RED CAP ENERGY NUWEVELD NORTH WIND FARM TRAFFIC IMPACT ASSESSMENT
Report prepared for: Report prepared by:
Red Cap Energy (Pty) Ltd Athol Schwarz of of Unit B2, Mainstream Centre, 45 Raven St, Main Road, West Beach, Hout Bay Table View 7806 7441
Phone: +27 (0) 21 790 1392 Mobile: +27 (0) 82 777 1961
Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]
Scoping Report (Rev 2) – 18 th September 2020
CONTENT Topic Page 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...... 1 2 PROJECT SPECIFICATIONS ...... 2 3 ABBREVIATIONS ...... 4 4 GLOSSARY ...... 4 5 INTRODUCTION ...... 4 5.1 TERMS OF REFERENCE ...... 4 5.2 SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES ...... 5 5.2.1 Scope ...... 5 5.2.2 Objectives ...... 5 5.3 LEGISLATION AND PERMIT REQUIREMENTS ...... 6 5.3.1 Roads ...... 6 5.3.2 Vehicle Dimensions ...... 6 5.3.3 Vehicle Loads ...... 7 5.3.4 Abnormal Loads ...... 7 5.4 METHODOLOGY ...... 8 5.5 ASSUMPTIONS ...... 8 5.6 LIMITATIONS ...... 9 5.7 SOURCE OF INFORMATION ...... 9 6 DESCRIPTION OF THE AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT ...... 10 6.1 ROAD NETWORK ...... 10 6.1.1 N1 National Road ...... 11 6.1.2 N12 National Roads ...... 11 6.1.3 R63 (TR016) ...... 12 6.1.4 R381 (TR05801) ...... 12 6.1.5 DR02311 ...... 13 6.1.6 DR02317 ...... 14 6.2 SITE ACCESS...... 15 6.3 TRANSPORTATION ROUTES ...... 17 6.3.1 Commuter Routes ...... 17 6.3.2 Freight Routes ...... 18 6.4 EXISTING WIND FARMS ...... 20 6.5 FUTURE WIND FARMS ...... 21 6.5.1 Nuweveld West Wind Farm ...... 21 6.5.2 Nuweveld East Wind Farm ...... 21 6.5.3 Nuweveld Grid Connection ...... 21 7 TRAFFIC VOLUMES ...... 21 7.1 STATUS QUO ...... 22 7.1.1 Road Classification ...... 22 7.1.2 Counting Stations ...... 22 7.1.3 Baseline Traffic Volumes ...... 31 7.2 CONSTRUCTION PHASE ...... 31 7.2.1 Peak Traffic ...... 32 7.2.2 Diurnal Traffic ...... 34 7.3 OPERATIONAL PHASE ...... 39 7.3.1 Peak Traffic ...... 39 7.3.2 Diurnal Traffic ...... 39 7.4 DECOMMISSIONING PHASE ...... 40 8 ASSESSMENT OF IMPACTS ...... 40 8.1 CONSTRUCTION PHASE ...... 40 8.2 OPERATIONAL PHASE ...... 42 8.3 DECOMMISSIONING PHASE ...... 43 9 ASSESSMENT OF CUMULATIVE IMPACTS ...... 43 9.1 CONSTRUCTION PHASE ...... 44 9.2 OPERATIONAL PHASE ...... 45 9.3 DECOMMISSIONING PHASE ...... 46 10 RISKS AND IMPACTS ...... 46 10.1 RISKS ...... 47 10.1.1 Traffic Volumes ...... 47 10.1.2 Road Condition ...... 47 10.1.3 Reduced Visibility ...... 47 10.1.4 Pedestrians and Animals ...... 48
10.2 IMPACTS ...... 48 10.2.1 Construction Phase ...... 48 10.2.2 Operational Phase ...... 51 10.2.3 Decommissioning Phase ...... 52 10.2.4 Cumulative Impacts ...... 52 10.2.5 No-go Alternative ...... 56 10.2.6 Impact Summary ...... 56 11 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ...... 56 11.1 CONCLUSION ...... 57 11.2 RECOMMENDATIONS ...... 59 12 APPENDICES ...... 61 APPENDIX 1 - DECLARATION ...... 62 APPENDIX 2 - NEMA REQUIREMENTS FOR SPECIALIST REPORTS ...... 63 APPENDIX 3 - CURRICULUM VITAE ...... 64
LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1 - Synopsis of Project Specifications ...... 2 Table 2 - List of Abbreviations ...... 4 Table 3 - Definitions ...... 4 Table 4 - R381 Road Details ...... 12 Table 5 - Distance to Surrounding Towns ...... 18 Table 6 - Possible Commuter Route Details ...... 18 Table 7 - Possible Freight Route Details ...... 18 Table 8 - Household Demographics ...... 33 Table 9 - Construction Phase – Peak Traffic ...... 34 Table 10 - Construction Phase – Diurnal Traffic ...... 38 Table 11 - Operational Phase – Peak Traffic ...... 39 Table 12 - Operational Phase – Diurnal Traffic ...... 40 Table 13 - Construction Phase – Traffic Volumes ...... 41 Table 14 - Construction Phase - Traffic Assessment ...... 41 Table 15 - Operational Phase – Traffic Volumes ...... 42 Table 16 - Operational Phase - Traffic Assessment ...... 43 Table 17 - Cumulative Peak Constructional Phase - Traffic Volume ...... 44 Table 18 - Cumulative Constructional Phase - Traffic Assessment ...... 44 Table 19 - Cumulated Operational Phase – Traffic Volumes ...... 45 Table 20 - Cumulative Operational Phase – Traffic Assessment ...... 46 Table 21 - Construction Phase - Increased Road Incidents ...... 48 Table 22 - Construction Phase - Road Degradation ...... 49 Table 23 - Construction Phase - Dust ...... 50 Table 24 - Construction Phase – Intersection Safety ...... 51 Table 25 - Operational Phase – Intersection Safety ...... 52 Table 26 - Cumulative Impact - Increased Road Incidents ...... 53 Table 27 - Cumulative Impact – Road Degradation ...... 53 Table 28 - Cumulative Impact - Dust ...... 54 Table 29 - Cumulative Impact – Intersection Safety ...... 55 Table 30 - Impact Summary ...... 56
LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1 - Nuweveld North Wind Farm Site ...... 5 Figure 2 - Road Network...... 10 Figure 3 - N1 (East of Beaufort West) ...... 11 Figure 4 - N12 (South of Victoria West) ...... 11 Figure 5 - R63 (East of Loxton ...... 12 Figure 6 - Paved Section of R381 ...... 13 Figure 7 - Unpaved Section of R381 ...... 13 Figure 8 - De Jager's Pass on DR02311 ...... 14 Figure 9 - DR02317 ...... 14 Figure 10 - DR02317 8 km from R381 ...... 15 Figure 11 - DR02317 22 km from R381 ...... 15 Figure 12 - Potential WTG Layout ...... 15
Figure 13 - Potential WTG Units East of R381 ...... 16 Figure 14 - Southern Entrance ...... 16 Figure 15 - Northern Entrance ...... 17 Figure 16 - Surrounding Towns ...... 17 Figure 17 - Potential By-Pass North of Beaufort West ...... 19 Figure 18 - Existing Wind Energy Facility ...... 20 Figure 19 - Future Wind Farms and Grid Connection ...... 21 Figure 20 - Road Classification ...... 22 Figure 21 - Counting Station ...... 23 Figure 22 - Traffic Distribution on the N1 at Counting Station 2146 ...... 23 Figure 23 - Traffic Distribution on the R381 at Counting Station 2146 ...... 24 Figure 24 - Traffic Distribution on the R381 at Counting Station 2147 ...... 24 Figure 25 - Traffic Distribution on the R381 at Counting Station 2148 ...... 25 Figure 26 - Traffic Distribution on the DR02317 at Counting Station 2148 ...... 25 Figure 27 - Traffic Distribution on the R381 at Counting Station 2149 ...... 25 Figure 29 - Traffic Distribution on the R381 at Counting Station 2150 ...... 26 Figure 30 - Traffic Distribution on the N1 at Counting Station 2758 ...... 26 Figure 31 - Traffic Distribution on the DR02311 at Counting Station 2158 ...... 27 Figure 32 - Traffic Distribution on the DR02311 at Counting Station 2759 ...... 27 Figure 33 - Traffic Distribution on the DR02317 at Counting Station 2759 ...... 27 Figure 34 - Traffic Distribution on the DR02317 at Counting Station 2764 ...... 28 Figure 35 - Traffic Distribution on the N1 at Counting Station 2765 ...... 28 Figure 36 - Traffic Distribution on the DR02317 at Counting Station 2765 ...... 29 Figure 37 - Traffic Distribution on the N1 at Counting Station 2781 ...... 29 Figure 38 - Traffic Distribution on the N12 at Counting Station 19350 ...... 30 Figure 39 - Traffic Distribution on the R63 at Counting Station M13521 ...... 30 Figure 40 - Baseline AADT ...... 31 Figure 41 - Bulk Cement Tanker and Pup ...... 36 Figure 42 - Articulated Rear Tipper ...... 36 Figure 43 - Transportation of Turbine Blade ...... 37 Figure 44 - Transportation of Nacelle ...... 37
Document Control Revision Date Description Author
Rev 0 22 nd Mar 2020 Issued for use Athol Schwarz
Revised report to include the effect of the Rev 1 26th Jun 2020 Battery Storage Facility on each of the Athol Schwarz Wind Farms.
Report amended to reflect reduced number Rev 2 18 th Sep 2020 Athol Schwarz of WTG and revised boundary layout.
