(IEE) Installation of Wind Turbines, Crater Hill, Mcmu

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Antarctica New Zealand Initial Environmental Evaluation (IEE)

Installation of Wind Turbines, Crater Hill, McMurdo Sound

Computer generated image of wind turbines at Crater Hill from sea ice in front of Scott Base. (Meridian Energy)

April 2008

Contents

1. NON‐TECHNICAL SUMMARY 8

2. INTRODUCTION 11

2.1 PROJECT JUSTIFICATION 11 2.2 THE IEE PROCESS 13

3. DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED ACTIVITIES 14

3.1 PURPOSE AND NEED 14 3.2 LOCATION 16 3.3 DURATION 17 3.4 NATURE AND INTENSITY OF PROPOSED ACTIVITY 19 3.5 ALTERNATIVES 29

4. DESCRIPTION OF INITIAL ENVIRONMENTAL STATE 32

4.1 METEOROLOGY 32 4.2 TEMPERATURES 34 4.3 TERRESTRIAL ENVIRONMENT 34 4.4 BIOTA 38 4.5 HISTORY OF HUMAN ACTIVITIES 39 4.6 ASPA OR OTHER VALUES 39

5. ASSESSMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS 41

5.1 METHODOLOGY AND DATA SOURCES 41 5.2 ASSESSMENT OF THE DIRECT IMPACTS OF THE PROPOSED ACTIVITY ON THE ENVIRONMENT 45 5.3 INDIRECT IMPACTS OF THE PROPOSED ACTIVITY 55 5.4 CUMULATIVE IMPACTS 58

6. MITIGATION OF IMPACTS AND MONITORING 62

6.1 CONTROL MEASURES TO MINIMISE IMPACTS 62 6.2 IMPACT MONITORING, AUDITING AND REPORTING 64

7. GAPS IN KNOWLEDGE AND UNCERTAINTIES 66

8. REMEDIATION 67

9. CONCLUSIONS 68

10. REFERENCES 69

11. APPENDICES 71

List of Tables

Table 1. Wind Energy Targets for combined McMurdo Station/Scott Base System.

Table 2. Proposed Turbine Locations

Table 3. Proposed Crater Hill Project Timeline

Table 4. Enercon E33 Technical Data

Table 5. Other wind turbines considered and reasons for not being chosen.

Table 6. Definitions of impact significance

Table 7. Impact assessment criteria (Source: Oerter, 2000)

Table 8. Nature, extent, duration and intensity of impacts from physical disturbance to the terrestrial environment including probability and mitigation measures.

Table 9. Nature, extent, duration and intensity of impacts of activity on the air environment, including probability and mitigation measures.

Table 10. Nature, extent, duration and intensity of impacts of the activity causing disturbance to flora and fauna. Also shows probability and mitigation measures.

Table 11. Nature, extent, duration and intensity of impacts of activity on aesthetic and wilderness values, including probability and mitigation measures.

Table 12. Nature, extent, duration and intensity of indirect impacts, including probability and mitigation measures.

Table 13. Nature, extent, duration and intensity of cumulative impacts, including probability and mitigation measures.

List of Figures

Figure 1. Graph showing reduction in energy consumption relative to the size of the base. 06/07 data shows that energy consumption was similar to the year before indicating that new initiatives are needed to further reduce energy consumption on base.

Figure 2. Map of Crater Hill location.

Figure 3. Enercon E33 Turbine to be installed at Crater Hill.

Figure 4. Site layout for Crater Hill wind farm.

Figure 5. Proposed cable route between Crater Hill and Scott Base (red).

Figure 6. Foundation design: Blue components are steel. Base of turbine tower bolts to the circular ring on top. Grey components are precast concrete, secured to ground by anchor rods.

Figure 7. Wind Rose for proposed Crater Hill wind turbine site (2005‐07)

Figure 8. Mean and maximum wind speeds at Crater Hill (2006)

Figure 9. Mean Air Temperatures for Scott Base (1957‐2007) and Arrival Heights (1999‐2000) (NIWA).

Figure 10. Last date in which sand‐wedge polygons could be identified.

Figure 11. Areas that can be identified as heavily disturbed in 1993 (Texas A&M University and the University of Texas at Austin)

Figure 12. Windrows from scraping of the ground at the proposed site. Patterned ground in the distance. (Photo: Jana Newman, 2007).

Figure 13. Clear ground disturbance at proposed wind turbine site on Carter Hill (Huston, 2007).

Figure 14. Track marks on disused road around the side of the turbine site. Warratah to mark the site of the second turbine visible in the background (Huston, 2007).

Figure 15. Map showing the Arrival Heights ASPA 122, and Hut Point which is the location of Scott’s historic hut ASPA 158. The wind turbine site is located just south of the top of Crater Hill (see Figure 2 for location).

Figure 16. Computer generated image of the wind turbines from the sea ice in front of Scott Base (Meridian Energy).

List of Acronyms

ATCM Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting ATCPs Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties AWS Automatic Weather Station CEE Comprehensive Environmental Evaluation CEP Committee for Environmental Protection COMNAP Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programmes EIA Environmental Impact Assessment EMI Electro‐Magnetic Interference IEE Initial Environmental Evaluation NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration NSF National Science Foundation TAE Trans‐ Antarctic Expedition

1. NonTechnical Summary

This Antarctica New Zealand Initial Environmental Evaluation (IEE) assesses the environmental impact of the proposed installation of three wind turbines at Crater Hill, Ross Island, Antarctica. This IEE will be made publically available on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and the Antarctic Treaty websites.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED ACTIVITY

Antarctica New Zealand in partnership with the National Science Foundation (NSF) propose to establish a three‐turbine wind farm on Crater Hill, Ross Island. The wind farm will run year round. The energy produced by the wind farm will be reticulated back to Scott Base and McMurdo Station. Wind energy on Ross Island is a feasible, environmentally friendly proposition and the proposed activity as descried in this IEE is expected to reduce power plant fuel usage at Scott Base and McMurdo Station by approximately 11%.

PURPOSE AND NEED

Antarctica New Zealand is committed to improving protection of intrinsic environmental values through active and responsible environmental stewardship. A reduction in greenhouse gases is in line with the New Zealand Government’s drive on sustainability and reductions in greenhouse emissions. Antarctica New Zealand is committed to the New Zealand Government’s (Ministry for the Environment) “Sustainable Government programme (Govt3)”. Specifically, the outcomes Antarctica New Zealand seeks to contribute in the medium term are:

• Promoting a culture of environmental awareness and environmental best practice in all our activities; • Aiming to run Scott Base as a leading environmentally sustainable small research base in Antarctica; and • Using more renewable energy, reducing the amount of energy and materials we use and reducing or recycling more waste.

The proposed wind turbine activity will contribute to achieving the outcomes listed above as well as contributing to the joint New Zealand/United States’ logistics pool.

The installation and use of wind turbines at Crater Hill will reduce fuel consumption and therefore greenhouse gas emissions, reduce environmental risk of spills through less handling of fuel, and reduce the cost of power generation in the long term.

ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT

Initial investigations into the feasibility of the proposed Crater Hill wind turbine activity were conducted under preliminary evaluations. These included the installation of a wind monitoring tower at Crater Hill in March 2005 (still operational), geotechnical investigations and anchor system testing.

Internal discussions held about the appropriate level of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the wind turbine project revealed a number of factors which have determined an IEE as the appropriate level of assessment:

1. Close proximity to both stations, and only 450m from existing T‐site facility;

2. Already existing road for most of the route to Crater Hill site;

3. Cables will largely follow existing cable route from Scott Base to Crater Hill site;

4. Existing McMurdo electrical distribution system;

5. Extensively altered site;

6. Low ecological value at site; and

7. Maximum separation from nearby sites of scientific interest.

When considered together it appears likely that the impacts of the proposed activity will be no more than minor or transitory. It was therefore decided that the IEE level was the appropriate level of EIA for this project.

There is potential that the wind farm project may expand to nearby areas at a later date dependent upon success of this first project. It is possible that any expansion would necessitate a Comprehensive Environmental Evaluation (CEE) for submission to the Committee for Environmental Protection/Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (CEP/ATCM).

IMPACT MITIGATION AND MONITORING

Careful planning of operating procedures, including a number of mitigation measures will be put in place to minimise potential impacts. Storage and handling of equipment and supplies ‐ especially fuel, ground disturbance, and waste management, will be carried out in ways that minimise impacts. Mitigation and control measures as described in Sections 5 and 6 will be implemented prior to the start of the project.

CONCLUSION

Overall the IEE predicts that probable environmental impacts of the proposed activity will be no more than minor or transitory. This level of impact is considered acceptable given the significant environmental advantages the development of this wind farm will have both globally and also locally to Antarctica.

2. Introduction

2.1 Project justification

BACKGROUND

Antarctica New Zealand has been researching the feasibility of wind energy on Ross Island for the past two years in order to reduce fuel consumption and therefore greenhouse gas emissions.

In 2005, Antarctica New Zealand signed a Joint Investigation Agreement with Meridian Energy Limited (a company owned by the New Zealand government specialising in renewable energy) to investigate whether parts of Scott Base and/or the areas surrounding Scott Base could be used for a wind farm to provide electricity to Scott Base and/or McMurdo Station.

Discussions have been carried out during the past two years between the National Science Foundation (NSF), Antarctica New Zealand, and Meridian Energy to identify critical issues and confirm interest in the project.

Wind prospecting and a detailed study of the wind resource in and around Hut Point Peninsula has been completed by Meridian Energy. Detailed modeling has been carried out based on this data to assess the viability of wind energy generation. Operational and technical studies into the nature and magnitude of the work required to construct a wind farm have been progressed by Antarctica New Zealand and Meridian Energy with the assistance of NSF staff.

Antarctica New Zealand in partnership with the NSF proposes to establish a three‐turbine wind farm on Crater Hill, Ross Island. The energy generated by the turbines will by reticulated to McMurdo Station and Scott Base.

The proposal represents low operational risk in that it uses proven technology and will not compromise current levels of back‐up or independence at McMurdo Station and Scott Base. If successful it will provide an additional, complimentary and renewable energy alternative.

RENEWABLE, SUSTAINABLE ENERGY

Wind energy on Ross Island is considered to be a feasible, environmentally responsible proposition for both the New Zealand and United States Antarctic Programmes (USAP).

In times of increasing environmental accountability and increasing energy costs, the use of renewable, sustainable energy on Ross Island makes a powerful statement of both

countries’ commitment to the value and protection of the Antarctic Continent. Internal and external pressure is growing to reduce environmental footprints and show commitment to minimising environmental impacts.

The establishment of a working wind farm represents a tangible, visible example of both programmes’ commitments to their environmental stewardship roles in Antarctica.

The activity proposes three Enercon 330 kilowatt turbines supplying renewable wind energy to McMurdo Station and Scott Base via an interconnected electricity link. Output from these turbines is estimated to provide an 11% reduction in total powerplant fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions on Ross Island each year.

LONG TERM VISION

The proposed Crater Hill pilot activity is intended to confirm technical, environmental and economic feasibility of using wind energy at Hut Point Peninsula before proceeding to a larger scale development. Its success may lead to the expansion of wind farm activity in the local area.

Research over the last two years has identified two further sites on Hut Point Peninsula with significant wind energy potential. These sites are located on Hut Trail and on the ridgeline within ASPA 122 at Arrival Heights. Initial concept work on expansion suggests the potential to reduce power plant fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions at McMurdo and Scott Base stations by up to 40%.

The establishment of turbines at the Hut Trail and ASPA 122 Arrival Heights sites is excluded from this proposal and requires considerable further assessment and consultation with relevant stakeholders over the potential impacts on these sites. However, it is important to note that this activity may form part of a larger wind farm concept following full proving of the technology. This IEE covers activities associated solely with the installation of the three turbines at Crater Hill.

In March 2005 a wind monitoring mast was installed at Crater Hill to collect wind data. This mast is still in operation. Geotechnical investigations were carried out at the Crater Hill site in February 2007. The installation of the wind monitoring mast and the geotechnical investigations were carried out under separate EIAs and are not part of this IEE.

2.2 The IEE Process This IEE follows the provisions of Article 2 of Annex I to the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty. Annex I provides for three levels of EIA in turn determined by the perceived impact of the activity (i.e. less than, equal to or more than minor or transitory) and establishes a basic principle to conduct an EIA for planned activities. The proposed activity must be preceded by an Initial Environmental Evaluation (IEE), if the predicted impacts are determined to be no more than minor or transitory. Antarctica New Zealand’s commitment to environmental issues and management has been shown in their request for an IEE level EIA.

Antarctica New Zealand has given careful consideration to the appropriate level of EIA to apply to this project. The decision to prepare an IEE has been taken on the basis of a number of considerations. Firstly, the visual impact of the turbines is expected to be moderate as the hills surrounding Scott Base and McMurdo Station contain numerous antenna, structures and roads, the MTRS2 (McMurdo TDRS Relay System ‐ currently not in use), etc. Secondly, the turbines are to be constructed on already disturbed ground, and the site will only be a few hundred meters away from T‐site which is a substantial facility. Finally, the establishment of the three turbines at Crater Hill will likely be transitory due to the lifespan of the turbines themselves. The original turbines will eventually be replaced and should they be removed altogether it is likely that the impacts will be minor.

This IEE has been prepared as part of the environmental impact assessment process required under the Antarctica (Environmental Protection) Act 1994, which implements the Environmental Protocol into New Zealand law. Antarctica New Zealand, as the project manager, has responsibility for ensuring compliance of all project activities with the IEE. This will include the implementation of specific measures, procedures, monitoring and auditing to minimise the environmental impacts of the project within the limits predicted in the IEE.

CONTACT DETAILS

Miranda Huston Environmental Advisor Antarctica New Zealand Private Bag 4745 Christchurch Tel: 0064 (3) 358 0200 Email: [email protected]

3. Description of Proposed Activities

3.1 Purpose and Need Scott Base and McMurdo Station currently use fossil fuels to supply virtually all the energy needs of their respective programmes. A combined total of over four million litres of fuel are used each year for power generation and heating. In addition to the high cost of supplying this fuel, its transportation, storage and distribution creates significant environmental risks. The use of the fuel results in discharge of pollutants to the atmosphere.

