Sutherland WEF EGI
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Map 11 Visual sensitivity map of the properties hosting the proposed electrical infrastructure. VISUAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT pg 80 Map 12 Map showing various renewable energy projects in the region surrounding the Sutherland electrical infrastructure project. The map shows the properties on which the projects will be developed and not the footprints of the proposed developments. VISUAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT pg 81 HERITAGE IMPACT ASSESSMENT: PROPOSED CONSTRUCTION OF A SUBSTATION AND 132 KV DISTRIBUTION LINE TO SUPPORT THE PROPOSED SUTHERLAND WEF, SUTHERLAND AND LAINGSBURG MAGISTERIAL DISTRICTS, NORTHERN AND WESTERN CAPE SAHRA Case ID: 10493 HWC Case No.: 17020605AS0207E Required under Section 38 (8) of the National Heritage Resources Act (No. 25 of 1999). Report for: CSIR – Environmental Management Services P.O. Box 320, Stellenbosch, 7599 Tel: 031 242 2318 Email: [email protected] On behalf of: South Africa Mainstream Renewable Power Developments (Pty) Ltd Dr Jayson Orton ASHA Consulting (Pty) Ltd 6A Scarborough Road, Muizenberg, 7945 Tel: (021) 788 8425 | 083 272 3225 Email: [email protected] 1st draft: 24 March 2017 2nd draft: 21 May 2017 Final report: 27 June 2017 Specialist declaration I, Jayson Orton, as the appointed independent specialist, in terms of the 2014 EIA Regulations, hereby declare that I: • I act as the independent specialist in this application; • I perform the work relating to the application in an objective manner, even if this results in views and findings that are not favourable to the applicant; • regard the information contained in this report as it relates to my specialist input/study to be true and correct, and do not have and will not have any financial interest in the undertaking of the activity, other than remuneration for work performed in terms of the NEMA, the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations, 2014 and any specific environmental management Act; • I declare that there are no circumstances that may compromise my objectivity in performing such work; • I have expertise in conducting the specialist report relevant to this application, including knowledge of the Act, Regulations and any guidelines that have relevance to the proposed activity; • I will comply with the Act, Regulations and all other applicable legislation; • I have no, and will not engage in, conflicting interests in the undertaking of the activity; • I have no vested interest in the proposed activity proceeding; • I undertake to disclose to the applicant and the competent authority all material information in my possession that reasonably has or may have the potential of influencing - any decision to be taken with respect to the application by the competent authority; and - the objectivity of any report, plan or document to be prepared by myself for submission to the competent authority; • I have ensured that information containing all relevant facts in respect of the specialist input/study was distributed or made available to interested and affected parties and the public and that participation by interested and affected parties was facilitated in such a manner that all interested and affected parties were provided with a reasonable opportunity to participate and to provide comments on the specialist input/study; • I have ensured that the comments of all interested and affected parties on the specialist input/study were considered, recorded and submitted to the competent authority in respect of the application; • all the particulars furnished by me in this specialist input/study are true and correct; and • I realise that a false declaration is an offence in terms of regulation 48 and is punishable in terms of section 24F of the Act. Name of Specialist: _____JAYSON ORTON___________________ Signature of the specialist: _____ _________________________ Date: __________24 MARCH 2017______________________ ASHA Consulting (Pty) Ltd | Reg. no.: 2013/220482/07 iii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. Site Name Electrical grid infrastructure to support the proposed Sutherland Wind Energy Facility (WEF) 2. Location The proposed power line would traverse the following properties (listed from west to east as for Alternative 2): • Northern Cape: Remaining Extent of Beeren Valley 150, Remaining Extent of Nooitgedacht 148, Remaining Extent of Hartbeesfontein 147, Portion 1 and Remaining Extent of Farm 219; and • Western Cape: Farm 280, Portion 1 of Rheebokkfontein 4, Portion 2 of Rheebokkfontein 4, Portion 2 of De Molen 5, Portion 6 of Hamelkraal 16, and Portion 7 of Hamelkraal 16. The proposed distribution line would run from an on-site substation at S32° 38’ 38” E20° 54’ 52” to one of two proposed third party substations (i.e. the proposed collector hub and Eskom