VOLTA RIVER AUTHORATY Public Disclosure Authorized
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VOLTA RIVER AUTHORATY Public Disclosure Authorized / / / 2 / ~~E51 v. 6 December 2000 PROPO I TRANSMISSI LINE / - RESTr- -OBUASI Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized ENVI ME eL IMPACT STATEMENT t -e Public Disclosure Authorized Ln: C Tema, Ghana In association with Mouchel Consulting Limited, UK LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AC - ALTlERNATING CURRENT AGC - ASI-IANTI GOLDFIELDS COMPANY BGL - 130GOSO GOLD LIMITED CGL - DUNKWA CONTINENTAL GOLDFIELDS LIMITED CITES - CONVENTION ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN ENDANGERED SPECIES OF WILD FLORA AND FAUNA EC - ENERGY COMMISSION EGG - ELECTRICITY COMIPANY OF GF-IANA EIA - ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT EIS - ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTr STATEMENT EMI - ELECTRO MAGNETIC FIELD (or ELECTRIC AND MAGNEITIC FIELD) EMII - ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT* PLAN EPIA - ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY FAO - FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANISATION GNIPC - Gl-lANA NATIONAL PETROLEUM CORPORATION GR{IDCO - NAT'IONAL GRID COMPANY LT'D I-IZ - I-Icrtz (Cyclcs pcr sccond) ICAO - INTERNATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION ORGANISATION ISO - INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS ORGANISATION IUCN - INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR TH-lE CONSERVATION 01 NATURE LVB3 - LAND VALUATION BOARD NED - NORTI-IERN ELECrRICITY DEPARTMENT OPGW - COMPOSITE OPTIC FIBRE WIRE l'OTL - I'PRESTEA - OBUASI T'IANSMISSION LINE IRoW - IUGllT-OF-WAY -ITAl'CO - T'AKORADI POWER COMIPANY L1TD. USDA - UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE VALCO - VOLT'A ALUMINIUM COMPANY LT'D. VRA - VOLT'A RIVER AU'ITIHORITYI' Table of Contents Table of Contents Page Executivc Summary I I Introduction 12 1.1 Scope of Study 12 1.2 Background - Volta River Authority (VRA) 13 1.3 Proposed Prestea - Obuasi Transmission Line (POTL) 14 1.4 Legal, Administrative and Policy Consideration 15 2. Dcscription of the Proposed Project 19 2.0 Pre - Construction Activities 19 2.2 Constr-uction Activities 20 2.3 Operationlal Activitics 22 3 Description of the Existing Environment 27 3.1 Bio-Physical environment 27 3.1. I Climate 27 3.1.2 Flora 31 3.1.3 Foiest Rcsources 32 3.1 .3a Conscrvation and Utilisation Status 33 3.1.4 Fauna 34 3.1.5 Watcr Resources 38 3.1.5 a Conservation 39 3.1.6 Geology and Soils 39 3.1 .6a The Soils - Classification and General Evaluation 41 3.1.7 Mineral Resources 46 3.2 Socio - Economic / Cultural Environment 47 3.2.1 Methodology 48 3.2.2 Profile of the Districts in the Project Area 49 3.2.2a Wassa West District 49 3.2.2b Wassa Amenfi District 51 3.2.2c Upper Denkyira District 54 3.2.2d Amansic East District 56 3.2.2e Adansi West District 59 3.3 The Existing Transmission Lines (Prestea-Obuasi) 61 3.3.1 Power Supply to Settlement along thle Route 63 4 Significant Environmental Impacts And Proposcd Mitigation 64 4.1 Potenitial Prc-Constructional Impacts and Mitigation 66 4.2 Potential Construction Impacts and Mitigation 68 4.3 Operation and Maintenance Impacts and Mitigation 76 4.4 Socio-Economnic /Cultural Impacts and Mitigation 81 4.5 Special Issues of Concern 86 4.5.1 Impact on Sacred Grove at Bogosu 86 4.5.2 'I'hc Opon - Mansi Denyau Forest Reserve 87 4.5.3 Electromagnletic Field (EMF) effects 88 4.5.4 Payment of Compensation 95 5 Monitoring 101 5.1 Constructional Phase 101 5.2 Waste Management 102 5.3 Operation and Maintenance Phase 103 5.4 Socio-cconomic /cultural issues 103 6 Consideration Of Altcrnatives 104 6.1 No-development Scenario 104 6.2 Up-grading Existing Facilities 105 6.3 Alternatives Modes of Transmission 106 6.4 Alternative Tower Design and Material 107 6.5 Alternative Routes 108 7 P'rovisional Environmental Management Plan and Training 109 7.1 Enlvironimental Management Structure 109 7.1.1 Quality of Project Environmental Personnel 110 7.1.2 Functionis of Project Environmental Team 110 7.1.3 Project Environmental coordinator III 7.1.4 I'roject Environmenital Assistants 112 7.2 General Health and Safety Procedures 112 7.2.1 Safety Guidelines for Forestry Work 113 7.2.2 Safety Guidelincs for Transmission Line Work 113 7.3 Pollution Prevention 114 7.3.1 Planning and Preparation 114 7.3.2 Site Offices (Base Camp) 114 7.3.3 Storage, Handling and Disposal of Materials/Oils/Chemicals 115 7.3.4 Concrete Works 116 7.3.5 Silty Water Discharge 116 7.4 Waste Disposal 117 7.5 Management of work Camp 117 7.6 Training Programme 119 7.7 Allocation of Resources for Environmental Management 119 8 Consultations - Interagency and Public Involvement 123 8.1 Public Consultaions 123 8.2 Concernis Raiscd 124 8.3 Further Consultations 127 8.4 Consultationis with Agencies 127 9 Conclusion 131 iv List of Figures Number Title 1-1 Map of VRA National Transmission Network 1-2 Map of Ghana Showing General Project Area 1-3 Map Showing Proposed and Original Lines 3-1 Vcgctation and Rivers 3-2 Soils and Road Network 3-3 Communities, Roads and Rail Network 4 - I Sketch Showing Levels of Vegetation Clearing 4 -2 Transmission Line through Opon - Mansi Forest