The New Zealand Government has recently (December 4, 2007) tabled the Climate Change (Emissions Trading and Renewable Preference) Bill. Policies to address climate change include:

• the establishment of an emissions trading scheme to put a price on greenhouse gas pollution; • measures to encourage forestry and more sustainable land use; • a goal to increase renewable electricity generation to ninety per cent of New Zealand’s total electricity generation by 2025; • improving fuel and energy efficiency in buildings, homes and business; • a goal to reduce per capita emissions from the transport sector by half by 2040, and to be one of the first nations to widely introduce electric vehicles; and • making the public sector carbon neutral.

Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is a major focus of the New Zealand Government.

The burning of over four million litres of fuel produces around 11,300 tonnes of greenhouse gases per year that is emitted into the atmosphere. The greenhouse gas emissions have global impacts rather than local. However, other emissions from the use of hydrocarbons including Sulphur Oxides (SOx) and Nitrogen Oxide (NOx), and particulates from diesel generators have more of a local effect on the pristine Antarctic environment.

Transportation of fuel, transfer and storage create the potential for environmental incidents and impacts. The reduction in fuel quantities being transported to Antarctica reduces the risks of oil spills and damage to the environment. Both Scott Base and McMurdo Station have had fuel spills, some of which have been fairly large.

There has been sustained improvement in energy efficiency at Scott Base over the last four years which has resulted in a decrease in energy consumption (relative to the size of the base).

This change is largely a result of the implementation of a range of energy saving initiatives combined with the very efficient design of the Hillary Field Centre. However, Scott Base has reached what it believes is the baseline for energy saving from initiatives. The introduction of wind energy on Ross Island would have the potential to further reduce energy consumption on base through awareness. The turbines will also achieve substantial reductions in fossil fuel use and consequently a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions. Table 1 summarises expected outcomes:

Table 1. Wind Energy Targets for combined McMurdo Station/Scott Base System.

Present Situation Reduction target for Reduction target for Crater Hill project full development Fuel use for 4,260,000 litres/yr 463,000 litres/yr 2,087,000 litres/yr power & heat (11% reduction) (49% reduction)

Greenhouse gas 11,300 t/CO2 1243 5 t/CO2 5537 t/CO2 emissions (11% reduction) (49% reduction)

Over the long term, the introduction of wind energy is expected to lead to a reduction in the direct cost of power generation, as fuel prices increase, and due to the reduction in running hours on the diesel generating plant.

In summary, the installation of the three wind turbines at Crater Hill would have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions locally and globally, reduce the risk of an

environmental incident through less handling of fuel, and reduce the cost of power generation. A reduction in greenhouse gases is in line with the New Zealand Government’s drive on sustainability and reductions in greenhouse emissions.

3.2 Location The Crater Hill site is located east of the transmission site (t‐site) antennae, and southwest of the MTRS‐2 Radome (disused). The site is approximately 1100m from Scott Base and 1640 m from the McMurdo Station power plant building. The elevation of the site is approximately 190 m. The location is shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2. Map of Crater Hill location.

The final locations will be finalised during construction but they will be located within approximately 50 m of the coordinates listed in Table 2.

Table 2. Proposed Turbine Locations

Latitude S Longitude E

Turbine 1 77deg 50.61 min 166 deg 43.56 min

Turbine 2 77deg 50.66 min 166 deg 43.65 min

Turbine 3 77deg 50.71 min 166 deg 43.50 min

In the early stages of investigation of wind energy potential on Ross Island a comprehensive evaluation of possible sites was carried out. Crater Hill was selected as the preferred site for the initial development for the following reasons:

‐ It is in close proximity to both Scott Base and McMurdo Station but sufficient distance to eliminate noise interference at those stations;

‐ It has good existing road access requiring minor extension/upgrade only;

‐ Wind conditions are favourable;

‐ The site is ice free all year;

‐ The site is has low sensitivity from the perspective of protecting natural landscapes as it has been extensively altered and disturbed and has a number of man‐made structures nearby,

‐ The site has low ecological value (refer section 5); and

‐ Of all the sites considered the site has maximum separation from sensitive science activities at Arrival Heights.

3.3 Duration It is proposed that construction of the project will commence in November 2008 and commissioning is expected to be completed by February 2010. Work will only proceed in the summer months. The 2008/09 season will be focused on site preparation. The actual installation of the wind turbines and commissioning of the system will not take place until the 2009/2010 season.

The following chart (Table 3) shows the proposed timing of the major project activities:

Table 3. Proposed Crater Hill Project Timeline

Activity Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb 2008 2009 2010 Foundation ______excavation and site preparation Foundation ______construction Electrical ______connection Wind turbine ______installation System ______commissioning

3.4 Nature and intensity of proposed activity PRINCIPAL CHARACTERISTICS

The proposed activity involves the installation of three wind turbines and energy management equipment at Crater Hill. The installation and operational phase of the proposed activity will involve earthworks, use of explosives, setting foundations, site cabling, establishing an electrical substation, and actual installation.

There are a limited number of turbine suppliers that offer turbines suitable for this project. The Enercon E33 design makes its use feasible at sites difficult to access. Their modular design allows for container transport by ship and truck, as well as efficient installation using a regular sized lifting crane. All components other than the blades can be packed into 40’ containers. The variable speed rotor gives high efficiency energy capture, while the direct drive generator eliminates the need for a gearbox. This in turn eliminates the need for both hydraulic systems (which are susceptible to breakage and leaking in cold temperatures) and liquid lubricants which may spill.

Enercon E30 turbines have been operational at the Australian Antarctic Division Mawson Base for over four years and have proven well suited to the conditions and very reliable.

The technical specifications of the Enercon E33 are given in table 4 below.

Table 4. Enercon E33 Technical Data

Rated power 330kW Rotor diameter 33.4 m Hub height 38 m Wind class IEC/NVN IA Turbine concept Gearless, variable speed, variable pitch control Rotor 3 blade upwind with active pitch control Rotational speed 18‐45 rpm Generator Direct drive synchronous annular generator Electrical connection IGBT AC‐DC‐AC converter Cut out wind speed 28‐34 m/s (progressive) Colour of tower/blade Light grey and non‐reflective Total height when blade is extended 55.2m

A typical turbine is shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3. Enercon E33 Turbine to be installed at Crater Hill. Note: this turbine is on a taller tower than will be used for the Crater Hill project (50 m versus 38 m). The Crater Hill turbines will be all white rather than the green shown in Figure 5.

The turbines are self supporting (no guy wires) as each tower sits on a steel and concrete foundation structure which is set into the ground. The turbines have been specially modified to suit the Antarctic environment and modifications include:

‐ Low temperature steel used in all tower sections, castings and structural components;

‐ Shorter tower (38m, instead of standard 40‐50m) due to high winds and crane restrictions;

‐ Extra insulation and heaters in nacelle;

‐ Brush seals on nacelle to exclude blown snow;

‐ Control software modifications to ramp‐down output power when the wind speed was in the range of 25 m/s to 34 m/s

‐ Special cold‐porch attachment at tower entrance to exclude snow; and no de‐icing systems required due to dry atmosphere.

The modifications made to the turbines mean that potential maintenance issues that may have been otherwise encountered with the turbines operating in such cold conditions can be avoided. It is essential that the turbines run smoothly, especially through the winter months when repair work would be near impossible to conduct due to bad weather and lack of flights to transport experts to Antarctica.

In addition to the three turbines, three 20’ container modules or equivalent will be permanently required at the Crater Hill site to house the electrical substations. A module may also be located at McMurdo Station and a further one at Scott Base. These will be built into converted shipping containers for easy transportation and installation. It is expected that a further five containers may be used during the construction phase of the activity but these will be removed once the turbines are in operation.

The Enercon system includes short term energy storage provided by a flywheel module which will be housed in the 40’ container at McMurdo Station. The flywheel module will smooth the fluctuating output from the wind turbines which otherwise could cause control difficulties on the diesel generator systems, particularly as the proportion of energy supplied from the wind increases.

The wind turbines and energy storage modules function as an integrated system, which will deliver electricity to the McMurdo system with prescribed voltage, frequency, reactive power and ramp rate limits. A critical part of the wind system is the Power Management System (PMS), which controls the operation of the wind turbines, flywheel energy storage modules and associated switchgear. The PMS will also be contained within the 40’ container module at McMurdo Station.

The final configuration and location of the supporting modules is still to be finalised. The proposed site layout is shown on Figure 4. It is likely that the electrical substation modules will in fact be sited beside each turbine as opposed to in one group as depicted in Figure 4.

21 Building 70 N Existing McMurdo system electrical NASA Radome cables HV electrical cable route LV electrical cable routes

Substation, control and workshop Cable connection to modules Wind turbines Scott Base

Existing wind monitoring mast

Building 221 Cable connection to McMurdo system

Building 184

Crater Hill access road

McMurdo – Scott Base road

Figure 4. Site layout for Crater Hill wind farm

Electrical cables will connect the wind turbines to the substation, and connect the substation to the McMurdo electrical system. The point of connection is at Building 221 (T‐ site) at McMurdo Station, approximately 450m south of the substation location. All cables at the site will be installed either underground or above ground on steel cable racks. The existing cable racks between Building 221 and Building 70 (small electrical/instrument building west of the disused NASA radome) will be used wherever possible (see Figure 4). Cable will predominantly be laid on the ground or on existing cable racking. There will be small sections of underground cable (around the turbines, and for road crossings).

An electrical cable will connect the site substation to Scott Base. This interconnector will comprise electrical cable laid on the ground for most of the route, except where the cable crosses the road. At this point an underground culvert will be installed. The cable route is shown on Figure 5. Note that for most of the route the cable follows the existing cable route connecting Scott Base to Crater Hill.

Figure 5. Proposed cable route between Crater Hill and Scott Base (red).

The wind turbines will generate electricity at 400 V / 60 Hz, which will be fed to the site substation. At the substation it will be transformed up to 4160 V, which is the McMurdo distribution system voltage. The electricity will then be supplied to the McMurdo distribution system, connecting adjacent to Building 221, and to Scott Base via the interconnector cable. At Scott Base the electricity will be transformed / converted to 400V / 50 Hz for use in the Scott Base System.

Whenever the wind is blowing at greater than 3 m/s the turbines will generate electricity which will feed into the combined McMurdo Station and Scott Base system. Wind generated electricity feeding into the system results in the diesel generators reducing output so that total generation matches the system demand, with a corresponding reduction in fuel use. The wind turbines reach maximum output at a windspeed of 13 m/s. At this output the turbines will supply approximately 60% of the total electricity demand at McMurdo Station and Scott Base. 60% is the max instantaneous penetration, i.e. when turbines are at max output. This is based on around 940kW output from the turbines over a minimal electrical load of about 1500kW. The average expected output over a year will be around 21% of the total electricity demand at McMurdo Station and Scott Base.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS Types of materials

Each turbine foundation comprises eight concrete pads arranged in a circle in the foundation pit and then backfilled so that the top of the block is flush with the ground (Figure 6). The concrete blocks are each secured by two 12 m long ground anchors grouted into drilled holes. A steel framework sits on the concrete blocks, and the turbine tower base is attached to this. The foundation excavation will be about 2.0 m deep, but the anchor holes will be drilled to 14 m (but only 100mm diameter). The entire steel foundation will be visible. The concrete blocks will be backfilled so only the top of the blocks are visible. All foundation components are manufactured in New Zealand and transported to site. No concrete manufacture will be carried out in Antarctica.

Each permanent container will have up to six concrete foundation blocks (1 mx1 m2) which will be pre‐cast in New Zealand. Each of these will be excavated 500mm deep in the ground.

Figure 6. Foundation design: Blue components are steel (but will not actually be blue). Base of turbine tower bolts to the circular ring on top. Grey components are precast concrete, secured to ground by anchor rods.

The earthworks described below will require the use of around 2000 kg of a nitro‐glycerine based dynamite for blasting. The drill and blast method using dynamite is the only practicable method of doing excavations in frozen ground and minimises the use of earthmoving equipment, which keeps disturbance of surrounding areas to a minimum. One of the main reasons dynamite is the explosive of choice is its very clean burn.

Use of explosives for excavation work is standard practice in Antarctica. Careful design and siting will ensure that excavations and hence use of explosives is kept to a minimum, both for environmental and cost reasons.

Grouting Option 1 The foundation anchors will be grouted in with an ice – bentonite mixture. Bentonite is a material composed of clay minerals, predominantly montmorillonite. Montmorillonite forms when basic rocks such as volcanic ash in marine basins are altered. Bentonite swells considerably when exposed to water. Approximately 2 kg of bentonite is used in each anchor hole as a 4% by‐weight mixture with water, giving a total of approximately 48 kg of bentonite. There is no other significant use of chemicals required for the project.

Grouting Option 2 The foundation anchors will be grouted with Blue Circle MP Rapid set 60 grout as used by Australian Antarctic Division at Mawson Station in their wind turbine foundation ground anchor installation (see Appendix III for MSDS sheet and Data Sheet) . Blue Circle MP Rapid set 60 is a Magnesium Phosphate grout and mortar. It is estimated that between 288 and 432 x 20kg bags of BCSC product will be needed to grout the 48 x 12 metre long ground anchors. This equates to a total weight of grout product ranging from 5760kg to 8640kg.

Transportation

The majority of materials will be transported to Ross Island from Lyttelton by the resupply ship M/V American Tern in January 2008 and January 2009. The sensitivities of operational planning proceeding in parallel to environmental assessment are recognised. However, as with many Antarctic operations, opportunities for delivering materials to the region are limited to an annual shipment only. The decision was therefore taken to proceed with purchase and shipment of some materials to Antarctica during the 2007/08 season recognising the risks involved. These materials will remain containerised until the final decision on the IEE has been made. If, on the basis of the IEE the decision is taken not to proceed with this activity, the materials will be returned to New Zealand.