DISCLAIMER This report has been prepared for the exclusive use and benefit of Red Cap Energy (Pty) Ltd (the “Client”) as part of an Agreement and subjected to the following disclaimer: This report (including any enclosures and attachments) may be used by the Client within the framework of the Agreement and shall not be used by any other party nor for any other purpose without the written consent of the Author. The Client indemnifies the Author against any liability, loss, damage, or cost howsoever arising, including by way of a third-party claim, from a breach of this undertaking by the Client. The findings, conclusions and opinions of the Author, therefore, on the scope of the Agreement between the Author and the Client. Portions of the Reports may be of a privileged and confidential nature relating to the Agreement. The Author accepts no responsibility for damages, if any, suffered by any third party as a result of decisions made or actions based on the Reports. While it is believed that the information contained in the Report is reliable under the conditions and subject to the limitations outlined in the Agreements, the Report will be based in part on information not within the control of the Author and the Author, therefore, cannot and does not guarantee its accuracy. Unless otherwise expressly stated, the analyses contained in the Reports will be developed from information provided by the Client. The Author will not audit such information and the Author makes no representations as to the validity or accuracy thereof. The comments in the Reports will reflect the Author’s best judgement in light of the information available at the time of preparation. The Author will have conducted an investigation required in terms of the aforementioned scope of the Agreements. While all professional care has been undertaken in preparation of this Report, the Author accepts no liability for loss or damages incurred as a result of reliance placed upon its content.
1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Red Cap Energy (Pty) Ltd is proposing to develop three Wind Farms and associated Grid Connection (shared infrastructure between the three wind farms), north of Beaufort West within the Central Karoo District Municipality of the Western Cape. The proposed wind farms are, the Nuweveld North Wind Farm, the Nuweveld East Wind Farm and the Nuweveld West Wind Farm and are collectively referred to as the Nuweveld Wind Farms. This Traffic Impact Assessment has been produced as part of an iterative design process being undertaken for this project. As part of this process, various design and layout options have been considered, assessed and further refined to ensure adherence to the environmental and technical constraints present on site. Previous processes include a Screening Phase and a Pre-Application Scoping Phase which included the production and distribution of a Pre-application Scoping Report. Specialist recommendations made to further refine the design and layout of the project were included in the Pre-application Scoping Report. The refined design and layout that resulted from the Pre-App Scoping Phase is what has been assessed in this report and the findings of this report will inform that outcomes of the Scoping Phase of this project. As part of the Environmental Impact Assessment process, a Traffic Impact Assessment for each of the wind farms developments and grid connection is to be provided. This Traffic Impact Assessment is for Nuweveld North Wind Farm, hereafter referred to as 'the development'. Based on the latest available information, the development will consist of up to a maximum of thirty-five wind turbine generator units, the generating capacity of which is still undefined as the appointment of the turbine supplier has not been finalised. This Traffic Impact Assessment was undertaken by Mr A. Schwarz, by following the relevant guidelines, to provide a technical appraisal of the traffic impact of the development on the existing road network, during the construction, operation and decommissioning phases of the development. A site visit was conducted during September 2019 and together with traffic count data forms the basis of this assessment. The proposed transportation access routes that are to be used for the transportation of equipment and material, including abnormal loads, for this development, are on national roads and are well-established transportation routes. Traffic generation estimates used in this assessment is based on the experience of similar projects. The worst-case scenario for the cumulative impact has been adopted, which assumes all three of the wind farms are constructed simultaneously, over a period of two-years. The most significant increase in traffic will result from the daily commuting of personnel, to and from the site during peak traffic. The projected increase in traffic on the R381 is less than fifty vehicles per hour, the threshold as stipulated in the South African Traffic Impact and Site Traffic Assessment Manual (2012). There will be a notable increase in traffic volumes on the road network during the construction phase of this development, and less conspicuous during the operational phase. This report has assessed the impact of the additional traffic on the surrounding road network and found that the existing road network is currently operating at well below its capacity and provides an adequate level of service. The increase in traffic volumes will lead to greater wear and tear especially during the
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construction phase of the development but will not have an undue detrimental impact on the structural integrity of the roads within the study area. Due to budgetary constraints within various spheres of government, nominal maintenance is undertaken on the road network. To this end, it is strongly suggested that the developer contributes towards the ongoing maintenance of the road network associated with the various phases of the development. In addition, there are several gravel sections on the R381, through mountain passes, which are extremely treacherous and pose a potential risk to road users transporting staff to and from the site. These areas, with the approval of the local road authorities, will have to be addressed by the developer. It should be noted that it is not possible to determine the expected traffic volumes that will be generated during the decommissioning phase. It can, however, be expected that these volumes will be lower than during the construction phase. As part of the decommissioning process, a separate traffic impact assessment should be undertaken since many of the characteristics related to the traffic impact assessment, i.e. access routes, road geometry, traffic volumes, etc. would have changed over the operational life of the development. A range of management and mitigation strategies are identified for implementation during the construction and operation phases of the development to minimise traffic impacts, reduce community disruption and the risk of traffic incidents. Thus, from a traffic and transportation perspective, there are no constraints or notable impacts that would jeopardise the implementation of this development. 2 PROJECT SPECIFICATIONS A synopsis of the project specification for Nuweveld North Wind Farm are provided in Table 1. Table 1 - Synopsis of Project Specifications Project Estimated Components Specifications & Footprint areas Combined Description Footprint (ha) Location Approximately 65km north of Beaufort West and approximately 30km south of Loxton along the R381. Land use of the site and
surrounding properties comprise of low density livestock farming (grazing). Total Wind farm area is 10 334ha Wind Turbines 37 potential turbine locations assessed for approval but only up to a maximum of 35 wind turbines will be constructed. No Turbines are located to the West of the R381. Turbine envelope: Rotor diameter: 120m to 190m (up to 95m blade / radius) Hub height: 80m to 150m
Rotor top tip height: 140m to 245m (maximum based on 150m hub + 95m blade = 245m) Rotor bottom tip height: minimum of 25 m (and not lower). Generation capacity: up to maximum of 8MW output per turbine Nuweveld North has a targeted nameplate capacity of up to a maximum of 280MW. Turbine Each turbine will have a circular foundation with a diameter of up to 32m and this will be placed alongside the 40m wide hardstand Foundations 4.5ha (permanent) resulting in an area of about 40mx32m that will be permanently disturbed for the turbine foundation. Turbine Each turbine will have a hardstand of 80m x 40m. 11.2ha Hardstands (permanent) Cabling Turbines to be connected to on-site substation via 33kV cables. 1.8ha (temporary) Cables to be laid underground in trenches mainly adjacent to roads
or overhead via 33kV monopoles where burying is not possible due to technical, geological, environmental or topographical con straints
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Project Estimated Components Specifications & Footprint areas Combined Description Footprint (ha) The length of the cabling that is not adjacent to the wind farm roads is 6.1km but of this about 1.2km is running along an existing track thus reducing the impact. The potential area impacted is recorded here for
the off-road cables and those sections that run along proposed wind farm roads are covered within the temporary road disturbance footprint, see below. Internal WEF 3.4km of 33kV overhead powerline with pylons of up to 20m high. The majority of this (2.3km) will be running next to the proposed Eskom overhead 1ha (permanent) powerlines grid connection ensuring the majority of the internal overhead line impacts are in the same corridor as the proposed grid connection. Site roads Permanent roads will be 6m wide and may require side drains on one or both sides. All roads may have underground cables running next to them. A 12m wide road corridor may be temporary impacted during ≤54-65ha construction and rehabilitated to 6m wide after construction. For (permanent)* Nuweveld North a total road network of about 76,4km is proposed and ≤46ha the area impacted is presented here. Of this 76,4km, a total of 19km (temporary)* is shared infrastructure with Nuweveld West & Nuweveld East Wind Farms. N1 Bypass Road A temporary bypass road is required on the N1 to avoid the town of Beaufort West with the major Wind Farm components. The road will be up to 6m wide but a 12m wide road corridor may be temporary 6.8ha (temporary) impacted during construction and rehabilitated once construction is complete. The length of the temporary road will be about 5.7km of which about 2.5km is along an existing track. Wind farm will have a 150m x 75m substation yard which includes an Operation and Maintenance (O&M) building, Substation building and Wind farm a High Voltage Gantry as well as a 2.4 ha area for battery storage Substations and 3.6ha (permanent) facility which may be adjacent or slightly removed from the substation battery facility depending on the local constraints. The substation and battery facility will be connected by an underground or overhead cable Operations and The O&M area will include all offices, stores, workshops, laydown area Forms part of maintenance Building & Substation building will be housed in the substation yard. Substation yard (O&M) area Security Security gate and hut to be installed at entrance to site. No fencing around individual turbines, existing fencing shall remain around perimeter of properties. 20m 2 Temporary and permanent yard areas to be enclosed (with access control) with an up to 2.4m high fence. Temporary Wind farm temporary construction areas: laydown, staging Temporary site camp/s areas: 20 000m 2 2.2ha (temporary) and yards areas Batching plant area of approximately 2 000m 2 required for the Each wind farm will have a bunded fuel & lubricants storage facility on construction / 3 decommissioning site in fixed tanks not exceeding 80m (situated at the site camp). phase. Individual turbine temporary laydown areas including crane boom 17.5ha laydown areas, blade laydown areas and other potential temporary (temporary) areas will be up to a maximum of 5 000m 2 75ha temporary Total disturbance footprint and 84ha permanent* *These areas represent more than will be impacted given the road values are based on all thirty-seven turbines being constructed where in reality only thirty-five turbines will be developed as part of this application.
