STRATEGIC UNIT FOR PROJECTS, BUSINESSES AND ASSOCIATED SERVICES GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES SERVICE CENTER ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SERVICE CENTER ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STUDY LAS PAILAS GEOTHERMAL PROJECT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT DECLARATION (EID) SETENA FILE No. 788-04 1 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STUDY LAS PAILAS GEOTHERMAL PROJECT. GENERAL TABLE OF CONTENTS General Table of Contents i Work Team’s Introduction v ii Environmental Impact Study Executing Entity viii iii Preface ix CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Introduction 1 CHAPTER 2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION 2.1. General Considerations 3 2.1.1 Location 3 2.1.2 Project Justification 3 2.1.3 Background 5 2.2 Project Description 7 2.2.1. Total Investment Amount 9 2.2.2 Constructive Elements of the Fluid Sluicing 11 System 2.2.3 Constructive Elements of the Civil Works 13 2.2.4 Elements of Security and Hygiene 14 2.2.5 Contingency Plan 14 2.2.6 Areas of Environmental Influence 15 CHAPTER 3 DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT 3.1. Physical Environment 19 3.1.1 Water Resources 19 3.1.2 Air Resources 20 3.1.3 Land Resources 21 3.2. Biotic Environment 23 CHAPTER 4 SOCIAL AND CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT 4.1 Historical Background of Curubandé 25 2 CHAPTER 5 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN 5.1 Environmental Management Setup 35 5.2 Monitoring and Follow-up Plan 36 INDEX OF FIGURES 2.1 Project Location 4 2.2 Sluicing System Plan 12 2.3 Area of Environmental Influence 16 INDEX OF TABLES 2.1 Comparison between Capital Cost and Net Power Generation 10 2.2 Comparative Generation of the Plant and Operation Charges for Evaporation and Binary Plants 10 5.1 Las Pilas GP Environmental Management Plan 38 INDEX OF ILLUSTRATIONS 4.1 Las Pailas Geothermal Project Surroundings 25 4.2 Curubandé Center in Liberia. 27 3 I. -{}-WORK TEAM'S INTRODUCTION The following professionals, all employees of the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity (ICE), have participated as a multidisciplinary group in the creation of this Environmental Impact Study: [Signature] Forestry Expert David Guadamuz Leal. Engineer License No. 36-95 SETENA Registry Number 136-03 [Signature] Geographer Max Ureña Ferrero, MSc. SETENA Registry Number 166-96 [Signature] Engineer Laura Carmona. Morera License No. 6153 SETENA Registry Number 105-99 [Signature] Economist Dora Carias Vega, MSc. License No. 13554 SETENA Registry Number 26-98 [Signature] Archeologist Ana Cristina Hernández Alpizar, Bachelor’s degree SETENA Registry Number 030-99 [Signature] Sociologist Alejandro Aguilar Sura, Bachelor’s degree License No. 10598 SETENA Registry Number 86-01 [Signature] Geologist Guillermo Alvarado Induni, PhD License No. 103 SETENA Registry Number 106-99 [Signature] Statistical Economist Sergio Guillen Murillo, Bachelor’s degree 4 License No. 1971 SETENA Registry Number Cl 116-2004. [Signature] Geologist Manuel Barrantes License No. 258 SETENA Registry Number 147-2004 [Signature] Engineer Hartman Guido Sequeira (Atmosphere) License No. ICO-8338 SETENA Registry Number 098-01 [Signature] Chemist Antonio Yock License No. 234 SETENA Registry Number 146-2004 [Signature] Engineer Joaquín Guerrero Vega License No. ICO-2891 SETENA Registry Number 172-2004 [Signature] Biologist Fernando Chavarría Picado, Coordinator C.B.C.R. License No. 526 SETENA Registry Number 0171-96 [Signature] Geographer Joaquín Méndez Arguello, Bachelor’s degree SETENA Registry Number 079-01 [Signature] Geographer Randall Acuña Torres, Lic. SETENA Registry Number 0176-96 [Signature] Engineer Miguel Chinchilla Acuña License Number No. 3559 SETENA Registry Number 140-98 [Signature] Geographer Gerardina Araya Astorga, Bachelor’s degree SETENA Registry Number 037-99 [Signature] Attorney Claudio Zeledón Rovira, Bachelor’s degree SETENA Registry Number 136-2001 [Seal]: CLAUDIO GMO. ZELEDON ROVIRA ATTORNEY AND NOTARY SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA 5 I authenticate: [Signature] [Illegible seal] Collaborations: We especially appreciate the collaboration of the following persons that with their support and suggestions made of this study a better quality document: Engineer Jorge Valverde Barrantes, Director of the Environmental Management Center, for his technical support and general review of the study; to Geographer Rogelio Zeledón Ureña, for his coordination before the Feasibility study; to Mr. Luis Artavia Alpízar for his contribution to SIG, his calculations and Plan Design, to the Master of Science Virginia Cascante Madrigal, for her help with the communities; to the Engineer Alejandro Luna for her contribution to the Transmission Lines; to the Geologist Rafael Barquero Picado for his contribution in seismic threat; to the Geologist Fernando Molina Zúñiga, for his