The components for the three turbines and their associated foundations, plus the electrical modules and electrical cable will require the transportation of approximately 50‐60 containers, plus heavy construction plant comprising a 36 tonne excavator and a 50 tonne crane. Some equipment will be airlifted where necessary to maintain the programme, but this will be kept to a minimum.

All wind turbine components will be delivered to the site in containers or on container flat racks. All turbine components are preassembled and tested before delivery to site, so that site work is kept to a minimum. Assembly on site will be carried out using a 50 tonne crawler crane, which will be shipped from New Zealand.

Earthworks

Site earthworks will comprise the following major activities:

‐ Leveling of a pad approximately 40 m x 20 m at each turbine site, for crane operation and equipment set‐down;

‐ Excavation of a foundation pit approximately 15 m diameter and 1.5 m deep at each turbine site (included in the pad dimensions);

‐ Levelling of a main laydown area and pads for the electrical and control/workshop modules, totalling approximately 3000 m2 ;

‐ Some minor upgrade and extension of the existing road up to the Crater Hill site will be required. This will involve easing of corner radii and improvement of cross slopes and gradients.

‐ All cabling is expected to be installed above ground except in the immediate vicinity of the wind turbines where it may be underground. It will also be installed underground to cross roads. The terrain along the Scott Base interconnecter cable route from the wind turbine site to Scott Base ???? (see Figure 5). It is possible that in order to lay the cable, some leveling may take place. If leveling is not needed then some disturbance may occur through tracking and moving of rocks from the cable route.

‐ The 40’ frequency converter container will be installed at Scott Base. It is proposed that several existing containers at Scott Base (2 x 20’ containers and a cold porch) will be removed in the 2008/09 season and these will be replaced with the frequency converter container. Some leveling of this already highly disturbed area will take place after removal of the old containers. It is expected that the actual footprint of the new container will be less than the current one after removal of the old containers.

Excavation will be predominately by drill and blast. In total up to 2000 m3 will be excavated. Site preparation will be by a mixture of excavation and fill using the excavated material. No removal of material from the site will be required, and no importation of fill is expected to be required. No waste is expected to be generated from the excavation works.

Equipment use

The following are the main plant items that will be used during the construction phase of the proposed activity:

‐ Tractor unit and trailer for moving containers from McMurdo wharf to site;

‐ Excavator and bulldozer for site preparation, foundation excavations and road upgrades;

‐ Drill rig for drilling blasting holes and foundation anchor holes;

‐ Crawler crane for turbine erection;

‐ Van and utility vehicle for moving personnel and minor equipment to/from site.

Fuel usage

In total, the plant items listed above are expected to perform around 750 hours of operation, and consume around 9500 litres of fuel over the two seasons of site preparation and turbine installation.

Personnel

Construction will require approximately five ‐ ten personnel on site on average over the construction and commissioning period. This is planned to be of nine months duration, spread over two seasons, giving a total of around 1500 hours. There will be a maximum of 20 people onsite at any one time.

The Crater Hill site is 1.1 km from Scott Base and so all staff will live on base.

Waste

Waste outputs from the construction of the proposed activity will include human waste, and solid wastes. Small amounts of grey water may also be produced. Human waste and any grey water collected will be returned to Scott Base for shipping back to New Zealand. General solid waste will be returned to Scott Base where it will be sorted and returned via ship to New Zealand. All waste returned to New Zealand from Antarctica is diverted from landfill into recycling where possible.

OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS Maintenance and personnel

The operational and maintenance requirements of the project will be small. The wind turbines and electrical equipment proposed for the Crater Hill site operate automatically or via control terminals located at Scott Base and McMurdo Station. There will be no operational staff permanently on site. Scott Base engineering staff will visit the site approximately once per week to make an external visual inspection. Each turbine will require a scheduled maintenance inspection once per year. This inspection will take about 2 or 3 days per turbine, and will be carried out by technicians. From time to time Scott Base personnel may need to visit the site to correct minor defects and carry out other unscheduled maintenance.

Scheduled maintenance does not require major disassembly of the turbines and use of a crane is not anticipated. However as with any mechanical plant component failures can occur from time to time and hence use of a crane for turbine disassembly may be required. It is considered unlikely that any major failures will occur in the first five years of operation.

Fuel usage and waste management

As the site is close to Scott Base, fuel requirements for operations and maintenance purposes will be minimal, and similarly no significant amounts of waste will be created.

3.5 Alternatives Consideration of alternative logistics, system design, locations, and timing is a fundamental method of minimising and mitigating environmental impacts of the proposed activity. A range of possible alternative methods, technologies, sites for drilling, and logistics have been considered in the planning of the wind turbine project at Crater Hill. This section considers alternatives to the proposed activity and explains why they were rejected.

ALTERNATIVE NOT TO PROCEED

The alternative of not proceeding with the proposed activity would mean that the impacts identified in this IEE would not occur. This alternative was rejected however, due to the significant overall benefits to be gained from the activity.

Antarctica New Zealand has stated in their Statement of Intent (2007‐2010), that they will maintain savings in fossil fuel use at current 2006/07 levels and explore opportunities for further savings. The wind turbine project is consistent with this initiative. Antarctica New Zealand has already implemented a range of initiatives to reduce fuel consumption at Scott Base. Not proceeding with the activity would make it difficult to have further savings on fuel consumption without major changes to the programme.

The New Zealand Government has made it clear in their Climate Change (Emissions Trading and Renewable Preference) Bill 2007, that investing in renewable electricity generation is one of its priorities.

The environmental impacts associated with establishing the wind turbines at the Crater Hill site will in the view of Antarctica New Zealand be significantly outweighed by the positive environmental benefits, including reductions in the use, shipment and storage of fossil fuels.

ALTERNATIVE SITES

Crater Hill, Hut Trail and Arrival Heights were identified as the only practicable sites for wind development to supply McMurdo Station and Scott Base. Of these, Crater Hill emerged as the preferred site for the initial development, for the reasons outlined in section 3.2.

ALTERNATIVE NUMBER OF WIND TURBINES

The Crater Hill site has space to accommodate between one and three turbines. It was decided to install the maximum number possible for the following reasons:

‐ A single turbine development was considered however it was concluded this would have insufficient capacity to adequately test the control systems which integrate the wind

turbines with the diesel generation systems. Developing and testing these systems is an important objective of the Crater Hill phase of the wind turbine project.

‐ It is economically desirable to fully develop the Crater Hill site in a single project. There are considerable fixed costs involved in construction, and returning to the site to add additional turbines at a later stage would substantially increase the unit cost.

ALTERNATIVE WIND TURBINES

A number of wind turbine options were explored when considering the Crater Hill project. In particular the turbines had to be suitable for the climatic conditions, capable of being transported within the constraints of the McMurdo supply ship operation, had to be suitable for integration with diesel generation systems, and had to be of proven reliability.

Table 5. lists out the wind turbines considered but not chosen in favour of the Enercon – E33.

Table 5. Other wind turbines considered and reasons for not being chosen.

Turbine type Reason for not being chosen Vestas V27 • Gearbox and therefore lubricating fluids needed • Induction generator less suitable for system integration • Obsolete control technology Suzlon 350 • Gearbox and therefore lubricating fluids needed • Induction generator less suitable for system integration • No history of cold climate application • Obsolete control technology Northwind NW100 • Small turbines (100 kW) giving less capacity from available sites

ALTERNATIVE FOUNDATIONS

Worldwide, the majority of wind turbine installations use gravity foundations, which comprise a reinforced concrete slab set in the ground, with the turbine tower base attached to the centre. The weight of the turbine and foundation in conjunction with the diameter of the foundation provides resistance against overturning forces. However, execution of this type of foundation is difficult in Antarctica because it requires a substantial quantity of high quality concrete. Production of large quantities of concrete is difficult to achieve in subzero conditions, and would require shipping and set up of a concrete batch plant, transportation of mixer trucks, as well as a means for keeping the concrete warm during mixing, pouring and curing. Large scale concrete production on site would also create significant environmental issues due to potential dust emissions to air and waste water discharges.

Aggregate would also have to be shipped to Antarctica and large quantities of water would be required to mix the concrete which also poses a problem given that all water comes from a desalination plant.

An alternative design was therefore required. Prefabricated steel and concrete foundations are an accepted solution for use in Antarctic and Arctic locations, for building foundations and also for structures such as telecommunications towers and domes. The prefabricated steel and concrete foundation design has been chosen because the individual components can be easily transported to the site, and only assembly of finished components is required on site. All foundation components will be manufactured in New Zealand and transported to Antarctica.

ALTERNATIVE SYSTEM DESIGNS

Wind‐diesel systems have evolved over approximately the last 20 years. During this time suppliers have pursued various system designs, aimed at addressing the particular issues involved in developing a successful wind‐diesel system. The system proposed for the Crater Hill development uses proven technology that has emerged from this process. It represents state of the art within the industry, but avoids attempting to employ unproven experimental technology such as hydrogen systems, as this is considered unwise in the Antarctic operating environment.

ALTERNATIVE CONSULTANTS TO PROVIDE WIND TURBINES

An analysis of seven different companies was conducted to decide who should initiate a wind prospecting study in Antarctica. Companies analysed included Windflow Technology Ltd, Mighty River Power Ltd, Genesis Energy Ltd, Trustpower, Contact Energy Ltd, and Todd Energy Ltd. Three of the companies had no wind farms in operation. Several others had wind farm experience but were discounted due to other reasons including a lack of internal capability in wind farm technology. Meridian Energy Ltd was chosen as it had a proven track record in wind technology, wind prospecting and project development. It has a large in‐ house wind technology and development team. It is the biggest wind technology operator in New Zealand and it had an existing relationship with Enercon, Germany who could provide wind turbines proven in the Antarctic Environment (i.e. at Australia’s Mawson Station).

4. Description of Initial Environmental State Crater Hill is visible from both McMurdo and Scott Base. It is located above and behind T‐ site (transmitter site), which has an antenna farm (See Figure 2).

4.1 Meteorology The Circumpolar Trough is the dominant characteristic of the large‐scale weather pattern over Antarctica (Waterhouse 2001). Southerly winds run up against the mountains of Ross Island and are turned both eastwards and westwards around the high ground.

A wind monitoring tower was installed at Crater Hill in March 2005. The installation collects 10 min average data from speed and direction sensors at 10m and 20m. This data has been correlated with long‐term data collected from the Automatic Weather Station (AWS) at Arrival Heights and the long term average wind speed at Crater Hill estimated. The wind data has been extrapolated to wind turbine hub heights (38 m) using a shear coefficient calculated from the measured data. The estimated long term average wind speed at 38 m is 7.8 m/s.

The data recorded has revealed that the prevailing wind at Crater Hill is from the northeast, blowing towards Cape Armitage (Figure 7). Ross Island is subjected to a strong southerly mountain parallel wind regime. Scott Base is also frequently subjected to northeast winds, which in this region of southerlies is explained by the local turning effect described above (O’Connor and Bromwich, 1988). The Crater Hill wind rose depicts the frequency of wind from a northeasterly direction is over 30%. Interestingly, the other prevalent wind direction is northwest (frequency = 23%).

10% 20%

10 %

20 %

30 %

<3 3-6 6-9 9-12 >12m/s < 3 3 - 6 6 - 9 9 - 12 > 12 m/s

Figure 7. Wind Rose for proposed Crater Hill wind turbine site (2005‐07)

The mean wind speeds at Crater Hill are between 5 and 10 m/s. On average the winds were stronger in August. However, the maximum wind speeds recorded (35 m/s) were in April and May.

Figure 8. Mean and maximum wind speeds at Crater Hill (2006)

4.2 Temperatures Most parts of the Ross Sea Region experience surface temperatures which fall below ‐40°C in winter, with temperatures above 0°C achieved only at the height of summer, usually on ice free areas (Waterhouse 2001). Temperatures on Ross Island tend to be lower than temperatures further up the Ross Sea coast as Ross Island is influenced by the Ross Ice Shelf. Temperatures vary greatly on Ross Island with significant differences in air temperature between Scott Base and McMurdo Station, although only three kilometres apart (Hatherton, 1990). Figure 9 shows the mean monthly temperature at Arrival Heights and Scott Base both of which are near to Crater Hill. It is assumed that temperatures at Crater Hill will be similar to the temperatures depicted in the Figure 9.

Figure 9. Mean Air Temperatures for Scott Base (1957‐2007) and Arrival Heights (1999‐2000) (NIWA).

4.3 Terrestrial Environment Crater Hill is located on Hut Point Peninsula which is one of the few ice‐free areas on Ross Island. Hut Point Peninsula is where both McMurdo Station and Scott Base are situated and these stations tend to be snow free for up to three months per year (December‐February). Soils and ice‐free areas occur sporadically on Ross Island.

Crater Hill is characterised by an extinct volcano caldera which gives the area the appearance of a meteorite impact crater. The soils are mostly cold desert soils and lack topsoil, or accumulations of organic matter. They are derived from naturally occurring volcanic rocks, largely scoriaceaous basaltic lava. Till deposits have not been identified however patterned ground movement has reworked the surface (Campbell et al, 1994). Soils are loosely compacted consisting of a pebbly bouldery surface containing variable

amounts of fine particles. Permafrost generally occurs at a depth of 450mm (Waterhouse, 1996).

The Crater Hill geology sequence consists of olivine‐augite basanitoid. These lavas show a moderate amount of erosion and are overlain by phonolite lavas of the Observation Hill sequence at The Gap and at Cape Armitage (Kyle and Treves, 1974). Crater Hill lavas are normally polarised near Scott Base. Since they are older than reversely polarised lavas of Observation Hill sequences, they may have been erupted during the Gilsa Event, a period of normal magnetic polarity 1.61‐1.79 million years ago (Cox, 1969).

It is thought that some of the surface area around the wind turbine site may still be covered by sand‐wedge polygons, which are ubiquitous pereglacial features (Klein et al., 2004).

Figure 10. Last date in which sand‐wedge polygons could be identified.