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3 ABBREVIATIONS The following abbreviations have been used in this document. Table 2 - List of Abbreviations Abbreviation Meaning AADT Average Annual Daily Traffic ADT Average Daily Traffic DEA Department of Environmental Affairs EIA Environmental Impact Assessment EPCM Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Management IAP Interested and Affected Parties km/h Kilometre per hour LOS Level of Service MW Megawatt NEMA National Environmental Management Act O&M Operation and Maintenance PDP Professional Driving Permit RNIS Road Network Information System SANRAL South African National Roads Agency SOC Ltd TMP Traffic Management Plan vph Vehicle per hour WTG Wind Turbine Generator
4 GLOSSARY The following definitions apply to these words which have been used in this document. Table 3 - Definitions Definitions R381 (North) refers to the section of the R381, between Loxton and the development. R381 (South) refers to the section of the R381, between Beaufort West and the development. Average Annual Daily is the total traffic volume (in both directions) generated in a year, including school and Traffic public holidays and weekends, divided by the number of days in the year. is the total traffic (in both directions) generated in a twenty-four-hour period, on a Average Daily Traffic typical working weekday. Diurnal means happening or active during the daytime. Peak Traffic traffic at the time it is most busy. is the number of vehicles passing a specific point in a given time, expressed in vehicles Traffic Volume per hour. is defined as a single (one-directional) movement with either the destination or the Trip origin of the trip at a development.
5 INTRODUCTION
5.1 TERMS OF REFERENCE Red Cap Energy (Pty) Ltd appointed Mr A. Schwarz, to provide a Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA) for the proposed Nuweveld North Wind Farm, within the Central Karoo Municipality District of the Western Cape. The extent of the site on which the development is to be constructed and access servitude is shown in Figure 1, hereafter referred to as 'the site'.
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Figure 1 - Nuweveld North Wind Farm Site This Traffic Impact Assessment forms an integral part of the supporting documentation required for the Environmental Impact Assessment application to the Department of Environmental Affairs. 5.2 SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES
5.2.1 Scope Red Cap Energy (Pty) Ltd propose developing a wind farm, called Nuweveld North Wind Farm. The wind farm shall consist of up to a maximum of thirty-five Wind Turbine Generator (WTG) units which will be selected from the current forty-two potential turbine locations identified. The scope of this report includes, inter alia: • Identify the potential road network that could be affected by this development; • Determine a traffic baseline against which the potential traffic impacts are to be measured; • Identify potential impacts and cumulative impacts that may occur during the construction, operational and decommissioning phases of the development; • Determine mitigation and/or management measures which could be implemented, to, as far as possible, reduce the effect of negative impacts; and • Incorporate and address all issues and concerns raised by Interested and Affected Parties, (if and when applicable).
5.2.2 Objectives The objective of this report is to determine the potential traffic impact, that the development will have on the existing road network.
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5.3 LEGISLATION AND PERMIT REQUIREMENTS The overarching environmental legislation for the management of the environment in South Africa, is the National Environmental Management Act, 1998 (Act 107 of 1998 “NEMA”). Its preamble states that sustainable development requires the integration of social, economic and environmental factors in the planning, implementation and evaluation of environmental decisions to ensure that the development serves present and future generations. Traffic impacts are therefore an important aspect to be considered in the decision- making of developments.
5.3.1 Roads The relevant legislation associated with the road (infrastructure), transportation and traffic include, inter alia: • National Water Act (Act 36 of 1998), with regards to all crossings of watercourses; • National Road Traffic Act (Act 93 of 1996); • Advertising on Road and Ribbon Development Act (Act 21 of 1940): - Regulates the display of advertisements outside certain urban areas at places visible from public roads, and the depositing or leaving of disused machinery or refuse and the erection, construction or laying of structures and other things near certain public roads, and the access to certain land from such roads; - Section 9: Prohibition of the erection of structures near-certain roads; - Section 9A: Prohibition of the erection of structures or construction of other things near intersections of certain roads; - Section 10: Restriction of access to land through a fence, etc., along certain roads. • Roads Ordinance Number 19 of 1976: - Consolidate and amend the law relating to public roads and public paths and to provide for matters incidental thereto; - Section 13: Erection of gates across public roads and public paths; - Section 17: Erection of structures on or near public roads; - Section 18: Access to and exit from certain public roads and public paths.
5.3.2 Vehicle Dimensions Regulations 221 to 230 of the National Road Traffic Act relates to vehicle dimensions, the most salient points are summarised below. Regulation 221: Defines the legislation requirements regarding the overall length of vehicles, and is summarised as follows: • a rigid vehicle shall not exceed 12.5 m; • articulated motor vehicle and semi-trailers shall not exceed 18.5 m; • other combination of motor vehicles (including interlinks, multiple trailers, etc.) shall not exceed 22.0 m; Regulation 223: Defines the legislation requirements regarding the overall width of vehicles with a gross mass of 12 000 kilograms or more, shall not exceed 2.6 m. Regulation 224: Define the legislative requirements regarding the overall height of a vehicle and transported load, which shall not exceed 4.3 m.
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Regulation 225: Defines the legislation requirements regarding the maximum turning radius and wheelbase, which shall not exceed 13.1 m or 10.0 m (for a semi-trailer) respectively.
5.3.3 Vehicle Loads Regulations 231 to 249 of the National Road Traffic Act relates to vehicles loads, the most salient points are summarised below. Regulation 240: Defines the legislation requirements regarding the mass load carrying capacity on roads, the most relevant points are summarised below: • The mass load of a wheel fitted to a steering axle shall not exceed 3 850 kg, others shall not exceed 4 000 kg; • The mass load of an axle fitted with two wheels, which is the steering axle shall not exceed 7 700 kg, others shall not exceed 8 000 kg; • The mass load of an axle fitted with four wheels shall not exceed 9 000 kg; • The mass load of an axle unit, which consists of two axles, each of which are fitted with two wheels, acting as a steering axle unit shall not exceed 15 400 kg, other axle units shall not exceed 16 000 kg; • The mass load of an axle unit, which consists of two axles, each of which are fitted with four wheels, shall not exceed 18 000 kg; • The mass load of an axle unit, which consists of three or more axles, each of which are fitted with two wheels, acting as a steering axle unit shall not exceed 23 100 kg, other axle units shall not exceed 24 000 kg; • The mass load of an axle unit, which consists of three or more axles, each of which are fitted with four wheels shall not exceed 24 000 kg; • The axle mass load of an axle unit which consists of two axles, one of which is a drive axle with four wheels and the other is an axle with two wheels, the sum of the two axles shall not exceed 18 200 kg. Regulation 241: Defines the legislation requirements regarding the mass load- carrying capacity of bridges.
5.3.4 Abnormal Loads The National Road Traffic Act (Act 93 of 1996) and the National Road Traffic Regulations (2000), prescribe certain limitations on vehicle dimensions and axle and vehicle masses that a vehicle using a public road must comply with. Where the prescribed limitations are exceeded, these loads are classified as an abnormal load. Provision for such abnormal vehicles and loads are made in Section 81 of the National Road Traffic, as substituted by Section 23 of National Road Traffic Amendment Act (Act 64 of 2008). The requirements and procedures for transporting of abnormal loads are contained in the following two documents: • “TRH 11 - Dimensional and Mass Limitations and Other Requirements for Abnormal Load Vehicles”; and • “Administrative Guidelines for Granting of Exemption Permits for the Conveyance of Abnormal Loads”.
