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 2 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 3 8. REMEDIATION 67 9. CONCLUSIONS 68 10. REFERENCES 69 11. APPENDICES 71 4 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. 5 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). 6 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 7 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. 8 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). 9 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. 10 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