The terrestrial environment at Crater Hill has been modified over a period of the last 50 years as a result of activities associated with the operation of Scott Base and McMurdo Station. Earthmoving activity and vehicle movement have impacted the Crater Hill area considerably (Figure 11). Most soils in this area have been compacted.

Figure 11. Areas that can be identified as heavily disturbed in 1993 (Texas A&M University and the University of Texas at Austin)

Windrows from earthmoving and scraping can be seen in Figure 12. Roads and tracking from heavy vehicles can be identified in Figures 13 and 14.

Figure 12. Windrows from scraping of the ground at the proposed site. Patterned ground in the distance. (Photo: Jana Newman, 2007).

Figure 13. Clear ground disturbance at proposed wind turbine site on Carter Hill (Huston, 2007).

Figure 14. Track marks on disused road around the side of the turbine site. Warratah to mark the site of the second turbine visible in the background (Huston, 2007).

4.4 Biota BIRDS

No skuas (Catharacta maccormicki) or other birds are known to nest at Crater Hill. Skuas are occasionally observed in the area. The locations of territories and number of breeding pairs in the Ross Sea region is unknown (Waterhouse, 2001). Local population numbers have increased around Scott Base and McMurdo Station which have been attributed to human activity (Waterhouse 2001). A breeding pair nested by the container line at Scott Base in the early 2000s (pers comm. P. Brookman) and they have also been seen nesting to the west of the Trans ‐Antarctic Expedition (TAE) hut, near the aerial field behind Scott Base (pers. comm. K. Rigarlsford). Anecdotal reports were made of a skua regularly seen on the roof of the Scott Base buildings during construction of the Hillary Field Centre in 2005/06.

Adults arrive in October and settle on their territories from mid November to early December. Eggs are laid thereafter and chicks are present from about mid December (with peak hatching late December to early January) until fledging in April.

TERRESTRIAL FLORA

It is likely the some vegetation exists at Crater Hill. Boyd and Boyd (1963) make reference to lichen and moss being present on Crater Hill. However, a thorough inspection of the site in November 2007, did not reveal any significant stands of vegetation most likely due to the disturbed nature of the area. Vegetation identified above Scott Base and at Arrival Heights in the 2007/08 season includes patches of both lichen and moss (Rhizoplaca melanophthalma, Caloplaca johnstonii, Lecanora expectans, Syntrichia sarconeurum (formerly Sarconeurum glaciale) and Bryum argenteum) (pers comm. Rod Seppelt and Roman Turk, January 2008). It is therefore likely that similar vegetation may exist at undisturbed areas of Crater Hill. However, the only known significant vegetation within several kilometers of the proposed tower site is at considerably higher elevation northwest of Castle Rock.

TERRESTRIAL INVERTEBRATES AND MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES

Some distribution of bacterial species has been found at Crater Hill including a Streptomyces species, which produces a soluble purple pigment and Flavobacterium diffusum (Boyd and Boyd, 1963).

4.5 History of human activities Crater Hill has been accessed since approximately 1956. Roads were being bulldozed throughout the McMurdo station area, including the more remote T‐site and Crater Hill area. Access to the T‐site has been accomplished via at least three different paths in the past and the remains of the abandoned roadways are still visible today.

Manual radio transmitters have been operational at T‐site since 1967. These were replaced by automated systems in 2001. Several repeaters are located on Crater Hill due to its radio “visibility” from McMurdo, Scott Base and much of the traversed area of the Ross Ice Shelf. Monitoring and maintenance of the instrumentation at T‐site necessitates regular visits to this area which in turn requires regular maintenance of roads to this location. 4.6 ASPA or other values There are currently 21 formally designated protected areas under Annex V of the environmental Protocol in the Ross Sea region, eight of which are located on Ross Island (Figure 15). There are two Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA) near to the site of the proposed activity; ASPA 122 Arrival Heights, and ASPA 158 Historic Hut at Hut Point. Arrival Heights, ASPA 122 was designated due to it being an electromagnentic and natural quiet site making it ideal for upper atmospheric research. ASPA 158, Hut Point was designated as it is the site of Scott’s historic Discovery hut.

5. Assessment of Environmental Impacts

5.1 Methodology and data sources

DATA SOURCES

In order to assess the impacts of the planned activities, information has been collated on the purpose and need, location and duration, and nature and intensity of the proposed activities (Section 3). These activities have been quantified wherever possible. The initial environmental conditions in the proposed location of the turbines and the variability of those conditions have been described (Section 4). Section 5 will build on this information to discuss the potential impacts on the environment of the proposed activity.

The Guidelines for Environmental Impact Assessment in Antarctica (COMNAP, 1999) gives suggestions on methods, procedures and evaluation criteria in respect to activities in Antarctica and the processes for writing EIAs, and was followed as closely as possible for this assessment.

Sources of information used for this IEE included previous environmental impact assessments for Antarctic activities, which provide an insight into and knowledge base on potential environmental and science impacts, procedures for assessing those impacts and ways of minimising them. The basic template for this IEE follows other IEEs prepared by New Zealand (e.g. the ANDRILL IEE). The IEE to install a four turbine wind farm at Australia’s Mawson Station at MacRobertson Land also provided relevant and useful information. Publications and other information sources were also used.

METHODOLOGY

A matrix approach has been used for this IEE to identify, forecast and communicate likely and potential impacts of the proposal. Matrices have been used successfully in many EIAs and enable the potential environmental impacts to be described in a concise and logical manner. A large amount of information on diverse and complex interactions are summarised concisely in the matrix, and the range of cause‐effect relationships between individual actions of the proposal and the environment will be systematically identified. The matrix provides information about the exposures of the environment to these actions and their outputs and intensity. Article 3 of Annex I of the Environmental Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty specifies three impact categories, which are as follows: (1) likely direct effects (Article 3.2d) (2) possible indirect and second order impacts (Article 3.2e); and (3) cumulative impacts (Article 3.2f).

A direct impact is a first order effect, which is a change in environmental components that results from direct cause‐effect consequences of interaction between the exposed environment and outputs (e.g. decrease of a limpet population due to an oil spill). Impacts of low probability are included (COMNAP 1999). An indirect impact, or second order effect, is a change in environmental components that results from interactions between the environment and other impacts ‐ direct or indirect ‐ (e.g. alteration in seagull population due to a decrease in limpet population which, in turn, was caused by an oil spill) (COMNAP 1999). A cumulative impact is the combined impact of past, present and reasonably foreseeable activities. These activities may occur over time and space and can be additive or interactive/synergistic (e.g. decrease of limpet population due to the combined effect of oil discharges by base and ship operations). Cumulative impacts can often be one of the hardest impact categories to adequately identify in the EIA process. When attempting to identify cumulative impacts it is important to consider both spatial and temporal aspects and to identify other activities, which have occurred and could occur at the same site or within the same area (COMNAP 1999). A description is provided for these types of possible impacts on the relevant environments that may result from each particular activity. To enable a description of the direct impacts of the proposed activities on the affected environmental resources in respect of type, extent, duration and intensity, the possible direct environmental impacts are evaluated using a matrix (Table 9). This method complies with the recommendations and methodologies for previous environmental impact assessments of activities in the Antarctic (COMNAP, 1999). The criteria used for assessing impacts on each environmental resource or element are: • spatial extent of the affected area; • duration of the environmental impact; and • intensity of the environmental impact (Oerter 2000).

The probability of environmental impacts occurring is also included in the matrix (Tables 8‐ 13).

The definition of the significance of the impact is explained in Table 6. The criteria for the assessment of potential impacts on the environment are displayed in Table 7.

Table 6. Definitions of impact significance

Level of significance Description

Less than minor or transitory Both duration and extent and intensity of impacts are low

Minor or transitory Either duration is low or medium (i.e. the impact is transitory), or extent or intensity are low or medium (i.e. the impact is minor)

More than minor or transitory Duration is high or very high (i.e. the impact is more than transitory) and extent and intensity are high or very high (i.e. the impact is major)

43 Table 7. Impact assessment criteria (Source: Oerter, 2000)

Criteria of assessment Impact Environment Low Medium High Very High (1) (2) (3) (4) Air Local extent Partial extent Major extent Entire extent EXTENT OF Terrestrial IMPACT Aesthetic & Confined to the Some parts of A major sized Large‐scale impact; wilderness site of the an area are area is affected. causing further Area or volume activity. partially impact. where changes affected. are likely to be Flora and Confined Some parts of Major Impairment at detectable. Fauna disturbance of the community disturbance in population level. fauna and flora are disturbed. community, e.g. within site of breeding success activity, e.g. is reduced. individuals affected. Air Short term Medium term Long term Permanent DURATION OF Terrestrial IMPACT Aesthetic & Several weeks to Several seasons Decades; Environment will wilderness one season; to several years; impacts are suffer permanent Period of time short compared impacts are reversible. impact. during which to natural reversible. changes in the processes. environment are Flora and Short compared Medium Long compared Permanent. likely to occur. Fauna to growth compared to to growth/ period/ breeding growth/ breeding season. breeding season. season. Air Minimal Affect Affected High Irreversible INTENSITY OF Terrestrial IMPACT Aesthetic & Natural Natural Natural Natural functions or wilderness functions and functions or functions or processes of the A measure of the processes of the processes of the processes of the environment are amount of environment are environment are environment are permanently change imposed minimally affected, but are affected or disrupted. on the affected. not subject to changed over Irreversible or environment due Reversible. long‐lasting the long term. chronic changes. to the activity. changes. Reversibility Reversible. uncertain. Flora and Minor Medium High levels of Very high levels of Fauna disturbance. disturbance. disturbance. disturbance. Recovery Recovery likely. Recovery slow Recovery unlikely. definite. and uncertain.

Should not occur Possible but Likely to occur Certain to occur ‐ PROBABIL‐ITY under normal unlikely. during span of unavoidable. operation and project. conditions. Probable.

5.2 Assessment of the direct impacts of the proposed activity on the environment

TERRESTRIAL ENVIRONMENT

Direct impacts to the terrestrial environment will potentially be caused by many of the activities discussed in this IEE including installation of the wind turbines, foot traffic, grading/leveling, installation of supporting equipment, vehicle use, widening of the road, and storage of equipment. In the context of the already extensively disturbed nature of the Crater Hill area, the direct impacts caused by this activity will be minor. The laying of the cable to Scott Base, although following an existing cable line, may cause disturbance to a fairly undisturbed area. As the terrain of this area is relatively unknown, it is unclear how much disturbance will take place. It is likely that at the very least, tracking from the vehicle carrying the cable will occur. If the terrain is unsuitable for the laying of the cable then some leveling and rock moving may also take place but this is not expected to have a major impact as it will be limited to surface disturbance.

The installation of the containers at Scott Base and McMurdo Station may cause some localised disturbance through ground leveling and the . The proposed areas are already impacted and therefore the impacts are expected to be minor.

Tracking, compaction of soils and visible change in the relief of the landscape may be some of the direct impacts caused by the activity on the terrestrial environment. It is predicted that melt flows, wind action and the natural freeze‐thaw process will remove evidence of some of these effects within a few seasons. Physical disturbance may cause changes to the soil profile including lowering the permafrost and release of water and salts as well as slumping and shrinkage of the ground surface (Campbell et al, 1994). Evidence of these kinds of changes are common in the vicinity of Scott Base and are likely at Crater Hill. Physical disturbance to ice and snow is not so obvious but may include compaction and more rapid ablation in some circumstances. Contamination of the terrestrial environment may occur through fuel or chemical spills. Hydrocarbon spills are generally localised but persist in the soils for decades. Fuels are known to change the biology (e.g. inhibition of microfauna), chemistry, and physical state of the soils effected. Should a spill occur it is likely that some material would remain despite recovery efforts. Contamination of the terrestrial environment is unlikely under normal operating conditions. The potential impacts are assessed in table 8 below.

Table 8 Nature, extent, duration and intensity of impacts from physical disturbance to the terrestrial environment including probability and mitigation measures.

Activity Output Impact identification Mitigation Spatial extent Duration (of Intensity Probability Significance impact) Vehicle and Tracking, Partial extent Long term Minimal affect Certain Minor or • Use existing tracks, paths and roads wherever heavy plant use ground Roads to site as Construction Environment Will occur if transitory possible • Drive and walk on snow patches where possible on roads. compaction well as site phase is short but already impacted. activity proceeds. • Restrict pedestrian movement to specific areas Walking. will be disturbed. vehicle use Amount of change • Understand and follow all relevant literature as ongoing. Impacts minimal. stated in Section 6.2 Mitigation and Remediation reversible. Fuel / chemical Contamination Local extent Long term Minimal affect Unlikely Minor or • Secondary containment of fuel spill Confined to site Contaminants Environment Should not occur transitory • Spill trays for equipment using fuel of activity. from spills can already impacted. if preventative • Fuel response equipment on hand • Contingency persist for practices are used Familiarisation with the Scott Base Spill Prevention and Response plan, and fuel handling procedures. planning in place. decades. at all times. • Checks and regular maintenance of fuel containers • Suitable handling and storage facilities • Use chemicals inside whenever possible • Use drip trays and absorbent pads when handling chemicals

Excavation – Ground Partial extent Long term Affected Certain Minor or • Minimise earthworks and vehicle usage leveling, grading, disturbance, Excavation will Environment will Natural functions Associated transitory • Minimise further expansion of the Scott Base and backfill, compaction take place at suffer damage of environment will impacts from McMurdo Station footprints explosives. Crater Hill site. over decades. be affected. levelling and • Use experienced operators • Use minimal amount of explosives to achieve result Leveling may Ground already grading will occur • Lay Scott Base cable along route that will cause occur along the extensively if activity least disturbance. cable route to SB, disturbed. proceeds. at SB and at McMurdo Station.