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5.4 METHODOLOGY The South African Traffic Impact and Site Traffic Assessment Standards (2014), and the Manual for Traffic Impact Studies (1995), form the basis for this traffic impact assessment. The methodology adopted in the compilation of this report includes, inter alia: • Identify the road network which will be used by vehicles associated with this development, and other developments in the area; • Establish the number of vehicle trips generated during the construction, operation and decommissioning of this development; • Determine the mode of transport, vehicle type and size for each trip or category of trip generated during the construction, operational and decommissioning of this development; • Establish peak-hour vehicle trip rate generated during the construction, operation and decommissioning of this development; • Identify and assess the significance and severity of development-related traffic on the existing road network. Where possible comparing the existing traffic volumes on the roads with the traffic generated by this development; • Propose practical measures to mitigate the impacts of development-related traffic on the existing road network. 5.5 ASSUMPTIONS The compiling of this report is based on the following assumptions: • Red Cap Energy (Pty) Ltd propose developing three separate Wind Farms and Grid Connection in the Central Karoo Municipality District of the Western Cape. The cumulative impact shall assume that all three Wind Farms and Grid Connection are constructed, operated and decommissioned simultaneously, together with any other projects in the area with valid Environmental Authorisation; • The manpower complement for each Wind Farm during peak construction is assumed not to exceed two-hundred, and the combined manpower complement for all three Wind Farms and Grid Connection during peak construction is assumed to be in the order five-hundred-and-seventy; • The manpower complement for grid connection during peak construction is assumed to be in the order of one-hundred-and-ten; • The combined operational phase manpower complement for the three wind farms is assumed to be in the order of ninety-six; • Although most of the WTG components are imported into South Africa via one of the South African ports, some of the WTG components are fabricated and transported to site from other centres within South Africa; • Molteno Pass shall not be used for the transportation of large construction equipment and materials. The gross vehicle mass of all construction-related vehicles using the pass shall be restricted to ten tonnes; • Construction equipment and materials (other than aggregates) for this development will be transported to site from various centres within South Africa; • The supply of raw material for the manufacture of concrete and road construction, as a worst-case scenario, will be sourced from commercial sources outside the development area;
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• No accommodation is provided on-site. The construction staff is drawn from the entire area and not just from one specific town. The distribution of personnel is based on the availability of houses within a defined radius of the development; • A single batching plant will be provided for each of the developments, this is based on the assumption that each of the three developments will be a separate entity, each constructed by different contractors. However, it is more probable that a single contractor will be appointed for the development of all three Wind Farms. In which case a single batching plant will be provided for all WTG foundations that are accessed from the R381, this includes all WTG units on Nuweveld North and West Wind Farms and a few of the WTG units on Nuweveld East Wind Farm. A separate batching plant will be provided for the WTG foundations on Nuweveld East Wind Farm, which are accessed from the DR02317. 5.6 LIMITATIONS This report excludes: • Transport Management Plan for the development; • Site Development Plan of the infrastructure within the site boundary that does not affect the public road network; • The geometric details of intersections and entrances onto the site from the public road network, as this will be finalised during the detailed design phase, which will require approval from the relevant roads' authorities; • Assessment of risks and impacts associated with loading or off-loading of the vehicles at the site or associated facilities are not addressed since these will be addressed in the Standard Operating Procedures developed by the Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Management (EPCM) contractor for the construction and decommissioning of the development. 5.7 SOURCE OF INFORMATION Information used in compiling this report was drawn from the following sources: • Manual for Traffic Impact Studies, Department of Transport, RR 93/635, 1995; • TMH 16, Volume 1 - South African Traffic Impact and Site Traffic Assessment Manual, COTO 2012; • TMH 16, Volume 2 - South African Traffic Impact and Site Traffic Assessment Standards and Requirements Manual, COTO 2014; • TMH 17 - The South African Trip Data Manual, COTO 2012; • TRH 4 - Structural Design of Flexible Pavement for Interurban and Rural Roads, 1996; • TRH 26 - South African Road Classification and Access Management Manual, 2012; • All information relating to the roads within the Western Cape were obtained from the Western Cape Government Road Network Information System (https://rnis.westerncape.gov.za/rnis/rnis_web_reports.main .null); • All information relating to traffic volumes on the roads within the Western Cape where obtained from the Western Cape Government Road Network Information System (https://rnis.westerncape.gov.za/rnis/rnis_web_reports.main.null); • Traffic volumes on the roads within the Northern Cape and the national roads were obtained, from Mikros Traffic Monitoring (Pty) Ltd, with approval from the required authorities;
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• The number of households was obtained from the Department of Statistics South Africa (http://www.statssa.gov.za/?page_id=964); • Information regarding mountain passes was obtained from Mountain Passes of South Africa (https://mountainpassessouthafrica.co.za/); • Distance and estimated travelling times were obtained using Google Maps; • Satellite imagery of the site available on Google Earth was also used for evaluation; • Most of the photographs used in this report were taken by the author, during the site visit. 6 DESCRIPTION OF THE AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT
6.1 ROAD NETWORK The existing road network, within the study area, is well developed. A combination of national roads and first and second-order roads provides the proposed Wind Farms and Grid Corridor accessibility to local towns and the major commercial centres within South Africa. In general, besides for the Molteno Pass, the De Jager's Pass and the intersection between the R63 and R381 north of Loxton, no obvious problems were identified associated with the transport of freight along the proposed transportation routes to the site, nor for the possible accesses required for the construction and maintenance of the facility. It will, however, be necessary to confirm certain aspects such as clearances, bridge capacities, etc., by the logistics contractor as part of their preparation as this will be dependent on the actual vehicle configuration to be used. The more prevalent public road network, which provides access to the Nuweveld North Wind Farm, is shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2 - Road Network Details of the more relevant roads, within the study area, are provided below.
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6.1.1 N1 National Road The N1 is a Principal Arterial providing high mobility between provinces, regions and towns, and falls under the jurisdiction of the South African National Road Agency. The N1 starts at the M6 (western Boulevard) in Cape Town and ends at Beit Bridge Border Post at Zimbabwe border, passing through or bypassing many towns on-route. The N1 and N12 merge approximately seven kilometres west of Beaufort West, before splitting again at Three Sisters. This is a Class 1 road, generally consisting of a single paved carriageway, with one lane in each direction and paved shoulders, as shown in Figure 3. Climbing lanes are provided along various sections of the road and there are turning lanes at major intersections. In many cases, the shoulder is wide enough to allow yellow-line driving. The road is in good condition with a speed limit of 120 km/h.
Figure 3 - N1 (East of Beaufort West)
6.1.2 N12 National Roads The N12 is a Principal Arterial providing high mobility between provinces, regions and towns, and falls under the jurisdiction of the South African National Road Agency. The N12 starts at the N2/N9 (Kraaibosch Interchange) approximately 5 km south of George and ends at eMalahleni, passing through or bypassing many towns on-route. The N1 and N12 merge approximately seven kilometres west of Beaufort West, before splitting again at Three Sisters. This is a Class 1 road, generally consisting of a single paved carriageway, with one lane in each direction and a combination of paved (Figure 4) and gravel shoulders. Climbing lanes are provided along various sections of the road and there are turning lanes at major intersections. In many cases, the shoulder is wide enough to allow yellow-line driving. The road is in good condition with a speed limit of 120 km/h.
Figure 4 - N12 (South of Victoria West)
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6.1.3 R63 (TR016) The R63 is a Minor Arterial providing mobility between provinces, regions and towns, the management and maintenance of this road fall under the jurisdiction of the Provincial Roads Department in which the roads are located. The R63 starts at the R27 approximately 23 km east of Calvinia and ends at N2 north of East London. The overall length of the road is split into serval sections, TR01606 represents section 6 of TR016 which lies between Carnarvon and Loxton, while TR01607 represents section 7 of TR016 which lies between Loxton and Victoria West. According to the Western Cape Road Information System the Functional Class of section 9 of the R63, the road is a Class 2, with RCAM classification of R2c. The road is situated in a 30 m wide servitude and consisting of a single paved carriageway, 6.8 m wide, with one lane in each direction and gravel shoulders, as shown in Figure 5. The road is in a fair condition with a speed limit of 120 km/h.
Figure 5 - R63 (East of Loxton
6.1.4 R381 (TR05801) The R381 is a Minor Arterial providing mobility between provinces, regions and towns, the management and maintenance of this road fall under the jurisdiction of the Provincial Roads Department in which the roads are located. The R381 starts at the N1, north of Beaufort West and ends at R63 in Loxton. According to the Western Cape Road Information System, the Functional Class of this road is a Class 2, with RCAM classification of R2b. The road is situated in a 20 m wide servitude, sections of the road are paved, the surfacing and width details of this road are provided in Table 4. Table 4 - R381 Road Details Start km End km Surface Type Width Shoulder Width Shoulder Type 0 10.07 Surfaced 7.20 2.00 Unsurfaced 10.07 13.28 Surfaced 8.60 2.00 Unsurfaced 13.28 23.80 Gravel 7.00 23.80 32.96 Surfaced 7.20 0.9 Unsurfaced 32.96 38.20 Surfaced 6.80 0.9 Unsurfaced 38.20 95.75 Gravel 8.50 95.75 111.00 Gravel The paved sections of the R381, consists of a single paved carriageway, with one lane in each direction and unpaved shoulders, as shown in Figure 6.
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Figure 6 - Paved Section of R381 Several sections of the road are extremely treacherous, with no barriers and steep drop-offs, very tight corners, negative banking and loose gravel. At kilometre stake distance of approximately nineteen and a half, there is a bend which has an internal radius of less than twenty-five metres and a sight distance of less than thirty metres. A section of the road is shown in Figure 7.
Figure 7 - Unpaved Section of R381
6.1.5 DR02311 The DR02311 is an Access Collector providing access between the towns and other roads, the management and maintenance of this road fall under the jurisdiction of the Western Cape Provincial Roads Department. The DR02311 starts at N1 (east of Beaufort West) and ends at the DR02317. According to the Western Cape Road Information System, the Functional Class of this road is a Class 4, with RCAM classification of R4a. The road is situated in a 20 m wide servitude, consisting of an 8.5 m wide gravel road, and is approximately 58.5 km long. Sections of the road, through the De Jager's Pass, are extremely treacherous, with no barriers and steep drop-offs, as shown in Figure 8.
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Figure 8 - De Jager's Pass on DR02311
6.1.6 DR02317 The DR02317 is an Access Collector providing access between towns and other roads, the management and maintenance of this road falls under the jurisdiction of the Western Cape Provincial Roads Department. The DR02317 starts at TR05801 and ends at the N1. According to the Western Cape Road Information System, the Functional Class of this road is a Class 4, with RCAM classification of R4c. The road is situated in a 20 m wide servitude, the road is approximately 68.3 km long and consisting of a 7.0 m wide gravel road, as shown in Figure 9.
Figure 9 - DR02317 At approximately 8 km from the R381, the DR02317 passes through an existing homestead as shown in Figure 10.
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Figure 10 - DR02317 8 km from R381 Another farming community straddles the DR02317 at approximately 22 km from the R381, as shown in figure 11.
Figure 11 - DR02317 22 km from R381 6.2 SITE ACCESS The proposed development is to the east of Trunk Road R381, as shown in Figure 12.
Figure 12 - Potential WTG Layout
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The proposed development to the east of the R381 consists of thirty-seven potential WTG units, of which only thirty-five will be installed. All these WTG units are accessed via the internal road network which is linked to the Northern and Southern entrances from R381, as indicated with the yellow arrows in Figure 13.
Figure 13 - Potential WTG Units East of R381 The Southern entrance is located approximately 73 km north of Beaufort West and is an existing entrance, as shown in Figure 14. The entrance will have to be upgraded.
Figure 14 - Southern Entrance The Northern entrance is located approximately 82.7 km north of Beaufort West, this like the southern entrance is an existing junction, as shown in Figure 15. The entrance will have to be upgraded.