Reserve 4 -3 Transmission Line through Denyau Forest Reserve 1.4 Reduction in EMF with distance for different EMF Emitters 6-1 Map of Existing OPGW Network 6-2 Map of Future OPGW Network 7-1 Organisational Chart, Department of Real and Estate Environmiiienit 7-2 Organisational Chart, Proposed Project Environmental Tcam v List of Tables Number Title 3-la Average Monthly Rainfall at Axim 3-l b Average Monthly Rainfall at Bogosu 3-IC Average Monthly Rainfall at Kumasi 3-1 d Average Monthly Temperature at Axim 3-Ie Average Monthly Temperature at Bogosu 3-1 f Average Monthly Temperature at Kumasi 3-ig Average Monthly Relative Humidity at Axim 3-lhi Average Monthly Relative H-lumidity at Bogosu '3-1 i Avcrage Montlhly Relative Hlumidity at Kumasi 3-2a Ecological Signiificance and Conservationi Status Ratings 3-2b Summary of Conservation Status of Species in the Project Area 3-2c Summary of Ecological Guilds/ Signiificanec of Species in Projcct Arca. 3.3 List of Fauna in Project Area and their Conservationi Status 3r.4 List of Districts and Communities in Project Area 3.5 Details of Existing Transmission Line Segments (Prestea - Obuasi) 4.1 Impact Identification Matrix 4.2 Indicative values of Magnetic Fields 4.3 Maximum Electric and Magnetic Fields below Power Lincs vi List of Annexes Number Title Annex I Terms of Reference / Relevant Regulations Annex 2 Extracts, VRA Specifications Annex 3 Baseline Data Annex 4 Chemicals Data / EMF Research Annex 5 Extracts of Project Fcasibility Annex 6 Consultations Annicx 7 Plates vii Executive Summary I'RESTIA-OIUIASI IRANSMISSIONI.INE - I:INAI. I:IS Executive Summary The Volta River Authority (VRA), proposes to construct a new 161 KV Power Transmission Line from Prestea in the Western Region to Obuasi in the Ashanti Region in order to enhance the power carrying capacity of the transmission network in the western segment of Ghana. Under the provisions of the Ghana Environmental Assessment Regulations, 1999 (LI 1652), erection of Power Transmission Lines falls under the catcgory of Environmenlally Critical Projects for whichi EIA is mandatory; the proposed project has thcrefore been duly registered with the EPA. Scoping for the EIA has already been carried out and the Terms of Reference for thc EIA study have been agreed with the EPA. T-his chapter is a non-tecirnical summary of the main components of the Environmenital Impact Statjllemet, with emphasis on the main significant impacts and proposed mitigation rccommendationis. * llackground - Volta Rivcr Authority (VRA) Thc VRA was established in 1961 and is engaged in the business of generation, transmiissioni and distribution of electricity in Glhana. The Authority also supplies power to neighbouring utilities in La Cote d'lvoirc, Bcniin and Togo. T[Lie VRA owns and opcrates a countrywide transmission systcm for the distributioni of bulk electric power in Ghana. The system was first commissioned in 1965 along withl thle Akosombo I lydroclctric Gcncrationl Plant. The Authority also supplies all the bulk consumrcs of electrical power in Ghania and domestic consumers in the northerni sector of the counlry. * Proposed Prestea-Obuasi Transmission Line (POTL). VRA proposes to expand the Westcrn segment of the existing transmission nletwork by constructing an additional line from Prestea to Obuasi. Rcl,hI - MouLghcN/VRA/1O IJULIS I PRESTIEA-01lASI lTRANSMISSION lINE: - FINAL. I.IS This additional line is required in order to provide stability in the whole transmission network which is currently experiencing severe stresses on some major segments, even under normal operational conditions. System studies have revealed that the most vulnerable segiments are along the western sector involving Prestea, Bogoso, New Obuasi and Obuasi. The systems studies further revealed that the loss of the Prestea-Bogoso segment will lead to total collapse of the whole national system. This sector is significant not only for the economic importance of the increasing mining activities in the area but also because the current additions to the country's power generation capacity arc both in the Western Region. These are the expansion of the Takoradi Generating station at Aboadze to 600 MW and the new GNPC 140 MW Plant to be stationed at Effasu. In addition, during the current retrofit of the Akosombo Hydroelectric plant, the additional power supply requirements are either provided from Aboadze or imported from La Cote d'lvoire and.passes along the western segment. * Legal and Policy Considerations The various legal and policy issues affecting the implementation of the project have been reviewed. The siginificanit legislation concerned are: * Environmental Assessment Regulations, 1999 (LI 1652), * Energy Commission Act, 1997 (Act 541), * Volta River Development Act, 1961 (Act 46), * Lands Statutory Wayleaves Act, 1963 (Act 186), * Ghania Land Policy, 1999 * Volta River Authority (Transmission Line Protection) Regulations, 1967 (LI 542), * World Bank's Operational Directive 4.01, "Environmental Assessment", Ihe implicalions of these regulationls on the acquisition of the right-of-way (RoW) are discussed and forms the basis of subsequent evaluation of aspects of the impacts on the socio- economlilc/cultural environment regarding loss of land use.