Activity Output Impact identification Mitigation

Spatial extent Duration (of Intensity Probability Impact impact) evaluation Storage and Compaction, Partial extent Long term Affected Certain Minor or • Move containers on snow whenever possible installation disturbance, Immediate Tracks and Environment Compaction transitory • Minimise the amount of container movement and (including contamination location – Crater compacted areas already impacted. certain. only store on already impacted sites foundations) (grout) Hill may be visible for Amount of change • If possible locate containers while areas are snow covered Immediate several decades. minimal.

location for Reversible. containers SB and McMurdo Station Waste disposal Contamination Local extent Short term Minimal affect Unlikely Less than • No untreated waste or any other solids will be Localised. Short time to Natural functions Impacts from minor or disposed of in ice‐free areas. Confined to the recover and processes of waste should not transitory • Designate a waste officer who is responsible for all site of the compared to environment will be occur under normal waste generated. activity. natural minimally affected. operation and • All waste will be handled and disposed of in a processes. E.g. conditions. manner consistent with the Protocol and existing litter may escape. Antarctica New Zealand procedures. • Return waste to New Zealand for disposal. • Regular checks at site e.g. emu parades

47 EMISSIONS

The construction phase of the activity discussed in this IEE will contribute to the anthropogenic sources of contaminants in Antarctica and will therefore impact the quality of the air. The construction phase will include transportation of equipment, drilling, and ground leveling which will contribute to the carbon budget of the programme. Dispersal of these contaminants will depend on wind conditions. Given the intensity of operations that occurs within two kilometers of the proposed site, it is highly unlikely that either the construction phase or the operational phase of the project will measurably increase particulates in the environment. Fuel useage has an associated increase in emission levels, which will include carbon monoxide, nitrates and soot particulates. Emissions directly impact the air environment by releasing contaminants into the lower troposphere. Long term deposition of particulates, metals, hydrocarbons and/or other toxic contaminants may have an adverse effect on air quality (Waterhouse 2001). Contaminants can be transported long distances in the cold, stable and rainless atmosphere of Antarctica before being deposited (Waterhouse 2001). Given the small quantities of expected emissions from the activity and the wide dispersal, their impact is likely to be negligible.

Ultimately, the success of the wind turbine project will reduce the amount of emissions being released into the air environment. The emissions from fuel directly used during construction will be offset during one week of operation at average power output from the wind turbines. Various studies have been carried out internationally on the time taken for wind farm developments to offset the total emissions released during manufacture, transportation and construction. These have concluded that wind farm developments typically will offset the energy used and emissions created during the entire manufacturing and construction process within the first six months of operation. It is expected that the time period will be similar for this project.

DUST

Activities that will contribute to the production of dust will be increased vehicle use, blasting, and road work. Dust is not usually considered a major air quality issue beyond the immediate area where it originates (Waterhouse 2001). However, wind dispersion of the dust means that contaminants can be spread far and wide and create long term accumulation in the snow and ice. The construction phase of the wind turbine farm will create dust albeit minor quantities for reasonably short durations. There may be temporary lowering of air quality within the immediate vicinity of the activity on windless days but there days are expected to be few and far between. Table 9. Nature, extent, duration and intensity of impacts of activity on the air environment, including probability and mitigation measures.

Activity Output Impact Identification Mitigation Spatial extent Duration Intensity Probability Significance Transportation Emissions Local extent Medium term Minimal affect Certain Minor or • Minimise vehicle movement Confined to Duration of Air environment transitory • Encourage people to share transport to site including vehicles, Air quality will local area. impacts from will be • No unnecessary excursions ship and aircraft. be impacted by emissions may minimally emissions. • Use suitable fuel (light diesel) be for years. affected. • Attach soot filters • Heavy plant will meet EPA standards Transportation Dust Local extent Short term Minimal affect Likely Less than minor • Avoid excavating activities in high winds including vehicles, Confined to Duration of Air environment Air quality likely or transitory • Avoid unnecessary driving on roads in late ship and aircraft. local area. impacts from will be to be impacted summer dust will be minimally by dust. High • No unnecessary earthworks short term due affected – winds will to high winds impacts disperse dust and rapid reversible. rapidly. dispersal. Explosives Dust and Local extent Short term Minimal affect Certain Less than minor • Avoid blasting in high winds emissions Confined to Duration of Air environment Will occur if or transitory • Use minimal amount of explosives needed. local area. impacts will will be activity • Use explosives which have the lowest level of be short term minimally proceeds. emissions due to high affected – winds and impacts rapid reversible. dispersal.

FLORA AND FAUNA

The following activities involved in the proposal including noise of vehicles, ground leveling, tracking, and other operational activities have the potential to affect flora and fauna located at the site of activity. However, it is not anticipated that the proposed activity will cause high levels of disturbance.

Ice‐free areas are particularly sensitive to ground disturbance including disturbance to vegetation and organisms living there. Previous ground disturbance at Crater Hill has seemingly resulted in very little vegetation or animal life being present (visual assessment made in November 2007). Little is known about the impact of earth disturbance activities on the invertebrate fauna (if present) although some very localised impact could be expected.

No birds are known to nest in the vicinity of the proposed wind turbine sites. Skua are occasionally witnessed flying around both Scott Base and McMurdo Station and have been known to nest within the general area of Scott Base. Bird strike may be a potential impact of the activity. There has been no documented or anecdotal evidence of bird strikes on existing antenna farms around McMurdo Station and Scott Base. Evidence from overseas wind farms indicates that bird strikes are more likely where lattice towers or guyed towers are used. It is thought that birds are able to detect and therefore avoid the more substantial self‐supporting towers which will be used for this wind farm (AAD, 2000).

The Information Paper (ATCM XXX/IP48) presented by Australia, “Mawson Station Wind Farm – Four Years of Operational Experience”, states that regular inspections have shown bird strikes to be very infrequent, averaging two a year. The bird life surrounding Mawson Station is far greater than that present at Crater Hill with Snow petrels and Wilson’s storm petrels breeding directly around the station. Accordingly, it is assumed that bird strikes will be very infrequent at Crater Hill.

The introduction of non‐native species through the importation of vehicles, containers and equipment has the potential to directly impact both flora and fauna.

Table 10. Nature, extent, duration and intensity of impacts of the activity causing disturbance to flora and fauna. Also shows probability and mitigation measures.

Activity Output Impact Identification Mitigation Spatial extent Duration Intensity Probability Significance Human presence Noise and Local extent Medium term Minimal Affect Possible Minor or • Follow the Antarctica New Zealand Code of Conduct physical Confined Medium Minor Uncertain transitory • Minimise noise to extent practicable at all times. presence. disturbance to compared to disturbance. what • Site management to avoid flora if possible. Crater Hill site. growth/breedi Recovery likely. population is • Keep to existing tracks and roads. ng season. due to • Minimise earthworks required. • Choose turbines with design features to minimise disturbed noise. nature of area. Excavation, Ground Local extent Long term Affected Possible Minor or • Keep to existing tracks and roads. vehicle use, disturbance Confined Long Intensity likely Uncertain transitory • Minimise earthworks required. walking etc disturbance to compared to to be low due what • Site management to avoid flora if possible. growth/ Crater Hill site. to existing population is breeding season. disturbed due to nature of area. disturbed nature of area. Operational Bird strike, Local extent Long term Affected Unlikely Minor or • Choose turbines without guy wires. turbines visual (birds), Individuals will Long Medium No birds transitory • Maintain a bird strike log. and noise be affected. compared to disturbance. known to Make turbines and supporting infrastructure as growth/ Recovery likely. nest in area. obvious to birds as possible. breeding season. Introduction of Potential Local extent Long term Affected Unlikely Minor or • Follow the Antarctica New Zealand Biosecurity policy equipment and transfer of non‐ Confined to Potential for Medium Possible but transitory (includes cleaning of gear, food handling procedures – people to area. native species Crater Hill area. impacts to be disturbance. mitigation poultry products, importation of food to Antarctica, of long Recovery likely. measures will etc) duration – reduce the • Report all sightings of non‐native species through the species risk. HS&E incident reporting system. specific. • Follow the Antarctica New Zealand Code of Conduct.

AESTHETIC AND WILDERNESS VALUES

Visual

Aesthetic value usually relates particularly to the visual appreciation of a landscape. The proposed activity will have an impact on the aesthetic and wilderness values of Antarctica both visually and also acoustically. Although wind turbines will be visible from Scott Base and a number of other locations on and around Ross Island including Castle Rock, Observation Hill and the Ross Ice Shelf, they will be surrounded by a number of other installations including the MTRS2 dome pictured to the right of the turbines in Figure 16. The turbines will not be visible from McMurdo Station. Considering the extensive disturbances and development (including towers and antenna structures) within two kilometers of the site, the proposed action will not greatly further diminish the wilderness value of this portion of Ross Island.

Figure 16. Computer generated image of the wind turbines from the sea ice in front of Scott Base (Meridian Energy).

Although difficult to quantify it is thought that under very clear conditions with optimal light an observer knowing the location of the turbines might be able to pick them out from as far away as 10 km. However to someone who did not know they were there and was not looking for them they might not become obvious until 2 – 5 km.

Noise

Although the wind turbines will generate noise, the Enercon E33 has special design features which reduce potential noise. The turbine blade design has been optimised to reduce noise and the turbines are very quiet compared to earlier turbine technology. The three turbines are expected to produce a noise level of around 46 dBA at 350 m distance when operating at full power. Note however that full power requires a 13 m/s (about 25 knots) wind speed, at which the background noise generated by the wind itself is likely to exceed the noise generated by the wind turbines. For comparison, 45 dBA is approximately the sound level created by a refrigerator, air conditioner or quiet conversation in a room. Even standing directly under the wind turbines normal conversation is possible and no hearing protection is required. Scott Base is approximately 1100 m from the nearest wind turbine. Sound levels at Scott Base (outside) arising from the wind turbines at full power are expected to be around 35 dBA, which is imperceptible except under extremely low background noise conditions, which would not typically occur concurrent with wind turbine operation. Due to the insulation and double glazing of the buildings there is no possibility of the turbines being audible from within Scott Base.

53 Table 11. Nature, extent, duration and intensity of impacts of activity on aesthetic and wilderness values, including probability and mitigation measures.

Activity Output Impact Identification Mitigation Spatial extent Duration Intensity Probability Significance Operational Visual Partial extent Long term Affected Certain Minor or • Visual impacts of turbines and supporting turbines disturbance Turbines Turbines will Turbines will be Turbines will transitory infrastructure considered before placement. visually obvious be installed clearly visible be visible and • Use natural topography of site to minimise the from some for several but are also will likely visual impact of installations. parts of the decades. surrounded by remain on site McMurdo Impacts are numerous other for decades. Sound area. reversible. installations. Operational Noise Partial extent Long term Affected Certain Minor or • Choose turbine design that has noise control turbines Noise from Noise Noise may be Noise will be transitory features. turbines may produced by heard from the heard but will • Assess noise implications as part of site reach some turbines may turbines in depend on assessment. parts of the affect area for some weather wind speed general area. several conditions. and direction. decades. Waste disposal Visual Local extent Short term Minimal affect Unlikely Less than • Tightly secure rubbish and other items to avoid Confined to the Short time to Litter may Impacts from minor or them being blown away. site of the recover escape causing waste should • Remove all waste from location. activity. compared to a temporary transitory not occur • Designate a waste officer on site. natural and minimal processes. impact. under normal operation and conditions.

5.3 Indirect impacts of the proposed activity

Under normal operating conditions the project’s activities are not expected to have more than a minor or transitory impact on the environment, and therefore secondary impacts on natural systems are unlikely. Particulates from emissions accumulate on snow and ice, which lowers the albedo of the surface and causes melt. The indirect impacts of this can be both disturbance to the physical environment through stream channelling and excess water flows, and disturbance to the marine environment through the formation of stream channelling. Contamination of the water quality and sediments in the marine environment through biological enrichment indirectly impacts deposit feeders and scavengers such as the sea urchin Sterechinus, the seastar Odontaster and the nemertean worm Parborlasia (Waterhouse 2001). However, as already discussed emissions caused in the construction phase of the activity are likely to be minor and transitory. It is unlikely they will cause secondary impacts on the marine environment.

The following potential impacts on other activities have been considered.

IMPACTS ON EXISTING OPERATIONS

All equipment associated with the activity will be transported to Scott Base by air and sea. The equipment will be transported to the Crater Hill location as needed. Contractors will stay at Scott Base during the construction phase (over two seasons), and several contractors will visit Scott Base annually as part of the maintenance programme. The logistics requirements involved with this activity are not expected to disrupt normal Antarctica New Zealand operations, given that appropriate planning is taking place around this activity. The activity will reduce the amount of fuel being used on base quite substantially which means that less fuel will have to be bought and stored at Scott Base.

IMPACTS ON SCIENCE AND OTHER VALUES

There is science from a variety of disciplines conducted in the general vicinity of Crater Hill, due to the close proximity of both McMurdo Station and Scott Base. It is not expected that the impacts would preclude or compromise current or future scientific work in any of the different disciplines conducted around the area. EMI (electromagnetic interference) emissions from the turbines will comply with normal utility standards and EU standards for electrical machinery. It is recognised however that sensitive scientific instruments may detect emissions and suffer interference at levels significantly below this. The Crater Hill site has been chosen because it gives the maximum separation from sensitive science activities of the three sites considered.

EMI emissions from the turbines will be closely monitored post commissioning in consultation with the Ross Island science communities. Initial investigations and consultation with these communities indicates a low risk of interference and high probability that any issues arising can be dealt with by standard measures such as screening and filtering.

There are no aviation/flight paths in this area. Communications equipment around the area is not likely to be effected as turbines generally only cause effects if they are in the path of line of sight of microwave links. None have been identified as passing through the proposed location to the turbines.

Table 12. Nature, extent, duration and intensity of indirect impacts, including probability and mitigation measures.

Activity Output Environmental Impact assessment Mitigation Spatial extent Duration Intensity Probability Significance Installation and Secondary Local extent Affected Affected Unlikely Minor or • Follow Antarctica New Zealand policy and operation of impacts from Very localised. Impacts will Minimal Secondary transitory procedures direct impacts last for several impacts. impacts • Mitigate direct impacts thereby eliminating wind turbines years and will Reversible. unlikely. above secondary impacts be reversible. • Follow the Antarctica New Zealand Code of Conduct • Use existing tracks, paths and roads wherever possible • Install screening and filtering devices to scientific and communications equipment if interference becomes an issue.