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Figure 15 - Northern Entrance
6.3 TRANSPORTATION ROUTES
6.3.1 Commuter Routes There are several towns within a 100 km radius of the development, the most relevant of which are shown in Figure 16. These include Loxton, Nelspoort, Beaufort West, Victoria West, Carnarvon and Fraserburg, although Three Sisters is shown, it is not a formal town but more a well-known landmark.
Figure 16 - Surrounding Towns The details of the proximity of these towns and travelling time to the development are provided in Table 5.
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Table 5 - Distance to Surrounding Towns Estimated Travel Town Distance Route Travel Distance* Time** Loxton ± 32 km R381 ± 38 km 40 min DR02400, NR001, DR02317, Nelspoort ± 67 km ± 103 km 1 hour 55 min R381 Beaufort West ± 70 km NR001, R381 ± 84 km 1 hour 15 min NR001, DR02311, DR02317, Beaufort West ± 70 km ± 113 km 2 hours 15 min R381 Beaufort West ± 70 km NR001, DR02317, R381 ± 150 km 2 hours 25 min Victoria West ± 78 km R63, R381 ± 119 km 1 hour 30 min Victoria West ± 78 km R63, DR02318, DR02317, R381 ± 140 km 2 hours 45 min Victoria West ± 78 km NR012, NR001, DR02317, R381 ± 162 km 2 hours 25 min Fraserburg ± 85 km R356, R381 ± 131 km 1 hour 50 min Carnarvon ± 93 km R63, R381 ± 100 km 1 hour 10 min * Direct distance from the Nuweveld North Substation to the main intersection in the Town ** Obtained from Google Maps Based on a travelling time of less than one-and-a-half hours, the most likely towns from which the site personnel will commute to site daily would be the towns of Loxton, Beaufort West, Carnarvon and Victoria West. The most likely routes from these towns to the development are provided in Table 6. Table 6 - Possible Commuter Route Details Town Route Distance* Road Surface Loxton R381 (North) 38 km 38 km Unpaved Beaufort West R381 (South) 84 km 28 km Paved, 50 km Unpaved Carnarvon R63, R381 (North) # 100 km 64 km Paved, 38 km Unpaved Victoria West R63, R381 (North) # 119 km 81 km Paved, 38 km Unpaved * Direct distance from the Nuweveld North Substation to the main intersection in the Town Thus, transportation of personnel to and from the development would be on the northern and southern sections of the R381.
6.3.2 Freight Routes The potential long-haul transportation routes from the various ports in South Africa, with the capability to import wind turbine components, to the development, are detailed in Table 7. Table 7 - Possible Freight Route Details Option Port Route Distance 1 Cape Town N1 – R381 545 km 2 Cape Town N1-N12-R63-R381 (via Loxton) 700 km 3 Ngqura (Port Elizabeth) R63 (via Loxton) 550 km 4 Saldanha N1-N12-R63-R381 (via Worcester and Loxton) 830 km The length and weight of the various components will only be available once the turbine supplier has been appointed. The current length of the blades for the WTG units are in the order of ninety-five metres. However, the blade lengths used by the appointed turbine supplier could exceed this. According to Google Maps, Option 1 is the shortest long-haul transportation route from a coastal port to the development. There are several constraints along this route, most of which can be overcome. In Beaufort West, the traffic circle in Donkin Street poses a significant challenge for the transportation of the blades. However, a potential by-pass route to the north of Beaufort West, as shown in red in Figure 17, NUWEVELD NORTH WIND FARM - TIA (Rev 2) Page 18
has been identified for the possible transportation of the WTG components through Beaufort West, if the components are imported into South Africa via one of the ports in the Western Cape. Sections of the existing track along the identified by-pass route would need to be upgraded and new sections also constructed to complete the route. From a traffic impact perspective, this by-pass route is an acceptable route that will help reduce potential traffic impacts for the proposed transportation of the WTG components as it will ensure that the abnormal loads can bypass the centre of the town.
Figure 17 - Potential By-Pass North of Beaufort West
However, the trio of passes on the R381, between Beaufort West and the site, pose constraints that will not easily be overcome with the current transportation equipment available in South Africa, without significant intervention. Although Option 2 is a longer route than the previous option, this could be an alternative if the material and equipment are to be transported from Cape Town. Transporting the components through towns is always a challenge, most are conquered with a bit of ingenuity. At Loxton, the R63/R381 intersection will have to be redesigned and upgraded. The route through the town will need to be identified by the appointed logistics company transporting the WTG components. Option 3 is the route from Ngqura Container Terminal to the development, via Loxton. Portions of this route have been used to transport WTG components for Noblesfontein, Loeriesfontein and Khobab Wind Farms. Construction of Noblesfontein Wind Farm commenced in March 2013, the WTG components were transported from the Ngqura Container Terminal to site. Loeriesfontein and Khobab Wind Farms commenced with the transportation of wind turbine tower components on 20 June 2016. Over three-hundred wind turbine tower sections, which were fabricated in Atlantis, were transported on the N1 (via Worcester, Laingsburg and Beaufort West), N12 (to Victoria West), R63 (to Carnarvon, Williston and Calvinia) to site. The 53 m long wind turbine blades, nacelles and hubs were transported via Uitenhage, Graaff-Reinet, Beaufort West, Three Sisters, Victoria West and Carnarvon onto Loeriesfontein. Option 4 is from the Port of Saldanha via Moorreesburg and Wolseley. However, the Nuwekloof pass on the R46, between Gouda and Tulbagh, pose constraints that would inhibit the use of this road with the current transportation equipment available in South Africa. Thus, based on the current transportation equipment available in South Africa the most likely route that will be used by the logistics company appointed for the transportation of the WTG components would be Option 3.
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The relevant approval will have to be obtained from various authorities for the transportation of any abnormal loads. This is normally the responsibility of the logistics company in charge of these deliveries. A Transport Management Plan for the project is to be developed once the construction contractor has been appointed. Considering all the potential risks along the access routes and the roads on the site. A description of the most pertinent elements, together with the proposed transportation routes are summarised below: • Abnormal loads, including WTG components and transformers for the development, emanating from one of the main marine ports is expected to be via Loxton, as the Molteno Pass will prevent these vehicles from approaching the development from Beaufort West; • Site deliveries, excluding abnormal loads, emanating from major commercial centres within South Africa is expected to be via Loxton; • Aggregate and cement for the concrete batching plant is envisaged to be transported to site from commercial sources via Loxton; • Personnel access routes, originating from the local community will be on the R381 from either Beaufort West or Loxton; • Movement of material on site. Due to the layout of the internal road network, no public roads shall be used for the movement of material on site. 6.4 EXISTING WIND FARMS The only existing wind farm in the immediate vicinity of the development is Noblesfontein Wind Farm, as shown in Figure 18. It is understood that the operation staff of Noblesfontein Wind Farm, reside in Victoria West and commute to and from the site daily.
Figure 18 - Existing Wind Energy Facility The Noblesfontein Wind Farm consists of forty-one WTG units, Vestas V100 with a hub height of 80 m, each rated at 1.8 MW, with a total installed capacity of 73.8 MW. The EPC contract commenced on 10 December 2012 and commercial operation was reached on 11 July 2014. This represents an overall contract period of 19 months.
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Construction mobilisation works commenced on 6 March 2013, representing a construction period of 16 months. 6.5 FUTURE WIND FARMS Due to the favourable wind condition in the area, environmental impact assessments for two other wind farms are being conducted in the area, together with the relevant grid connection, all associated with the Nuweveld Wind Farm development. The development, Nuweveld North Wind Farm (the subject of this report), together with Nuweveld West Wind Farm, Nuweveld East Wind Farm and the Nuweveld Grid Connection, are indicated in Figure 19.
Figure 19 - Future Wind Farms and Grid Connection A brief description of the two other proposed Wind Farms and Grid Connection are provided in the subsections below.
6.5.1 Nuweveld West Wind Farm Nuweveld West Wind Farm is a Red Cap Energy development (Red Cap Nuweveld West (Pty) Ltd), which is the subject of a separate report.
6.5.2 Nuweveld East Wind Farm Nuweveld East Wind Farm is a Red Cap Energy development (Red Cap Nuweveld East (Pty) Ltd), which is the subject of a separate report.
6.5.3 Nuweveld Grid Connection Nuweveld Grid Connection is a Red Cap Energy development (Red Cap Nuweveld North (Pty) Ltd), which is the subject of a separate report, transfers the power from the Nuweveld Wind Farms into the national distribution grid. 7 TRAFFIC VOLUMES The South African Trip Data Manual (TMH 17), as provided by COTO, does not make provision for expected trip generation for the construction, operation and decommissioning phases of a wind farm. Thus, the traffic trip generation for the construction, operation and decommissioning phases used in this document is based on data obtained for similar projects. The estimated traffic generation detailed below represents a worst-case scenario.
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7.1 STATUS QUO
7.1.1 Road Classification The functional classification for the roads, as provided by the Western Cape Road Information System is summarised in Figure 20.
Figure 20 - Road Classification Accordance with TRH 26 the annual ADT (AADT) for the various Rural Functional Road Classifications, for which the various roads are to be designed is as follows: • Class 1 road (principal arterial road) is in the order of 1000 to 100 000; • Class 2 road (major arterial road) is in the order of 500 to 25 000; • Class 3 road (minor arterial road) is in the order of 100 to 2 000; • Class 4 roads (collector roads) is less than a 1 000; • Class 5 roads (local roads) is less than 500.
7.1.2 Counting Stations The counting station on the roads within the study area, as provided by the Western Cape Road Information System, is defined in Figure 21.
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Figure 21 - Counting Station The location and traffic distribution at the counting stations are provided below. It should be noted that the latest available data for these stations was captured in 2016. Counting Station 2146 Counting station 2146, is located at the intersection of N1 (NR001) and R381 (TR05801), which is approximately 3 km east of Beaufort West. The traffic distribution on the N1, towards Beaufort West, at this intersection, is shown in Figure 22.
