FEIAR Final 130312X

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FEIAR Final 130312X Report No: 5748A/106563 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT PROCESS: PROPOSED WIND ENERGY FACILITY NEAR COPPERTON, NORTHERN CAPE DEA REF. NO. 12/12/20/2099 FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT REPORT March 2012 CONSULTANT PROPONENT Aurecon South Africa (Pty) Ltd Plan 8 Infinite Energy (Pty) Ltd PO Box 494 100 New Church St Cape Town Cape Town 8000 8001 Tel: (021) 527 6027 Tel: (021) 801 7272 Fax : (0 21 ) 527 9500 Fax : (021 ) 422 2621 Email: [email protected] Email : [email protected] Aurecon (2012) No unauthorised reproduction, copy or adaptation, in whole or in part, may be made. Proposed Wind Energy Facility near Copperton, Northern Cape: EIA Report Page i PROJECT DETAILS REFERENCE NO. 12/12/20/2099 PROJECT NO. 106563 TITLE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT REPORT AUTHORS & PREPARED BY Louise Corbett of Aurecon South Africa (Pty) Ltd CLIENT Plan 8 Infinite Energy (Pty) Ltd CLIENT REPRESENTATIVE Zuben Jessa REPORT STATUS Final REPORT NUMBER 5748A/106563 REPORT DATE March 2012 Author: ................................................ LOUISE CORBETT (Pr. Sci. Nat.) Practitioner: Environmental &Advisory Services Approved by: ................................................ ANDRIES VAN DER MERWE (Pr.Eng.) Technical Director: Environmental & Advisory Services This report is to be referred to in bibliographies as: AURECON. 2012. Proposed Wind Energy Facility near Copperton, Northern Cape: Final Environmental Impact Assessment Report. Report No. 5748A/106563 Aurecon (2012) No unauthorised reproduction, copy or adaptation, in whole or in part, may be made. Proposed Wind Energy Facility near Copperton, Northern Cape: EIA Report Page ii CONTENTS PROJECT DETAILS ................................................................................................................... I CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................... II LIST OF ANNEXURES ............................................................................................................. IV LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................... IV LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................................... V GLOSSARY OF TERMS .......................................................................................................... VII ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................................................... VIII 1 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND ............................................................................ 1 1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Legal requirements ................................................................................................... 2 1.2.1 National Environmental Management Act, No. 107 of 1998 ........................ 2 1.2.2 National Heritage Resources Act, No. 25 of 1999 ....................................... 7 1.2.3 Astronomy Geographic Advantage Act, No. 21 of 2007 .............................. 7 1.2.4 Aviation Act, No. 74 of 1962 ....................................................................... 8 1.2.5 National Road Traffic Act, No. 93 of 1996 (as amended) ............................ 9 1.2.6 National Water Act, No. 36 of 1998............................................................. 9 1.2.1 Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act, No. 43 of 1983 ..................... 10 1.3 Terms of reference and Scope of the EIA ............................................................... 10 1.3.1 Guidelines ................................................................................................ 10 1.4 Approach to the project ........................................................................................... 11 1.4.1 Initial Application Phase ............................................................................ 11 1.4.2 The Scoping Phase .................................................................................. 11 1.4.3 The EIA Phase ......................................................................................... 14 1.4.4 The public participation process ............................................................... 14 1.4.5 Authority involvement ............................................................................... 15 1.4.6 Decision making ....................................................................................... 16 1.5 Assumptions and limitations .................................................................................... 17 1.5.1 Assumptions ............................................................................................. 17 1.5.2 Gaps in knowledge ................................................................................... 17 1.6 Independence ......................................................................................................... 17 1.7 Details and expertise of the eapS who compiled the eia report ............................... 18 1.8 Structure of the EIA Report ..................................................................................... 18 2 RELEVANT ENERGY LEGISLATION AND POLICIES ................................................... 21 2.1 Policies regarding greenhouse gas and carbon emission ........................................ 21 2.2 White Paper on the Energy Policy of the Republic of South Africa (1998) ............... 22 2.3 White Paper on Renewable Energy (2003) ............................................................. 22 2.4 National Energy Act (No. 34 of 2008) and Electricity Regulation Act (No. 4 of 2006)... ............................................................................................................................... 23 2.5 IPP Procurement Process ....................................................................................... 24 2.6 Integrated Energy Plan for the Republic of South Africa .......................................... 25 2.7 Integrated Resource Plan ....................................................................................... 26 2.8 Regional Methodology for Wind Energy Site Selection- a DEA&DP Guideline document (2006) ............................................................................................................. 27 Aurecon (2012) No unauthorised reproduction, copy or adaptation, in whole or in part, may be made. Proposed Wind Energy Facility near Copperton, Northern Cape: EIA Report Page iii 3 THE PROPOSED ACTIVITY ........................................................................................... 29 3.1 The need for the proposed activity .......................................................................... 29 3.2 Description of the proposed activity ......................................................................... 29 3.2.1 Components of a wind turbine .................................................................. 30 3.2.2 Construction and operation of the proposed wind energy facility .............. 34 3.3 Consideration of alternatives ................................................................................... 38 3.3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................... 38 3.3.2 Location alternatives ................................................................................. 39 3.3.3 Activity alternatives ................................................................................... 40 3.3.4 Site layout alternatives.............................................................................. 41 3.3.5 Technology alternatives ............................................................................ 41 3.3.6 Summary of alternatives ........................................................................... 44 4 ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIAL IMPACTS AND POSSIBLE MITIGATION MEASURES .. ........................................................................................................................................ 45 4.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 45 4.2 OPERATIONAL PHASE IMPACTS ON BIOPHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT ............... 46 4.2.1 Impact on flora .......................................................................................... 46 4.2.2 Impact on avifauna (birds) ........................................................................ 52 4.2.3 Impact on bats .......................................................................................... 57 4.2.4 Impacts on fauna ...................................................................................... 61 4.2.5 Impact on climate change ......................................................................... 62 4.3 Operational phase impacts on socio-economic environment ................................... 65 4.3.1 Impact on heritage resources (including palaeontology) ........................... 65 4.3.2 Visual impacts .......................................................................................... 70 4.3.3 Impact on energy production .................................................................... 76 4.3.4 Impact on local economy (employment) and social conditions .................. 77 4.3.5 Impact on agricultural land .......................................................................
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