5.4 Cumulative impacts

Cumulative impacts may occur over time and should be assessed by looking at other human activities occurring in the proposed locations. A cumulative impact is the combined impact of past, present and reasonably foreseeable activities.

The events described in this IEE will contribute to the cumulative environmental impacts both locally and globally. Continued monitoring of activities in Antarctica will ensure cumulative impacts can be assessed and where possible mitigated.

TERRESTRIAL ENVIRONMENT

Cumulative impacts to the terrestrial environment include ground instability, extensive surface precipitation of soil salts (Campbell et al. 1994, Balks et al. 1995), soil shrinkage, increased soil wetness and increased water runoff. Physical disturbance to soils change the biological environment of the soil, destroying the natural soil and landscape features, such as patterned ground, soil thermal conditions, and disrupts the soil moisture and salinity gradients (Waterhouse 2001). Hut Point Peninsula already shows indicators of severe soil disturbance including a thermokarst landscape.

The most intense impacts on the terrestrial environment are from construction activities and can be attributed to activities such as ground scraping, ground levelling and quarrying that have taken place for building construction and road formation. Excavation and blasting, ground levelling and scraping will take place as part of the activity as described in this IEE. This will contribute to the cumulative impacts on ground disturbance already evident at Crater Hill. Cumulative impacts on the terrestrial environment in the Ross Sea region are most obvious at Hut Point Peninsula, specifically around McMurdo Station and Scott Base. Ground disturbance is most intense at these sites

MARINE ENVIRONMENT

It is not expected that the proposed activity will have an impact on the marine environment as the project is completely landbased. Any effects on ground run‐off of fines for example will be negligible when added to existing disturbance.

AIR ENVIRONMENT (EMISSIONS AND DUST)

The air environment of the Ross Sea region is affected by activities carried out in the region, and by activities occurring elsewhere in the world. Local declines have been found in the air quality close to the main research stations – Scott Base and McMurdo Station (Waterhouse, 2001). The emissions from the activity as described in this IEE combined with emissions from science events, other national programmes, and tour ships will contribute to

cumulative impacts on the air environment. However, the impacts on air quality will remain local and extremely minor. As has already been stated, it is expected that the wind farm will offset the energy used and emissions created during the entire manufacturing and construction process within the first six months of operation. The emissions from fuel directly used during construction will be offset during one week of operation at average output from the wind turbines.

The impact of dust accumulating on nearby snowfield surfaces, will create accelerated thaw, and ice and snow cover retreat. This in turn leads to excess water flows, stream channelling, and sediment discharges (Waterhouse 2001). The proposed activity will involve earth‐moving activity, and vehicle movement on formed roads both of which produce noticeable amounts of dust, which is dispersed by wind. Other activities within the general area will also produce dust all of which combined have a measurable local impact. The cumulative impact of dust settling on ice and snow, and the resulting increased ablation is thought to have impacted a small glacier near Crater Hill. The glacier is thought to have lost tens of metres of ice thickness since the 1950’s. Comparative studies with the rate of terminus retreat with other glaciers in the McMurdo Dry Valleys suggests the glacier close to Crater Hill is changing at a rate faster than other glaciers in the region (Newman, 2003).

While the impacts on the air quality as a result of this activity will be negligible, the indirect cumulative impacts involving the reduction of the glacier and sediment discharges around Pram Point in particular, may be more serious.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Cumulative impacts on wildlife from human activities (including aircraft) have been found to cause a decline in breeding success (Woehler et al. 1994, Giese 1996), a change in the local population distribution, and even death in some cases. Impacts on a number of Antarctic species have been recorded, but the effects on other species remains unknown.

The effect of cumulative impacts on skua in the Hut Point area remains unidentified however low breeding success due to repeated human disturbance remains as a potential cumulative impact. Bird strike from the operational turbines will contribute to adverse cumulative impacts on the local skua population though as recorded above this is expected to be very low. Local population changes, namely an increase in numbers of skua around Scott Base and McMurdo Station have been recorded albeit somewhat anecdotally. These have been attributed to human activity, primarily through increased food supply via station rubbish dumps (Waterhouse 2001). Rubbish dumps are no longer present but the skua remain.

The local terrestrial biota around Scott Base and McMurdo Station have been heavily impacted through physical disturbance over the last 50 years. Lichen species recorded in the area (Dodge, 1973) in 1973 have all but disappeared as have the extensive moss sites

recorded at Cape Armitage (Longton, 1973), a site close to the two stations. High salinity in soils, created from soil disturbance, is toxic to most biological species (Waterhouse 2001). The disturbance caused from this activity will contribute to impacts already affecting the Crater Hill location.

There may be patchy distribution of vegetation around the Crater Hill site but as most of the site is already impacted, it appears unlikely that much has survived over the past few decades of disturbance. Any vegetation disturbed through this project will contribute to the overall cumulative impacts on the species likely disturbed by previous activity in the area.

AESTHETIC AND WILDERNESS VALUES

The continued expansion of the footprint of both Scott Base and McMurdo Station have cumulatively added to the environmental impacts on the aesthetic and wilderness values of the area. The turbines will not be seen from McMurdo station but will be clearly visible from Scott Base (cover image).

The three turbines will add to the visual impacts of the Hut Point Peninsula area. Although they will be visible from a number of areas, they will be surrounded by a number of other structures including repeaters, antennae, and the MTRS2 dome. The proposed activity will cumulatively add to the impacts on the aesthetic and wilderness values of the area.

The turbines also represent the first phase of what may become a larger wind‐farm (potentially up to 20 turbines). This is a foreseeable future activity and will significantly alter the skyline above Scott Base and McMurdo Station.

The operation of the turbines will add to the general noise created in the area. However, it has been noted that the noise the turbines emit is barely audible and the impact of them on the aesthetic and wilderness values will be negligible.

60 Table 13. Nature, extent, duration and intensity of cumulative impacts, including probability and mitigation measures.

Activity Output Environmental Impact assessment Mitigation Spatial extent Duration Intensity Probability Significance Wind turbine Human impacts Partial extent Long term Affected Certain Minor or • Concentrate activities in already impacted sites. project on terrestrial, Some parts of Cumulative Natural Cumulative transitory • Mitigate and monitor all activities. impacts could processes of impacts are marine and air the McMurdo • Coordinate and manage activities. last for environment certain to environments, Sound area will decades; will be affected, occur if the • Follow the Antarctica New Zealand Code of flora and fauna be partially impacts activity goes Conduct. and aesthetic affected. should be ahead. • Use existing tracks, paths and roads wherever and wilderness reversible. possible values. • Drive, walk and camp on snow patches where possible • Restrict pedestrian movement to specific areas

6. Mitigation of Impacts and Monitoring

6.1 Control measures to minimise impacts A number of control measures will be established to minimise potential environmental impacts. These have been outlined in this IEE and they include: • the selection of environmentally and operationally sound options during the planning and design phase in order to select turbines and supporting equipment, which will operate reliably and safely in Antarctic conditions and will minimise environmental impacts; • the careful planning of the construction phase to minimise environmental impacts; • the development and implementation of operational monitoring and control measures for the construction phase to avoid and/or minimise environmental impacts; and • the establishment of reliable environmental monitoring programmes and procedures to verify actual impacts. Together these measures form the best possible method of ensuring that the adverse environmental effects of the project are outweighed by the benefits, including environmental benefits.

Policies, procedures, guidelines and legislation are in place to mitigate potential environmental impacts of the activity as described in this IEE. They are as follows:

• The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, 1991 • Antarctica (Environmental Protection) Act, 1994 • Protected Area Management Plans • Managed Area Management Plans • Antarctica New Zealand Biosecurity Policy • Antarctica New Zealand Waste Management Handbook • Antarctica New Zealand Code of Conduct • Antarctica New Zealand Standard Operating Procedures

GENERAL PLANNING

The extreme Antarctic environment can often make both the construction phase as well as the operational phase of a planned activity difficult to achieve. General planning of the wind turbine project has included careful consideration of all the activity’s components including whether they are environmentally sound, pragmatic, technically safe and reliable. This in turn has reduced the potential nature and significance of the various impacts.

Direct impacts on the Antarctic environment will also be limited by careful planning and the need for some activities to occur offshore (i.e. New Zealand) for climatic reasons e.g. foundation block preparation.

The alternatives section (Section 3.5) describes options rejected in favour of what are considered more suitable solutions.

General planning of the activity will continue to take into account the potential growth of the wind turbine project including consideration of any technological advances that may occur in the future.

CONSTRUCTION CONTROL MEASURES

Development and implementation of control measures for the construction phase will help to minimise environmental impacts. Personnel numbers involved in the construction phase and ongoing maintenance programme, combined with visitors to the project will create pressures on the environment. The close proximity of the activity to Scott Base and McMurdo Station will likely encourage high visitation numbers. To minimise further environmental impacts of the area, personnel involved in the construction of the activity will be encouraged to stay within the immediate area of the project. Existing tracks, paths and roads will be used wherever possible. Visitor numbers to the activity should also be recorded when possible.

Safety issues regarding blasting would be handled by the contractor. The contractor's generic plan is amended to suit Scott Base and McMurdo Station requirements and is approved prior to commencing operations. Issues to be addressed in the plan include:

• Storage and handling of explosives; • Assessment of vibration effects and minimisation thereof; • Methods and techniques to minimise "fly rock"; • Notification of relevant parties; • Control of personnel and vehicular movements during blasting operations; and • Procedures for initiating and terminating blasts.

WASTE

Waste disposal controls will be in accordance with the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (1991), and the Antarctica New Zealand Waste Handbook. Controls will include the designation of a waste officer on site, no disposal of human waste or any other solid waste onto ice‐free areas, as much pre‐construction as possible offsite (e.g. in New Zealand), and the securing of waste and materials so as to not be exposed to wind.

FUEL

All refueling will follow the Standard Operating Procedures of the relevant programme to prevent spills. Spill kits will be held at the site and/or in vehicles. An Antarctica New Zealand incident form will be completed for any spills that may occur. Immediate clean‐up action will take place if a spill is detected. Contaminants or contaminated media (soil, snow or ice) will be returned to Scott Base/ McMurdo for further treatment or removal from Antarctica.

6.2 Impact Monitoring, Auditing and Reporting

IMPACT MONITORING

Monitoring of the activity will detect and minimise any unforeseen impacts as well as control predicted impacts. The wind turbine project involves two stages – the construction phase and the operational phase. A detailed site specific monitoring programme was started in the 2007/08 season, prior to the start of any construction activity (Appendix I). The monitoring programme will be conducted annually throughout both phases of the activity.

The programme involves detailed photo‐monitoring of the three proposed wind turbine sites and surrounding area, a litter survey of the area, and a terrestrial impact assessment. The programme will be reviewed and modified as deemed necessary. Monitoring will be conducted immediately on completion of the construction phase which will involve an inspection of the clean‐ up of the area after construction, and a report on any unexpected environmental impacts.

A bird strike log will be maintained which will record any bird strikes, species involved, date, time and outcome. A weekly inspection around each turbine will be conducted in the summer months during at least the first year of operation. Depending on the results, this will continue at an appropriate frequency throughout summer for the duration of the project.

AUDITING

Internal field audits will be conducted on this activity against the IEE, and the option to invite a suitably qualified independent person to conduct an independent audit on the proposed activity will be considered. The objective of such an audit would be to verify its compliance against the IEE, against other Treaty regulations, and with other measures designed to safeguard the environment.

REPORTING

End of season reports will be submitted to Antarctica New Zealand at the end of 2008/09 and 2010/2011 describing activities that have taken place as part of this project. Information from these will be included in the Antarctica New Zealand Environmental Performance report submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) annually. All relevant monitoring information e.g. bird strike will be included in this report.

In accordance with Resolution 2 (ATCM XXI, 1997), the following process for the IEE will be adopted and the outcomes of which will be reported back to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties (ATCP):

(a) Review activities carried out following completion of IEE, including analysis of whether the activities were conducted as proposed, whether applicable mitigation measures were implemented and whether the impacts of the activity were as predicted in the assessment; and

(b) Record any changes to the activities described in the IEE, the reasons for the changes, and the environmental consequences of those changes.

7. Gaps in Knowledge and Uncertainties

There remains a lack of knowledge about skua activity at Crater Hill. The bird strike monitoring will reveal whether skua or other birds fly through this area. The invertebrate population of the Crater Hill site is also an unknown.

Testing is still being conducted on the grout for the foundations. Two options are being considered, the first of which has been used by Antarctica New Zealand for several other projects. The second option is the grout used by the Australian Antarctic Division for the installation of their wind farm at Mawson Station.

The terrain on which the cable between Scott Base and the turbine site is to be laid is still relatively unknown.

The largest uncertainty at the writing of this IEE is the future development of a larger wind farm within the Hut Point Peninsula area. The establishment of turbines at Hut Trail and ASPA 122 Arrival Heights sites requires considerable further assessment and consultation with relevant stakeholders and would be the subject of a further application and EIA phase i.e. outside the scope of this document. Further development of the wind farm depends, in part, on the full proving of technology involved in this initial phase.

8. Remediation

The wind turbines proposed in this IEE have a 20 year design life. At the end of this time it is possible that the turbines will be decommissioned and removed, or replaced with up‐to‐ date technology. If the site is to be completely decommissioned, the turbines, towers, foundation steelwork and electrical equipment would be removed and returned to New Zealand. The concrete foundation blocks would be left in place and covered with fill. If desired the site could be recontoured to a more natural topography. Within a few years it is likely that there would be very little evidence that a wind development had ever existed on the site. Follow up monitoring would be conducted to confirm this.

9. Conclusions

This IEE has presented information outlining the proposed installation of three wind turbines at Crater Hill, Antarctica, and has described how the proposal would or could affect the environment.