Figure 22 - Traffic Distribution on the N1 at Counting Station 2146 The maximum number of vehicles observed passing through the intersection in any given hour appears to be two-hundred-and-eleven at 14:00. The number of vehicles observed passing through the intersection at 6:00 and 18:00 is ninety-seven and one- hundred-and-sixty-three respectively. The traffic distribution on the R38, towards Loxton, at this intersection, is shown in Figure 23.
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Figure 23 - Traffic Distribution on the R381 at Counting Station 2146 The maximum number of vehicles observed passing through the intersection in any given hour appears to be twenty-seven at 15:00 and 18:00. The number of vehicles observed passing through the intersection at 6:00 and 18:00 is four and twenty-seven respectively. Counting Station 2147 Counting station 2147, is located at the intersection of R381 and DR02312 (Fraserburg), which is approximately 35 km north of N1. The traffic distribution on the R381 towards Beaufort West, at this intersection is shown in Figure 24.
Figure 24 - Traffic Distribution on the R381 at Counting Station 2147 The maximum number of vehicles observed passing through the intersection in any given hour appears to be eleven at 10:00. The number of vehicles observed passing through the intersection at 7:00 and 18:00, are three and seven respectively. Counting Station 2148 Counting station 2148 is located at the intersection of R381 and DR02317, which is approximately 61.5 km north of N1. The traffic distribution on the R381 towards Beaufort West, at this intersection is shown in Figure 25.
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Figure 25 - Traffic Distribution on the R381 at Counting Station 2148 The maximum number of vehicles observed passing through the intersection in any given hour appears to be eight at 16:00. The number of vehicles observed passing through the intersection at 7:00 and 18:00, are three and five respectively. The traffic distribution on the DR02317, towards Kromrivier, at this intersection, is shown in Figure 26.
Figure 26 - Traffic Distribution on the DR02317 at Counting Station 2148 There were only five vehicles observer over a period of twelve hours. The only conclusion that can be drawn from this information is that this is not a well-used road. Counting Station 2149 Counting station 2149, is located at the intersection of R381, DR02315 and OP08880, which is approximately 87.3 km north of N1. The traffic distribution on the R381 towards Loxton, at this intersection, is shown in Figure 27.
Figure 27 - Traffic Distribution on the R381 at Counting Station 2149
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The maximum number of vehicles observed passing through the intersection in any given hour appears to be eight at 12:00. The number of vehicles observed passing through the intersection at 7:00 and 18:00, are two and four respectively. Counting Station 2150 Counting station 2150, is located on the R381 at the provincial boundary between the Western Cape and Northern Cape, which is approximately 95.7 km north of N1. The traffic distribution on the R381, at the counting station, is shown in Figure 28
Figure 28 - Traffic Distribution on the R381 at Counting Station 2150 The maximum number of vehicles observed passing through the counting station in any given hour appears to be ten at 10:00. The number of vehicles observed passing through the intersection at 7:00 and 18:00, are two and four respectively. Counting Station 2758 Counting station 2758, is located at the intersection of N1 (NR001) and DR02311, which is approximately 3.6 km east of Beaufort West. The traffic distribution on the N1 towards Beaufort West, at this intersection is shown in Figure 29.
Figure 29 - Traffic Distribution on the N1 at Counting Station 2758 The maximum number of vehicles observed passing through the counting station in any given hour appears to be one-hundred-and-sixty-eight at 15:00. The number of vehicles observed passing through the intersection at 6:00 and 18:00 are sixty-two and one-hundred-and-fifty-two respectively. The traffic distribution on the DR02311 towards De Jager's Pass, at this intersection is shown in Figure 30.
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Figure 30 - Traffic Distribution on the DR02311 at Counting Station 2158 The maximum number of vehicles observed passing through the counting station in any given hour appears to be eight at 8:00, 11:00, 15:00 and 18:00. The number of vehicles observed passing through the intersection at 7:00 and 18:00 is five and eight respectively. Counting Station 2759 Counting station 2759, is located at the intersection of DR02311 and DR02317, which is approximately 58 km north of N1. The traffic distribution on the DR02311 towards De Jager's Pass, at this intersection is shown in Figure 31.
Figure 31 - Traffic Distribution on the DR02311 at Counting Station 2759 The maximum number of vehicles observed passing through the intersection in any given hour appears to be four at 9:00, 10:00 and 15:00. The number of vehicles observed passing through the intersection at 7:00 and 18:00, are zero and one respectively. The traffic distribution on the DR02317, towards Kromrivier, at this intersection, is shown in Figure 32.
Figure 32 - Traffic Distribution on the DR02317 at Counting Station 2759
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The maximum number of vehicles observed passing through the intersection in any given hour appears to be four at 15:00. The number of vehicles observed passing through the intersection at 7:00 and 18:00 is zero. Counting Station 2764 Counting station 2764, is located at the intersection of DR02317 and DR02318, which is approximately 26.5 km east of N1. The traffic distribution on the DR02317, towards Kromrivier, at this intersection, is as shown in Figure 33.
Figure 33 - Traffic Distribution on the DR02317 at Counting Station 2764 The maximum number of vehicles observed passing through the intersection in any given hour appears to be five at 8:00. The number of vehicles observed passing through the intersection at 7:00 and 18:00 is one and zero respectively. Counting Station 2765 Counting station 2765, is located at the intersection of N1 (NR001) and DR02317, which is approximately 59 km north-east of Beaufort West. The traffic distribution on the N1 towards Beaufort West, at this intersection is shown in Figure 34.
Figure 34 - Traffic Distribution on the N1 at Counting Station 2765 The maximum number of vehicles observed passing through the intersection in any given hour appears to be two-hundred-and-thirty-one at 11:00. The number of vehicles observed passing through the intersection at 6:00 and 18:00, is one- hundred-and-fifteen and one-hundred-and-sixty-nine respectively. The traffic distribution on the DR02317, towards Loxton, at this intersection, is shown in Figure 35.
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Figure 35 - Traffic Distribution on the DR02317 at Counting Station 2765 The maximum number of vehicles observed passing through the intersection in any given hour appears to be five at 14:00. The number of vehicles observed passing through the intersection at 7:00 and 18:00 is one and zero respectively. Counting Station 2781 Counting station 2781, is located at the intersection of N1 (NR001) and DR02400, which is approximately 57 km north-east of Beaufort West. The traffic distribution on the N1 towards Three Sisters, at this intersection, is shown in Figure 36.
Figure 36 - Traffic Distribution on the N1 at Counting Station 2781 The maximum number of vehicles observed passing through the intersection in any given hour appears to be two-hundred-and-thirty-four at 11:00. The number of vehicles observed passing through the intersection at 6:00 and 18:00 is one-hundred- and-twenty and one-hundred-and-eighty-one respectively. Counting Station 19350 Counting station 19350, is located on the N12, approximately 41 km north of Three Sisters. The traffic distribution on the N12, over a period of seven days, was provided and is shown in Figure 37.
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Figure 37 - Traffic Distribution on the N12 at Counting Station 19350 Direction 1 is toward Victoria West and Direction 2 is towards Beaufort West. Counting Station M13521 Counting station M13521, is located on the R63 (TR01607), approximately 18 km of Loxton. The average traffic distribution at the counting station is shown in Figure 38.
Figure 38 - Traffic Distribution on the R63 at Counting Station M13521 The maximum number of vehicles observed passing through the counting station in any given hour appears to be seven at 9:00. The number of vehicles observed passing through the intersection at 6:00 and 18:00, are 2.5 and 4.4 respectively. Summary Based on the traffic information obtained from the counting station, the most pertinent information of the adjacent road network, i.e. R381, DR02311 and DR02317, can be summarised as follows: • The ADT on these roads is less than one-hundred vehicles; • The highest volume of Heavy vehicles on the roads is approximately 16 % of the ADT on the R381 (South); • The highest two-way peak traffic is on R381 (South) amounting to eleven vehicles per hour; • The morning peak varies between 8:00 and 11:00 with a maximum number of two- way traffic in any one hour not exceeding ten; • The afternoon peak varies between 15:00 and 18:00 with a maximum number of two-way traffic in any one hour not exceeding eight; • The existing traffic on these roads is well below the design capacity.
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7.1.3 Baseline Traffic Volumes The baseline traffic volumes for the roads within the study area are based on the AADT values obtained from the various counting stations. The values used are the average values between intersections, which have been adjusted by a growth factor relevant to the road. The adjusted AADT values used in this assessment are provided in Figure 39.
Figure 39 - Baseline AADT 7.2 CONSTRUCTION PHASE The construction phase of the development will generate the largest increase in traffic volumes on the local road network. Construction traffic will include vehicles transporting equipment, material and personnel. The trips will include the delivery of over-sized components such as rotor blades, tower sections and generators. A construction period of twenty-four months is anticipated for this development. The construction activities and duration will vary according to the construction schedule. The two most significant activities, that impact on traffic volumes during the construction phase, are: • The commuting of personnel, to and from the site; and • The delivery of equipment and material to the site. The simultaneous occurrence of these two activities is highly unlikely. The commuting of personnel, to and from the site, are two distinct activities, one occurring at the beginning of the working-day (constituting the morning peak) and the other occurring at the end of the working-day (constituting the afternoon peak). These activities contribute to Peak Traffic. Traffic movement statistics have shown that there
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is a noticeable difference between morning and afternoon traffic peaks, although the same number of trips are generated during these peaks, the morning peak is more concentrated than afternoon peaks, as the afternoon peak is spread over a longer period. Thus, for analysis purposes, the morning traffic shall be adopted for both morning and afternoon peaks to demonstrate a worst-case scenario. The delivery of equipment and materials to the site is envisaged to occur during normal working hours, throughout the day. No night deliveries are anticipated and are strongly discouraged. Given the distance from the origin of the material and components and the development, it is assumed that most deliveries will only start arriving at the site an hour or two after work on site commences and will stop an hour or two before work on site concludes for the day. These activities contribute to Diurnal Traffic. The envisaged timeframes for these activities, as adopted in this document, are: • Morning Peak Traffic - between 6:30 to 7:30; • Diurnal Traffic - between 7:30 to 16:30; • Afternoon Peak Traffic - between 16:30 to 17:30.
