using a gas turbine and steam turbine in a combined cycle technology. This technology uses the hot exhaust gases to create more electricity using steam from residual heat without the need in addition of fuel. The technology allows high efficiency in relation to the burning of fuels and greenhouse gas emissions. The station can work on dual fuel and can be operated using diesel if for any reason the gas flow might cease. According to the Electricity Authority guidelines an amount of diesel fuel that allows 100 hours of power generation, emergency backup, will be stored on site. The decision requiring emergency diesel operation is done by the certified authorities of the state. Due to the high cost of diesel power, use of this option is not expected to be made, but in the most exceptional cases. However, the plant is designed to meet all environmental standards also while running on diesel. Such a plant is planned by the manufacturer to work a maximum volume of approximately 8200 hours a year and accordingly the planning and forecasting done in this EIA. The Israel Electric administrator, that is responsible for regulating electricity generation, can choose to run the station in an extended operating regime (Base Load) including hours of minimum electricity consumption. However, the system administrator can also operate the plant only in the shoulder and peak hours, in an estimated volume of approximately 4500 hours per year. The plant is designated to have one smokestack in the height of between 40 to 50 meters and an air cooling system ("dry cooling"). This facility is highly economical in required water compared to wet cooling of such a plant. In the EIA for National Infrastructures Plan 34 – IPM Power Plant – November 2012 Conducted and Edited by AdaMa – Environmental and Geological Sciences southern part of the plant's plot a switching yard is planned which function is suitable transformation required for voltage transmission. Energy transfer will be done with a 400 KV, overhead line in a length of about 2 km, which will be connected to the national transmitting line "Rotenberg - Tzaffit" passing south of the station directed east -west. Next to the national line a remote switching yard may be established upon setting another power plant in the area and in accordance with transmitting availability considerations of the IEC. It should be noted that while this EIA is submitted for the Planning & Building of a power plant, another survey is submitted to the National Infrastructure Committee that deals with electricity transportation, by the Israeli electricity company - IEC. Alternatives examined during the planning - Before deciding on the station's location in the industrial area of Beer Tuvia, analysis reports were made by two government offices for locating suitable location for power plants. The Ministry of Environmental Protection report done on 4/2003 dealt with locating potential areas for the establishment of power stations its main aspect was air quality. And the work done by the Ministry of National Infrastructures in 2005 dealt in locating possible places from the perspective of the ground potential. Among the sites examined, it was found by the Ministry of Environment that three natural gas power plants (combined cycle) or one diesel power plant can be established in Kiryat Malachi area. During the examination of alternatives, the sites mentioned by the government offices were examined in the light of the following criteria: Proximity to existing natural gas and electricity lines, capacity of air pollution, and the compatibility to national planning policy that seeks to promote power plants in industrial areas. On the basis of these criteria the sites in Beer Tuvia and Kiryat Gat were selected. Availability of land tipped the balance between the two in favor of the proposed site for this plan. During the planning period a number of alternatives were raised by the local authority, these were examined externally and added to the EIA guidelines and are presented in the Appendix, the alternatives supplements have not changed the outcome of the selection of the preferred alternative. Within the alternatives analysis framework several natural gas transmission routes to the plant were examined, and the route that was selected passes in agricultural areas and connects to the station from the south, the corridor between the settlements Timorim and Avigdor. In the supplementary report stage the planners were directed by the Gas Authority to reduce the length of the gas pipeline parallel to high voltage lines, to meet this directive the route was diverted east at the end of the line. As derived by the guidelines to the surveys, technological alternatives to the proposed configuration and alternatives to transmission energy line to the national network were presented. The evaluation of transmission line survey is a complementary document and prepared by the IEC. EIA for National Infrastructures Plan 34 – IPM Power Plant – November 2012 Conducted and Edited by AdaMa – Environmental and Geological Sciences Main environmental aspects examined in the EIA and its findings: Station operating risks - this topic has been treated in full detail in the EIA. The EIA guidelines required testing of four deterministic scenarios for natural gas and eight types of events to calculate the cumulative probability from the pressure reducing and metric station (PRMS). For the scenario of a tear in the natural gas pipeline and ignition of gas in the power plant the risk range of 35 meters was calculated. For a pipe tear scenario with an underground explosion of a gas pipeline a risk range of 25 Meters was calculated. Maximum risk radius from gas flaring scenario from an initiated gas release from the PRMS valve (vent) was calculated to be 83 meters, part of which is in part of road 40. It should be noted that the initiated release process will be and supervised and measures will be taken to ensure no ignition points are expected during the procedure. Therefore, no risk on road 40 due to such an event is expected. In accordance with safety standards, an inner radius of 29 meters is required from the vent to be left with no sources of ignition. This radius is all within the plant's borders. For the scenario of a diesel spill and fuel burning in the secondary containment system around the tank a risk radius of 67 meters was calculated. In the probabilistic calculation scenario for potential risks arising from the pressure reducing and metric station (PRMS) a probability of personal hazard was accepted, most of which occurred within the plant and the rest on the road bordering the station. There is no population in the risk range required for the calculation of public hazard. According to requirements that were raised on the request for completion of the EIA hazardous materials that are used during ongoing operation in power plants were also examined, such as materials for water treatment and cooling generator, the risk assessment carried out showed that these risks do not exceed the areas of the station. The conclusion from the risk assessments conducted for the various plant's components is that all risks radii remain in the plant border and /or in the "Blue Line". There is no prevention for the radii risk to reach the highway near the vent. Given that gas release from the vent is an initiated and planned event that allows blocking the road. Transmission pipeline that runs parallel to Highway 40 near Timorim will be deepened and will be protected beyond the standards including concrete cover on the pipe to prevent damage done by uncoordinated excavation works. EIA for National Infrastructures Plan 34 – IPM Power Plant – November 2012 Conducted and Edited by AdaMa – Environmental and Geological Sciences Risks as a result of location of the plant near neighboring factories - Much effort was put into finding data concerning the risks from neighboring factories and facilities from different information sources and from a risks survey prepared by Dr.