collaboration on underground water and geology; to the Bachelor’s degree holder Ricardo Zalazar Campos for his collaboration on Occupational Health, to the Geologist Ricardo Soto Bonilla for his contribution in Vulcanology; to the Forestry Expert Jesús Vasquez, for his contribution in the field work, dumps, and waste; to the Engineer Javier Villalobos for his technical contribution, to the Master of Science Alberto Vargas Villalobos, to Mr. Gustavo Robles Viales; for his collaboration in field work and recognition of the zone; for his collaboration with calculations, to the Biologist Oscar Chávez Badilla for his contribution in biology and Ms. Francini Aguilar Carballo for her logistical help. Also to those ICE Service Centers, which provided technical information about seismology, soil, physicochemical and hydrologic analysis, underground exploration, geothermics and design. 6 ii. ENTITY EXECUTING THE STUDY The Costa Rican Electricity Institute (Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad - ICE), through the Environmental Management Center, the coordinating entity of the Las Pailas Geothermal Project Environmental Impact Study (EsIA), was created as an Autonomous Institution in the year 1949 and was conceived from its origin as the governing entity and main executor of the development and administration of the national electric industry. Public Services Regulatory Law, Law No. 7593 from September 5, 1996, in its Article 71 “authorizes public institutions that provide services to sell directly to other public or private companies or institutions, national or foreign, advising services, consulting, training or any other activity for which they are qualified.” ICE submitted for the consideration of the National Environmental Technical Secretariat the documentation required to process its registration in the Environmental Consultant Registry, and it became registered as a consulting company in record No. 0030 - 96. Also as independent consultants to the multidisciplinary group that created the environmental impact study. For the purpose of fulfilling the current national environmental guidelines established in the Organic Environmental Law No. 7554, the environmental guidelines established by the National Environmental Technical Secretariat (SETENA) of the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE), and the Ministry of Health, Las Pailas Geothermal Environmental Project Evaluation has been requested to the corresponding entities, through the presentation of the FEAP No. 788-04, on September 13, 2004 and through resolution No. 2487-2004-SETENA of December 13, 2004 SETENA resolved in session No. 046-2004 to continue with the environmental evaluation process, for which purpose the Environmental Impact Study was requested, through the requirements indicated in FETER of December 14, 2004. The administrative file, from SETENA referring to the Las Pailas Geothermal Project, corresponds to No. 788-04, of September 13, 2004. The Environmental Impact Study, carried out by ICE, in this sense fulfills the requirements requested in the FETER, and describes among other things the technical elements of the Project, detailed description of the environment in all its components (physical, biotic and human), the environmental impacts of all the areas involved, procedures and responsible parties for the actions to consider during the construction and operation of the Machine Hall, in the Environmental Management Plan. 7 iii. PREFACE This report is the result of the Environmental Impact Study (EsIA), of the Las Pailas Geothermal Project, to be developed by the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) in the Canton of Liberia, in the Province of Guanacaste. The installation of this geothermal plant is necessary to support the hydroelectric plants during maintenance and contingency periods, and also during dry seasons; times in which the hydroelectric system is most affected by climate variation, as well as to improve the availability of electricity in the country. For the case being studied, the environmental needs are defined with respect to the distance between the geothermal plant and the neighboring population centers, as well as the needs for access routes, location, water supply and basic services. The environmental aspects, such as contamination by solids, liquids or gases and noise due to the plant operation, are aspects that are analyzed in this study, in addition to the remaining social, biotic and abiotic aspects related to geothermal plants. Conditions with the greatest wind speed are most favorable for the dispersion of gasses, as well as those with the most stable atmosphere, given that the current of contaminants is distributed further from the emission point before it reaches the ground level. For the characteristics of the equipment itself that will be installed, a source of controlled noise will be established, which would potentially affect the operators first, who will need to use