7.2.1 Peak Traffic It has been estimated that during peak construction of the development, a total manpower complement of approximately two-hundred site personnel will be required. Since no accommodation is to be provided on-site, the personnel will have to be accommodated in the surrounding area and commute to the site. Based on similar projects, the anticipated breakdown of the manpower is as follows: • Senior Staff, i.e. construction managers, supervisors and other key staff, constitute 10% of the total manpower. The senior staff will reside within the community and will commute to the site in pairs, using light vehicles. • Workforce, comprise of semi-skilled and unskilled workers, will constitute 90% of the total manpower. The workforce is drawn from the local communities and will travel to the site by various size minibuses, as the situation arises. The occupancy rate of the minibuses varies depending on where the transport is provided. The trip generation calculations are based on the following: - One thirty-seater minibus from Carnarvon, which will also commute the workforce from Loxton; - One thirty-seater minibus from Victoria West; - Four thirty-three-seater minibuses from Beaufort West. It is assumed that the transport vehicles will remain on-site during the workday. Demographic Site personnel is drawn from towns within the area. In Section 6.3.1, four towns were identified to satisfy the travelling time criteria of less than one and a half hours from the development. These towns include; Loxton, Carnarvon, Victoria West and Beaufort West. The proportionality of staff from these towns is based on the households in the towns. The household figures for each of the towns in the area are presented in Table 8 and are based on the 2011 Census.
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Table 8 - Household Demographics Households Community Number Percentage Loxton 321 2.5% Carnarvon 1552 12.5% Victoria West 2046 16.0% Beaufort West 8882 69.4% Although the information provided is approximately eight years old, the growth rate of the households in these towns was not available, it has been assumed that a similar growth rate is applicable to all these towns. Thus, the proportionality of the households in the various towns would remain the same. Senior Staff Most of the senior staff will be migrants into the local community, the distribution into the community will be dictated by the availability of accommodation, available schools, and personal preferences. The expected route and transportation requirements for senior staff is as follows: • To transport the senior staff from Loxton to the site, one light vehicle will be required. The most direct route to the site will be on the R381(North). • To transport the senior staff from Carnarvon to the site, one light vehicle will be required. The most direct route to the site will be on the R63 and R381(North), via Loxton. • To transport the senior staff from Victoria West to the site, two light vehicles will be required. The most direct route to the site will be on the R63 and R381(North), via Loxton. • To transport the senior staff from Beaufort West to the site, seven light vehicles will be required. The most direct route to the site will be on the N1 and R381(South), through the Molteno Pass. The total transportation requirements for senior staff equates to approximately eleven light vehicles. Workforce Most of the workforce shall be drawn from the surrounding towns as defined above. Details regarding the mode of transport and the proposed route are provided below: • The workforce residing in Loxton and Carnarvon shall use a single thirty-seater minibus. The most direct route to the site will be on the R63 and R381(North), via Loxton. • The workforce residing in Victoria West shall use a single thirty-seater minibus. The most direct route to the site will be on the R63 and R381(North), via Loxton. • The workforce from Beaufort West shall use four thirty-three-seater minibuses. The most direct route to the site will be on the N1 and R381(South), through the Molteno Pass. The total number of vehicles required to transport the workforce to and from site equates to six minibuses, of various sizes. Summary Based on the information above, a summary of the trip per road and transportation mode during the peak construction period, generated by personnel, during the
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morning peak is provided in Table 9. The afternoon peak will consist of the same number of trips as the morning peak. Table 9 - Construction Phase – Peak Traffic Number of trips generated by the various modes of transport Total Traffic
Thirty-Seater Thirty-Three- Volume (vph) Light Vehicles Minibus Seater Minibus R381 (North) 4 2 6 vph R381 (South) 7 0 4 11 vph The information provided above is an informed estimate. Construction-related traffic may however vary and be different from the information provided above, due to the availability of contractors' resources. The total number of vehicles on the roads, commuting personnel to the site is expected to be in the order of seventeen. The maximum number of additional vehicles on any one section of the road, within a given hour, is not expected to exceed eleven. Based on the information tabled above, the most significant increase in traffic volumes resulting from the morning and afternoon peaks will be on the R381 (South), between the N1 and the development.
7.2.2 Diurnal Traffic The construction phase of the development consists of several activities, some occur sequentially while others occur concurrently. Thus, not all the traffic volumes estimated in this document for the various activities are cumulative. The construction phase activities, which will increase the traffic volumes include, inter alia: • Site establishment: the initial activity of the development, the increase in traffic volumes resulting from this activity is not cumulative; • Delivery of material and equipment to site: the traffic volumes resulting from these activities are cumulative and include the delivery of; − gravel for the construction of the roads, terraces, battery storage facility and substation platforms; − raw material (i.e. cement, sand, stone) for batching of concrete; − construction material (i.e. scaffolding, formwork, reinforcing steel, brick, roof sheeting, fencing, etc.); − construction vehicles and equipment (i.e. earthmoving equipment, batching plant, etc) − substation components (i.e. steel gantries, transformers, switchgear, cables, circuit breakers, surge arresters, lightning conductor masts, etc.) − components for the battery storage facility (i.e. containers and equipment such as batteries, inverters, transformers, HVAC equipment, switchgear, etc.) • Delivery of the WTG components are cumulative (i.e. tower sections, blades, nacelle, gearbox, generator, nose cone, hub, etc.), due to the physical characteristics of most of these components they will be transported as abnormal loads. Traffic volumes generated by site establishment will tend to decrease towards the end of the activity, during which the delivery of construction equipment and the
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material will commence. Thus, for analysis purposes, a constant value for each of these activities has been assumed. To prevent an excessive increase in traffic volumes on the road network, a Traffic Management Plan will have to be compiled and managed. This is described in more detail in Section 11. The various freight transportation routes to the development have been addressed in Section 6.3.2 above. However, for the purpose of this report, it is assumed that ninety per cent of all Freight Traffic, will be transported to site via Loxton. Which constitutes a worst-case scenario. While, the remaining ten per cent is assumed to be transported on vehicles with the gross vehicle mass of less than ten tonnes, which will use the Molteno Pass. The traffic volumes generated by the construction activities are defined and detailed below. Site Establishment Site establishment is the first activity undertaken within the construction phase, of the development. Various types of vehicles will be involved with site establishment, the duration of which is assumed to be in the order of six weeks. The increase in traffic volume for this activity is conservatively estimated to be in the order of eight return trips per day, which equates to two vehicles per hour. The most likely route for these deliveries to the site, from the N1, would be via the R63 and R381 (North). This activity does not coincide with any other activity during the construction phase of the development and will be excluded from the cumulative assessment. Construction Equipment and Materials Once the site has been established, the delivery of construction equipment and materials will commence. Equipment, such as tools, machinery, scaffolding, formwork, etc. will be delivered to site at the commencement of the construction and will be gradually removed from the site as construction draws to an end. Materials, such as reinforcing steel, brick, roof sheeting, fencing, transformers, switchgear, cables, etc. will be delivered to site as an on-going activity, slowly ramping-up to constant deliveries during the construction phase, before tapering-off of construction. As a worst-case scenario, it is assumed that these deliveries will be distributed throughout the construction phase. Various types of vehicles will be used to deliver the construction equipment and materials to the site. The increase in traffic volume for this activity is conservatively estimated to be in the order of four return trips per day. This equates to one vehicle per hour. The most likely route for these deliveries to site, from the N1, would be via the R63 and the R381 (North). Gravel – Roads The sub-station platforms, battery storage area, roads and hardstand platforms adjacent to the WTG units are to be constructed from suitable gravels. Suitable material excavated from the WTG foundation shall, where possible, be used for the construction of roads and hardstand platforms. Worst-case scenario assumes that
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most of the material required is sourced from commercial quarries, outside the study area. The volume of material required is in the order of 65 000 m 3. The gravel is assumed to be delivered to site in 20 m 3 articulated rear tippers, over a period of eighteen months. The increase in traffic volume resulting from this activity is estimated to be in the order of eight return trips per day. Over an eight-hour day, this equates to 2 vehicles per hour. Due to the size of the vehicles delivering this material, the most likely route for these deliveries to site from the N1 would be via the R63 and R381 (North). Raw Material – Concrete The concrete required for all thirty-five WTG foundations together with the concrete required for the sub-station and battery storage facility is to be batched from an on- site batching plant, assumed to be located to the east of R381. The raw material for the concrete is to be delivered to site from commercial sources. The raw material to be delivered to the site for manufacturing the concrete is in the order of 9 500 tonnes of cement; 16 500 m3 of sand; and 19 500 m3 of stone. The cement is assumed to be delivered to site using pneumatic bulkers, with a 40 m3 tridem semi (payload 32 000 kg) and 15 m3 pup (payload of 10 000 kg), as shown in Figure 40.
Figure 40 - Bulk Cement Tanker and Pup While the aggregate is assumed to be delivered to site in 20 m 3 articulated rear tippers, as shown in Figure 41, over a period of eighteen months.