Nuwerust Substation) to the east, neither of which are part of the present assessment. The easternmost substation would be located at S32° 42’ 00” E21° 15' 32”. There are two alternatives for the third party substation and associated distribution line routing, with the first being confined to Northern Cape and the second extending further east into Western Cape. 3. Locality Plan 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 km N SUTHERLAND 3220 (Mapping information supplied by Chief Directorate: National Geo-Spatial Information. Website: wwwi.ngi.gov.za) R354 NORTHERN CAPE WESTERN CAPE Map showing the location of the study area. Alternative 1 is shown in pink, while Alternative 2 follows the same alignment but extends along the green line to the east. ASHA Consulting (Pty) Ltd | Reg. no.: 2013/220482/07 iv 4. Description of Proposed Development It is proposed to construct the following: • An on-site substation in Northern Cape with an operations and maintenance building and a laydown area; • A 132 kV distribution line extending from the on-site substation to a third party substation in Northern Cape (Alternative 1; about 14 km long) or Western Cape (Alternative 2, about 41 km long); • A connection to the relevant third party substation; and • A service road below the power line (the road deviates from the power line in one short section of Alternative 2). It should be noted that there are three separate power line applications being conducted simultaneously. Should all three be approved and receive preferred bidder status then it is proposed to link them to one another as follows: a single line would be constructed from each of the proposed Sutherland 2 WEF and Rietrug WEF Substations to the proposed Sutherland WEF Substation with only a single line being constructed from the Sutherland WEF substation on to either of the Alternative 1 or 2 termini. Both alternatives for all three projects end at the same point in the east (the yellow and orange substations in Figure 1) but start in different places in the west. 5. Heritage Resources Identified Archaeological remains are generally scarce but are found throughout the area. Very little Stone Age material was found with just two ‘sites’ being recorded: a kraal complex and a geometric rock art site. Isolated stone artefacts were remarkably rare. The vast majority of archaeological remains found were historical and ranged from a ruined farm complex to small, isolated ruined structures and isolated individual artefacts. Alternative 2 has more significant sites in close proximity to it but, because the alignment was devised by the present author to avoid these sites, significant impacts are not expected. Just one site, a small ruined stone structure, may be directly impacted; it lies within the development envelope of the proposed Sutherland on-site substation but may be avoided by the final layout. Although palaeontological resources were found throughout much of the study area, the vast majority were of very limited significance. Two important fossil sites were found but both were located away from the proposed power line footprint and impacts are not expected. Some graveyards and buildings are present in the area but are located well away from the proposed power line alignments and no impacts are expected. The rural cultural landscape extends throughout the study area but, aside from fences and farm tracks, human interventions are generally very sparse. The site lies within a proposed Renewable Energy Development Zone (REDZ) and it is noted that a new electrical layer is due to be added to this landscape in the very near future. ASHA Consulting (Pty) Ltd | Reg. no.: 2013/220482/07 v 6. Anticipated Impacts on Heritage Resources Both Alternative 1 and Alternative 2 have heritage sites within a few hundred metres of their alignments but direct impacts are not expected. However, a potentially sensitive part of Alternative 2 could not be surveyed in the field. Just one heritage resource was found to lie directly within the proposed development envelope and that was a small stone ruin within the proposed on-site substation area. It is also noted that the Stone Age kraal complex is bisected by an access road that might be used during development. The greater landscape, especially along the escarpment, is visually significant but because it lies within a proposed REDZ the area is very likely to be devoted to renewable energy developments (some facilities are already scheduled for construction in 2017) and the proposed electrical grid infrastructure would thus not be out of place. 7. Recommendations Because there are unlikely to be significant impacts to heritage resources it is recommended that the proposed development be authorised. However, the following conditions should be incorporated into the Environmental Authorisation: • Any areas not yet surveyed should be examined