The measures described in Section 6 and Tables 8‐13 are designed to reduce or avoid adverse impacts of the proposal. Provided they are strictly adhered to most of the impacts should be small and/or unlikely. Control measures have been identified which would mitigate such impacts and ensure compliance with the protective measures.

The most significant unavoidable impacts of the proposed activity will be impacts on the aesthetic and wilderness values of the area, bird strikes should they occur, and ground disturbance caused through site preparation. The area around Hut Point Peninsula has been highly impacted as part of the general operations of Scott Base and McMurdo Station, both of which are situated in this general location.

Overall this IEE concludes that the negative environmental impacts resulting from this activity will be outweighed by the positive environmental benefits. The predicted reduction in fuel usage and consequent reduction in greenhouses gases being released to the atmosphere, combined with the reduction in the risk of an environmental incident through less handling of less fuel outweigh the predicted impacts the installation of the turbines will create.

The level of impact “no more than minor or transitory” predicted is considered acceptable given the significant environmental advantages to be gained from this project.

10. References

Antarctica New Zealand, 2007. Proposal for the Provision of Wind Energy on Ross Island (stage 1). From Antarctica New Zealand to the National Science Foundation. Version 4: Updated 24 august 2007.

Balks, M.R., Campbell, D.I., Campbell, I.B., Claridge, G.G.C., 1995. Interim results of 1993/94 soil climate, active layer and permafrost investigations at Scott Base, Vanda and Beacon Heights, Antarctica. Special Report. 64. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Waikato, Hamilton.

Boyd, L.B. and Boyd J.W. (1962). Soil Microorganisms of the McMurdo Sound Area, Antarctica. Antarctic Soil Organisms, Volume 11, 1963.

Campbell, I.B., Claridge, G.G.C., Balks, M.R., 1994. The effect of human activities on moisture content of soils and underlying permafrost from the McMurdo Sound region, Antarctica. Antarctic Science. 6: 307‐314.

Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP), 1999. Environmental Impact Assessment in Antarctica.

Cox, A., 1969. Geomagnetic reversals: Science, v. 163, p. 237‐245.

Dodge, C.W., 1973. Lichen Flora of the Antarctic Continent and Adjacent Islands. Phoenix Publishing Co., Canaan, New Hampshire.

Giese, M. 1996. Effects of human activity on Adelie penguin Pygoscelis adeliae breeding success. Biological Conservation. 75:157‐164

Hatherton, I. 1990. Antarctica the Ross Sea region. DSIR Publishing, Wellington, New Zealand.

Klein, A.G., Kennicutt II, M.C., Wolff, G.A., Sweet, S.T., Gielstra, D.A., Bloxom, T. (2004). Disruption of Sand‐Wedge Polygons at McMurdo Station Antarctica: An Indication of Physical Disturbance. (61st Eastern Snow Conference, Portland, Maine, USA 2004).

Kyle, P.R. and Treves, S.B. 1974. Geology of Hut Point Peninsula, Ross Island. Antarctic Journal of the United States. Volume 9 (pp 232‐234).

Longton, R.E. 1973. A classification of terrestrial vegetation near McMurdo Sound, continental Antarctica. Canadian Journal of Botany. 51:2339‐2346.

Newman, J.L. 1993. The Impact of Human Activity on Glacier Change, Hut Point Peninsula, Antarctica. Master of Science Thesis, University of Canterbury.

Oerter IH (ed). (2000). Initial Environmental Impact Evaluation for Recovering a Deep Ice Core in Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, October 2000. Alfred‐Wegener‐Institute, Germany.

Texas A&M University, and the University of Texas at Austin, 2003. Spatial and Temporal Sclaes of Human Disturbance. McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Final Report.

Waterhouse, E.J., 2001. The Ross Sea Region State of the Environment Report. New Zealand Antarctic Institute, 2001.

Waterhouse, E.J., 1996. Improvements to Bulk Fuel Storage and Transport Facilities at Scott Base, Ross Island, Antarctica. Initial Environmental Evaluation, New Zealand Antarctic Programme, April 1996.

Woehler, E.J., Penney, R.L., Creet, S.M., Burton, H.R., 1994. Impacts of human visitors on breeding success and long‐term population trends in Adlie Penguins at Cassey, Antarctica. Polar Biology 14: 269‐274.

11. Appendices

Appendix I Crater Hill Wind Turbine Site. Environmental Monitoring Programme

Appendix II Antarctica New Zealand Field Audit

Appendix III MSDS Sheet for Blue Circle MP Rapid set 60 grout and Data Sheet for Blue Circle MP Rapid set 60 grout

Appendix I

Crater Hill Wind Turbine Site. Environmental Monitoring Programme

72 Crater Hill Wind Turbine Site

Environmental Monitoring Programme

Date

Name of recorder

Air Temp (°C)

Wind speed (m/s)

Wind direction

Cloud cover (0-10, fully overcast)

Snow cover (0-10, Fully covered)

General description of the area:

Terrestrial Disturbance

Objective

To assess the degree of physical surface disturbance at the wind turbine site.

Techniques

1. Carry out photo monitoring following the guidelines below.

2. Complete the terrestrial impact assessment table below.

Requirements

Photograph the site from the five fixed photo points. Record the GPS coordinates for each terrestrial disturbance plot. Repeat assessment every three months during construction activity.

Environmental limits

Ground disturbance should be no greater than 2500 2.

Photo monitoring

Prior to installation of the wind turbines the sites are marked out by a set of coordinates. These are listed below and should be used to identify the sites. Photos should be replicated.

Turbine 1 Test Hole G9 East 77 50 42.1318S, 166 43 31.3815E, (9E) 627.22FT

Test Hole G9 West 77 50 41.8150S, 166 43 30.7882E, (9E) 626.96FT

Turbine 2 Test Hole G8 East 77 50 39.3402S, 166 43 30.1198E, (8E) 647.46FT

Test Hole G8 West 77 50 39.2659S, 166 43 28.7518E, (8W) 647.93FT

Turbine 3 Test Hole G7 East 77 50 37.33518S, 166 43 33.8037E, (7E) 656.71FT

Test Hole G7 West 77 50 37.5573S, 166 43 32.3427E, (7W) 659.18FT

Fixed Photo Point A GPS Coordinates:

This photo should be taken from Turbine 3 (site 7W) looking down toward the other sites which are indicated in red. The wind prospecting tower is near the centre of the photo and the western flank of Observation Hill is in the right of the photo.

9E 9W 8E 8W

Fixed Photo Point B

GPS Coordinates:

This photo should be taken from the wooden block (inset) to the south of site 9E. The photo looks north toward Crater Hill.

Wind Prospecti ng Tower

Crater Hill

NASA Radome

8W 8E 7W 7E

9W 9E

Fixed Photo Points 3-5

9E and 9W, Crater Hill Turbine 1 behind Photo looking up towards Crater Hill.

GPS coordinates:

Other notes:

8E and 8W NASA Radome Turbine 2 behind NASA Radome behind, middle of photo.

GPS coordinates:

Other notes:

7W and 7E, Observation Hill Turbines 3 behind Observation Hill behind.

GPS coordinates:

Other notes:

Severity and Extent of Impacts (applicable boxes should be marked or shaded):

Assessment:

Criteria: High Medium Low Negligible Comment s

Disturbed Abundant > 25 Many/few 25-10 Few < 10 None visible surface stones

Stone Fresh, sharp Distinct, slightly Shallow None visible impressions Edged rounded indentations

Boot imprints Fresh Indistinct Just visible None visible

Visibly > 100 sq m 100- 20 sq m 20-5 sq m < 5 sq m disturbed area

Surface colour Strong contrast Moderate Weak contrast None visible Difference contrast

Surface Very fresh Distinct Weakly visible None visible impressions

Ground Strongly defined Moderately Weakly Not visible tracking defined defined

Extent of > 100 metres of < 100 metres < 10 metres No tracks visible ground tracking tracking length length

Foreign objects Many Some Few None

Fuel spills Very obvious Visible Faintly None distinguished

Biological > 5 sq m 5-1 sq m < 1 sq m None visible Disturbance

Disturbance Disturbed and Clearly visible Weakly Disturbance intensity very obvious disturbance distinguished not visible

Extent of recovery No recovery Impacts still Impacts Fully of previously observable. clearly visible. faintly visible. recovered. occupied sites Impacts fresh Signs of recovery Recovery almost No impacts and obvious. observable. complete. visible.

Bird Strike

Objective

To monitor on an ongoing basis any bird fatalities caused by bird strike.

Techniques

Carry out regular visual checks in an area 100m around each turbine.

Requirements

A regular programme of visual inspection with appropriate recording and mapping as specified below:

• a weekly inspection of the site in the first year (during the summer months);

• a monthly inspection for the following three years;

• regular updating of the bird strike log (see below);

• photographs of any bird strikes to be attached to the bird strike log; and

• incident reports completed for any incidents.

Environmental Limits

Results of bird strike will determine regularity with which the bird strike inspections are conducted.

Nil bird strike after four years may result in my result in an annual inspection which would coincide with the annual maintenance programme.

Bird Strike Log (attach photo)

Date

Species

Coordinates / description of location

Outcome

Litter and other markings (2008/09 – 2009/10)

Objective

To detect, record and remove any litter found in the area.

Techniques

Record and photograph any litter found on the site.

Requirements

A regular programme of visual inspection with appropriate recording as specified below:

• a monthly inspection of the site during the construction phase only;

• reporting of all litter found within the general area;

• removal of litter back to Scott Base for disposal;

• photography of all litter noted.

Environmental limits

None set.

Appendix II

Antarctica New Zealand Field Audit

74 Field Event Audit

Event: Permit: Site: Number personnel: Audited by: Date visited: Specific locations of campsite and installations:

Main activities:

Compliance with approved PEE and code of conduct: Waste correctly handled, no prohibited items used?

Measures taken to prevent spread of exotic organisms, deliberate introductions controlled as authorised?

Aware of protected areas/historic sites and following management plans?

Use of chemicals, explosives as authorised in approval/permit?

Interference with animals, sampling as authorised in approval/permit?

Other impacts (trampling, camping, dust, noise etc) as authorised, efforts made to minimise?

Fuel mats/trays in use, spill kits ready?

Avoiding disturbance to wildlife?

Safe camp set up?

Carbon monoxide poisoning?

Health and Safety Safe travel away from camp?

Other comments or concerns:

Appendix III

MSDS Sheet for Blue Circle MP Rapid set 60 grout

Data Sheet for Blue Circle MP Rapid set 60 grout

PRODUCT NAME M.P. RAPIDSET 60

1. IDENTIFICATION OF THE MATERIAL AND SUPPLIER Supplier Name BLUE CIRCLE SOUTHERN CEMENT LIMITED Address Clunies Ross Street, Prospect, NSW, AUSTRALIA, 2148 Telephone (02) 9033 4000 Fax (02) 9033 4055 Emergency 1800 033 111 Web Site http://www.bluecirclesoutherncement.com.au/

Synonym(s) M15 RAPID SET 60 • RAPID SET CEMENT (FORMERLY) • RAPID PATCH CONCRETE

Use(s) CEMENT • GROUT • MORTAR MSDS Date 14 March 2008 2. HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION CLASSIFIED AS HAZARDOUS ACCORDING TO NOHSC CRITERIA

NOT CLASSIFIED AS A DANGEROUS GOOD BY THE CRITERIA OF THE ADG CODE UN No. None Allocated DG Class None Allocated Subsidiary Risk(s) None Allocated Pkg Group None Allocated Hazchem Code None Allocated EPG None Allocated 3. COMPOSITION / INFORMATION ON INGREDIENTS

Ingredient Formula CAS No. Content SILICA, CRYSTALLINE - QUARTZ Si-O2 14808-60-7 30-60% FLY ASH Not Available 68131-74-8 10-30% MAGNESIUM OXIDE Mg-O 1309-48-4 10-30% MONOAMMONIUM PHOSPHATE N-H3.H3-P-O4 7722-76-1 10-30% DISPERSANT Not Available Not Available <5% HEXAVALENT CHROMIUM (CONTAMINANT) Not Available Not Available <0.1% 4. FIRST AID MEASURES Eye If in eyes, hold eyelids apart and flush the eye continuously with running water. Continue flushing until advised to stop by the PIC or a doctor, or for at least 15 minutes. Inhalation If inhaled, remove from contaminated area. Apply artificial respiration if not breathing. Skin If skin or hair contact occurs, remove contaminated clothing and flush skin and hair with running water. Continue flushing with water until advised to stop by the PIC or a doctor. Ingestion For advice, contact a Poison Information Centre on 13 11 26 (Australia Wide) or a doctor (at once). If swallowed, do not induce vomiting. Advice to Doctor Treat symptomatically First Aid Facilities Eye wash facilities should be available.

Page 1 of 4 RMT Reviewed: 14 Mar 2008 Printed: 14 Mar 2008

PRODUCT NAME M.P. RAPIDSET 60

5. FIRE FIGHTING MEASURES Flammability Non flammable. May evolve toxic gases if strongly heated. Fire and Non flammable. No fire or explosion hazard exists. Explosion Extinguishing Non flammable. Hazchem Code None Allocated 6. ACCIDENTAL RELEASE MEASURES Spillage If spilt (bulk), contact emergency services if appropriate. Wear dust-proof goggles, PVA/rubber gloves, a Class P1 (Particulate) respirator (where an inhalation risk exists), coveralls and rubber boots. Clear area of all unprotected personnel. Prevent spill entering drains or waterways. Collect and place in sealable containers for disposal or reuse. Avoid generating dust. 7. STORAGE AND HANDLING Storage Store in cool, dry, well ventilated area, removed from moisture, oxidising agents (eg. hydrogen fluoride, phosphorus oxide), acids, ethanol, interhalogens (eg. chlorine trifluoride) and foodstuffs. Ensure packages are adequately labelled, protected from physical damage and sealed when not in use. Handling Before use carefully read the product label. Use of safe work practices are recommended to avoid eye or skin contact and inhalation. Observe good personal hygiene, including washing hands before eating. Prohibit eating, drinking and smoking in contaminated areas. 8. EXPOSURE CONTROLS / PERSONAL PROTECTION

Exposure Stds TWA STEL Ingredient Reference ppm mg/m3 ppm mg/m3 Magnesium oxide (fume) NOHSC (AUS) -- 10.0 -- -- Silica, Crystalline Quartz NOHSC (AUS) -- 0.1 -- -- HEXAVALENT CHROMIUM (CONTAMINANT) ES-TWA: 0.05 mg/m3.

Biological Limits No biological limit allocated.

Engineering Do not inhale dust/ powder. Use with adequate natural ventilation. Where a dust inhalation hazard exists, Controls mechanical extraction ventilation is recommended. Maintain dust levels below the recommended exposure standard. PPE Wear dust-proof goggles and rubber or PVC gloves. When using large quantities or where heavy contamination is likely, wear coveralls. At high dust levels, wear a Full-face Class P3 (Particulate) or an Air-line respirator. Where an inhalation risk exists, wear a Class P1 (Particulate) Respirator.

9. PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES

Appearance GREY GRANULAR POWDER Solubility (water) < 200 g/L Odour SLIGHT ODOUR Specific Gravity NOT AVAILABLE pH 6.0 - 8.0 % Volatiles NOT AVAILABLE Vapour Pressure NOT AVAILABLE Flammability NON FLAMMABLE Vapour Density NOT AVAILABLE Flash Point NOT RELEVANT Boiling Point NOT AVAILABLE Upper Explosion Limit NOT RELEVANT Melting Point > 1200°C Lower Explosion Limit NOT RELEVANT Evaporation Rate NOT AVAILABLE Autoignition Temperature NOT AVAILABLE

Page 2 of 4 RMT Reviewed: 14 Mar 2008 Printed: 14 Mar 2008

PRODUCT NAME M.P. RAPIDSET 60

Density 1400 - 1800 kg/m3 (Bulk)

10. STABILITY AND REACTIVITY

Material to Avoid Incompatible with oxidising agents (eg hypochlorites), ethanol, acids (eg hydrofluoric acid) and interhalogens (eg chlorine trifluoride). Water contact may increase product temperature 2-3 C. Decomposition May evolve toxic gases if heated to decomposition.

11. TOXICOLOGICAL INFORMATION Health Hazard Slightly corrosive. Avoid eye or skin contact or dust inhalation. This product has the potential to cause acute and Summary chronic health effects with over exposure. In the wet state, this product does not present an inhalation hazard. Silica quartz can cause silicosis (lung disease) with chronic over exposure. Both crystalline silica and hexavalent chromium compounds are classified as carcinogenic to humans (IARC Group 1). Eye Corrosive - irritant. Severe irritant upon contact with powder/ dust. Over exposure may result in pain, redness, corneal burns and ulceration with possible permanent damage. Inhalation Slightly corrosive. Over exposure may result in severe mucous membrane irritation & bronchitis. Hexavalent chromium is reported to cause respiratory sensitisation, however due to the trace amount present, a hazard is not anticipated under normal conditions of use. Skin Slightly corrosive. Contact with powder or wetted form may result in rash and dermatitis. Potential sensitising agent. Ingestion Slightly corrosive. Ingestion may result in burns to the mouth and throat, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Ingestion is considered unlikely due to product form. Toxicity Data HEXAVALENT CHROMIUM (CONTAMINANT) (Not Available) Carcinogenicity: Confirmed human carcinogen (IARC Group 1) Health Surveillance: Required [NOHSC:1005(1994)] 12. ECOLOGICAL INFORMATION Environment Limited ecotoxicity data was available for this product at the time this report was prepared. Ensure appropriate measures are taken to prevent this product from entering the environment.

13. DISPOSAL CONSIDERATIONS Waste Disposal Reuse or recycle where possible. Alternatively, ensure product is covered with moist soil to prevent dust generation and dispose of to an approved landfill site. Contact the manufacturer for additional information. Legislation Dispose of in accordance with relevant local legislation. 14. TRANSPORT INFORMATION

NOT CLASSIFIED AS A DANGEROUS GOOD BY THE CRITERIA OF THE ADG CODE Shipping Name None Allocated UN No. None Allocated DG Class None Allocated Subsidiary Risk(s) None Allocated Pkg Group None Allocated Hazchem Code None Allocated EPG None Allocated

15. REGULATORY INFORMATION Poison Schedule A poison schedule number has not been allocated to this product using the criteria in the Standard for the Uniform Scheduling of Drugs and Poisons (SUSDP). AICS All chemicals listed on the Australian Inventory of Chemical Substances (AICS).

16. OTHER INFORMATION Additional CEMENT CONTACT DERMATITIS: Individuals using wet cement, mortar, grout or concrete could be at risk of Information developing cement dermatitis. Symptoms of exposure include itchy, tender, swollen, hot, cracked or blistering skin with the potential for sensitisation. The dermatitis is due to the presence of soluble (hexavalent) chromium.

RESPIRATORS: In general the use of respirators should be limited and engineering controls employed to avoid exposure. If respiratory equipment must be worn ensure correct respirator selection and training is undertaken. Remember that some respirators may be extremely uncomfortable when used for long periods. The use of air powered or air supplied respirators should be considered where prolonged or repeated use is necessary. Page 3 of 4 RMT Reviewed: 14 Mar 2008 Printed: 14 Mar 2008

PRODUCT NAME M.P. RAPIDSET 60

ABBREVIATIONS: ADB - Air-Dry Basis. BEI - Biological Exposure Indice(s) CAS# - Chemical Abstract Service number - used to uniquely identify chemical compounds. CNS - Central Nervous System. IARC - International Agency for Research on Cancer. M - moles per litre, a unit of concentration. mg/m3 - Milligrams per cubic metre. NOS - Not Otherwise Specified. pH - relates to hydrogen ion concentration using a scale of 0 (high acidic) to 14 (highly alkaline). ppm - Parts Per Million. TWA/ES - Time Weighted Average or Exposure Standard.

HEALTH EFFECTS FROM EXPOSURE: It should be noted that the effects from exposure to this product will depend on several factors including: frequency and duration of use; quantity used; effectiveness of control measures; protective equipment used and method of application. Given that it is impractical to prepare a Chem Alert report which would encompass all possible scenarios, it is anticipated that users will assess the risks and apply control methods where appropriate.

PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT GUIDELINES: The recommendation for protective equipment contained within this Chem Alert report is provided as a guide only. Factors such as method of application, working environment, quantity used, product concentration and the availability of engineering controls should be considered before final selection of personal protective equipment is made. Report Status This document has been compiled by RMT on behalf of the manufacturer of the product and serves as the manufacturer's Material Safety Data Sheet ('MSDS').

It is based on information concerning the product which has been provided to RMT by the manufacturer or obtained from third party sources and is believed to represent the current state of knowledge as to the appropriate safety and handling precautions for the product at the time of issue. Further clarification regarding any aspect of the product should be obtained directly from the manufacturer.

While RMT has taken all due care to include accurate and up-to-date information in this MSDS, it does not provide any warranty as to accuracy or completeness. As far as lawfully possible, RMT accepts no liability for any loss, injury or damage (including consequential loss) which may be suffered or incurred by any person as a consequence of their reliance on the information contained in this MSDS. Prepared By Risk Management Technologies 5 Ventnor Ave, West Perth Western Australia 6005 Phone: +61 8 9322 1711 Fax: +61 8 9322 1794 Email: [email protected] Web: www.rmt.com.au

MSDS Date:14 March 2008 End of Report

Page 4 of 4 RMT Reviewed: 14 Mar 2008 Printed: 14 Mar 2008 ProductProduct DataData SheetSheet

Typical Applications MP RAPID SET-60 • Bedding machinery with heavy static loads and dynamic operating forces Blue Circle Southern MP Rapid Set-60 is a • Grouting highly stressed anchorages, high performance, non-shrink, bridge supports or bedding plates Magnesium Phosphate grout and mortar. • Rail bedding • Rapid repair to all level concrete BCSC MP Rapid Set-60 uses no Portland surfaces cement and requires no pre-soak or wet • Industrial floor repairs cure. It produces rapid high early strength • Repairs to cold rooms, bridge decks, development and superior bonding to ramps, runways, loading docks etc. most surfaces. The special additives in • Repair of concrete subject to high the product combine to produce a fast thermal shock setting grout that can withstand traffic • Segmental construction within one day. • Bridge nosings and repairs • Runway lighting installation Engineering properties of the product such as Modulus of Elasticity, creep and co-efficient of thermal expansion, are Caution similar to those of Portland cement Do not use MP Rapid Set-60 for concrete. applications subjecting the product to immersion in water. Do not re-temper MP Rapid Set-60 by adding water or remixing. Features • Requires no pre-soaking or post curing The strength is very sensitive to water • Keeps downtime to a minimum, ready addition, so use the minimum consistent to use in hours not days with adequate workability (refer to • Excellent bond to concrete and steel performance data). Both Aluminium and Zinc (galvanising) react with this product • Comparable in appearance to ordinary causing slight etching and reduced bond concrete strength. The use of a protective coating is • Not affected by stray electrical currents recommended. MP RAPID SET-60

Additional Advantages Hot & Cold Conditions 0 • Some self-levelling properties Hot Conditions (over 40 C) Keep MP Rapid Set-60 cool. Use some iced water • Outstanding chemical bond ensures to extend working time. Dampen work superior bonding to existing concrete, area to cool the surface by evaporation masonry, steel and wood. before application and remove excess • Normal 28 day compressive strength of water. Shade the area if possible. concrete is reached in 3 hours. NOTE: Hot concrete surfaces may reduce the bond strength. Avoid placing MP Rapid Set-60 in these conditions. ProductProduct DataData SheetSheet

For extreme heat conditions, where Sufficient clearance must be allowed for service temperatures are in excess of the grout to flow under machinery and to 70ºC, strength loss in the order of 50% be strapped or chained. All free water can be expected. However, the product should be removed, particularly in bolt remains solid and will not break down. holes. Please note the hole diameter for anchor bolts should be 50mm or twice the Cold Conditions (below 00C): Heat the diameter of the bolts specified. concrete surface until warm to the touch. Warm the product and use some warm Mixing water to increase hardening rate and Positive-action mixing is virtually essential. maintain rapid strength development. Such as high shear paddle type mixers. Insulate worked area where possible. Hand mixing is not recommended. Potable water is essential. Typical Performance Data The following data is typical of the DO NOT ADD SAND or PORTLAND CEMENT performance which can be expected from TO MP Rapid Set-60. using MP Rapid Set-60 when mixed at an ambient temperature of 23oC. It is important to use as little water as possible to achieve the desired Property Flowable consistency. Place all the water in the

Water Demand @ 9%/wt. 1.8 litres mixing vessel and add the powder in a Wet Density: kg/m3 2320 steady stream while mixing. Two to three Initial Set Time: @ 230C 19 min. minutes mixing is usually sufficient. Drying Shrinkage @ 56 days Nil Compressive Strength @: 3 hours 30 MPa 24 hours 35 MPa The mix will initially appear too dry but will 7 days 45 MPa wet up once the chemicals dissolve. 28 days 60 MPa Do not add extra water. Flexural Strength @: 3 hours 7.3 MPa 7 days 8.7 MPa For One Hour Concrete: Up to 10kg of

Bond Strength: clean, round 10mm aggregate may be Pull out tests using no.4 reinforcing bars added to produce a “One Hour Concrete”. show a bond strength in excess of 7 MPa. Water addition can be up to 2 litres per 20kg bag to reach desired consistency. Note: Direct contact with aluminium or MP RAPID SET-60 galvanised steel is not recommended. Work time N.B.: The above data given is based on Mixed MP Rapid Set-60 should be placed laboratory testing under controlled conditions. and finished within 10 minutes. Setting Variations may occur in the field. time will vary depending on temperature.

Preparation Application Surfaces must be sound, clean preferably Immediately place the mixed product into dry. Edges must be square and at least prepared area, working full depth from one 15mm deep (No feathered edges). side to the other. Work in with rodding and Remove all dust, grease, any unsound tamping as required. concrete, oil and any substances that may interfere with the bond. The surface can be damp but not wet. No bonding agents are required. Grease all formwork as MP Rapid Set-60 will bond through a film of oil. ProductProduct DataData SheetSheet

Level off and screed to elevation of Safe Handling existing concrete. Seal edges with slight Manual handling of bagged products trowelling. Minimal finishing is required. without proper training may result in Flowable grout can be poured from one personal injury. Wherever possible you side only, quickly and continuously. Assist should use mechanical aids or share the removal of air pockets by “strapping” load with another person. under base plates. Curing - No curing required. The use of goggles, dust mask, barrier cream and rubber gloves is recommended. Provide adequate ventilation as mixed Yield product produces a strong ammonia One 20kg bag of MP Rapid Set-60 will smell. yield approximately 10 litres of mixed product. Or 100 bags per cubic metre. For further safety information consult the Blue Circle Southern Material Safety Data Availability Sheet for the product. BCSC MP Rapid Set-60 comes in 20kg plastic lined, multi-walled paper sacks. Stacked 60 bags per pallet.

Cleanup & Storage Clean all tools and equipment with water promptly after use. MP Rapid Set-60 is extremely hard to remove once it has set. Contact with air and moisture will cause hydration of the product. The “shelf life” of MP Rapid Set-60 is therefore dependent on storage conditions. It is recommended to retest the product before use if more than 12 months old. MP RAPID SET-60

For more information please contact:

Blue Circle Southern Cement Limited ABN: 62 008 528 523 www.bluecirclesoutherncement.com.au

Clunies Ross Street, Prospect NSW 2148 P.O. Box 42 Wentworthville, NSW 2145 Telephone: (02) 9033 4000 Facsimile: (02) 9033 4055

Note: The information stated herein and all advice given should be taken as a guide only. Both are given in good faith and are to the best of our knowledge true and accurate and are intended to give a fair description of the product and it capabilities under specific test conditions. No guarantee of the accuracy or completeness of the information is made and persons receiving the information should make their own tests to determine suitability thereof in all respects for their particular purpose. Revised May 06