Figure 41 - Articulated Rear Tipper
The increase in traffic volume resulting from this activity is estimated to be in the order of seven return trips per day. Over an eight-hour day, this equates to 1.75 vehicles per hour.
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The most likely route for these deliveries to the site, from the N1, would be via the R63 and R381 (North). WTG Components Each WTG unit consists of approximately fourteen components, i.e. tower sections, blades (as shown in Figure 42), gearbox, nacelle (as shown in Figure 43), generator, nose cone, hub, etc., each of which are to be individually transported to the site, most of which are abnormal loads.
Figure 42 - Transportation of Turbine Blade
Figure 43 - Transportation of Nacelle Most of the components are imported into South Africa. These components could be transported from any port of entry along the South African coastline. However, for analysis purposes, it shall be assumed that all the components are delivered to the site from Ngqura Container Terminal. The transportation of the WTG components for this development is estimated to be in the order of four-hundred-and-ninety trips over a period of eighteen months. The increase in traffic volume resulting from this activity is estimated to be less than two return trips per day. Over an eight-hour day, this equates to 0.34 vehicles per hour. Based on experience abnormal loads are delivered to site on predetermined days as per the permit requirements. The most likely route for the delivery of the larger components to the site, from the N1, would be via the R63 and R381 (North).
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Battery Storage Facility A Battery Storage Facility is to be constructed as part of this development. The facility takes excess power generated by the wind farm, converts and stores it in batteries. The Battery Storage Facility consists mainly of purpose-made steel containers, in which the batteries are stored and managed, together with inverters and transformers. The transportation of the various components required for the Battery Storage Facility is estimated to be in the order of two-hundred-and-fifty trips, which are expected to be delivered over a period of two months, during the latter portion of the construction phase. The increase in traffic volume resulting from the delivery of equipment for the facility is estimated to be less than seven return trips per day. Over an eight-hour day, this equates to 1.56 vehicles per hour. The most likely route for the delivery of the large components to the site, from the N1, would be via the R63 and R381 (North), smaller deliveries (less than ten tonnes) could be delivered via the R381 (South). Concrete The concrete for the WTG foundations is batched on-site and transported to each foundation. Each foundation consists of approximately 750 m3 of concrete and takes up to ten hours to cast. The contractor is most likely to use 8 m3 concrete mix trucks to transport concrete. Thus, to cast a WTG foundation, approximately ninety-six trips will be generated (including 2.5% wastage) over a period of ten hours, thus the expected increase in traffic (in one direction) will be approximately ten vehicles per hour (one every six minutes). If the vehicles are using the same return route there will be an increase in the traffic by the same volume. The layout of the wind farm infrastructure is so designed that all WTG are accessed from the internal road network without travelling on public roads. Thus, no concrete trucks are expected to travel on public roads during the casting of the WTG foundations in this development. Summary Based on the information above, a summary of the traffic generated by the delivery of equipment and material to the site, on the R381 (North) and R381 (South), are provided in Table 10. Table 10 - Construction Phase – Diurnal Traffic Constructio Gravel for Total Traffic Site Raw Battery n Equipment Road WTG Volume #(vph) Road Establishme Material for Storage Concrete and Constructio Components nt Concrete Facility ## ## ## Materials n 1 2 3 R381 1.8 vph 0.9 vph 1.8 vph 1.575 vph 0.306 vph 1.404 vph 0 vph 1.8 5.99 0 (North) R381 0.2 vph 0.1 vph 0.2 vph 0.175 vph 0.034 vph 0.156 vph 0.2 0.67 (South) # Total Traffic Volumes indicate dual directional traffic . ## 1 – Site Establishment, 2 – Construction Related Deliveries, 3 – Concrete Deliveries. The Diurnal Traffic during the peak construction phase of this development, which would contribute to the ADT, is anticipated to be: • less than six vehicles per hour travel on the R381 (North). For the purpose of this report, six vehicles per hour shall be adopted on this section of the road; • less than one vehicle per hour travels on the R381 (South). For the purpose of this report, one vehicle per hour shall be adopted on this section of the road.
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The information provided above is an informed estimate. Construction-related traffic may however vary and be different from the information provided above, due to the availability of contractors' resources and schedule. 7.3 OPERATIONAL PHASE The operational life of the development is expected to be approximately twenty years. The development will operate on a twenty-four-hour basis, except when there is a mechanical breakdown, extreme weather conditions or maintenance activities. Wind turbines will be subject to regular maintenance and inspection (i.e. routine servicing) to ensure the optimum performance of the turbine components. The only on-site activities related to the development will be monitoring, routine servicing and unscheduled maintenance of the WTG units.
7.3.1 Peak Traffic It is envisaged that the development is maintained and operated by a team of approximately thirty-two personnel, of which: one will commute from Loxton; four will commute from Carnarvon; six will commute from Victoria West and nineteen are to commute from Beaufort West. To optimise the use of vehicles, personnel from Loxton will commute with personnel from Carnarvon. It is envisaged that the operational and maintenance staff are transported to and from the site using, two light vehicles, two seven-seater minibuses and one twenty-seater minibus. The proposed route from Beaufort West would be on the NR001 and the R381 (South), through the Molteno Pass. While the proposed route from Carnarvon and Victoria West would be on the R63, via Loxton on the R381 (North). The trips generated by personnel commuting to and from the site on a daily basis is summarised in Table 11. Table 11 - Operational Phase – Peak Traffic Number of trips generated by the various modes of transport Total Traffic Roads Seven-Seater Twenty-Seater Volume (vph) Light Vehicles Minibus Minibus R381 (North) 1 2 0 3 vph R381 (South) 1 0 1 2 vph Peak traffic (single direction) is generated by five vehicles used to commute personnel to the site, in the morning and afternoon. The maximum number of additional vehicles on the R381 (North), within a given hour, is anticipated to be in the order of three, while the maximum number of additional vehicles on the R381 (South), within a given hour is anticipated to be in the order of two.
7.3.2 Diurnal Traffic Two possible activities contribute to the Diurnal Traffic on the public roads, these include commuting between Wind Farms and delivery of goods and material to the site. Daily inspections and periodical maintenance of the WTG units and associated infrastructure will generate approximately two trips per day on or across the public roads, which equates to 0.25 vehicles per hour. Vehicles related to servicing and delivery of goods to the site is expected to be transported to site via Beaufort West, at a rate of one vehicle per day, which equates to 0.25 vehicles per hour.
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The proposed increase in daily traffic on public roads during the operational phase is provided in Table 12. Table 12 - Operational Phase – Diurnal Traffic Road Traffic Volume (vph) R381 (North) 0.25 vph R381 (South) 0.25 vph Two vehicles generated approximately four trips per day. This traffic is distributed on both sections of the R381. The maximum number of additional vehicles on any one section of the road, within a given hour, will never exceed one. 7.4 DECOMMISSIONING PHASE At the end of the operational phase, the development may be decommissioned, or its continued economic viability may be investigated. If the development is still deemed economically viable the development maybe re-engineered and the operational life may be extended. If the development is not economically viable then the development shall be decommissioned. The components will be disassembled, reused, recycled or disposed of in accordance with the relevant regulatory requirements. The turbines may also be traded or sold as there is an active second- hand market for wind turbines, or it may be used as scrap metal. The decommissioning procedures will be undertaken in line with an Environmental Management Plan and the site will be rehabilitated and returned to its pre- construction state. The decommissioning phase of the development is expected to create skilled and unskilled employment opportunities. The traffic impacts on the public roads during the decommissioning phase of the site will be significantly less than the traffic impact determined during the construction phase, as many of the internal infrastructures will be retained by the landowners. As part of the decommissioning process, a separate traffic impact assessment should be undertaken since many of the characteristics related to the traffic impact assessment, i.e. access routes, road geometry, traffic volumes, etc. would have changed over the operational life of the development. Thus, a specific decommissioning assessment has not been undertaken at this stage. 8 ASSESSMENT OF IMPACTS Access to the development is only from the gravel section of the R381. The only paved access to the R381 is via the N1 (to the south) and R63 (to the north). However, the passes on the R381 (South) prevent this route from being used, by vehicles with a gross vehicle mass of more than ten tonnes, for the delivery of equipment and materials. Thus, for the purpose of this report, it shall be assumed that ninety per cent of all equipment and material required on-site will be transported via the R381 (North), and the remaining ten per cent via the R381 (South). 8.1 CONSTRUCTION PHASE The duration of the construction phase is estimated to be in the order of twenty-four months. During the construction phase traffic will be generated through two distinct sources: • The commuter traffic, getting personnel to and from the site (Peak Traffic); and
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• The freight traffic, the delivery of materials and equipment to the site (Diurnal Traffic). It is envisaged that the transportation of the site personnel will result in the Peak Traffic, while the delivery of equipment and materials to the site will be distributed throughout the day. The traffic volumes generated, for both Peak Traffic and Diurnal Traffic, resulting from this development has been addressed in Section 7. Thus, the combined expected increase in the traffic volumes on the various section of the R381, during the peak construction phase of the development is summarised in Table 13. Table 13 - Construction Phase – Traffic Volumes Day (divided into three-time frames) Morning Afternoon Roads Diurnal Traffic Peak Traffic Peak Traffic (vph) 06:30 (vph) 07:30 16:30 (vph) 17:30 R381 (North) 6 vph 6 vph 6 vph R381 (South) 11 vph 1 vph 11 vph Based on the information provided in the table above there are no traffic volumes that are increased by more than fifty trips per hour, thus satisfying Section 2.6 of the "South African Traffic Impact and Site Traffic Assessment Manual", which reads as follows; "A Traffic Impact Assessment shall be undertaken and submitted when an application is made for a change in land use and when the highest total additional hourly vehicular trip generation (including pass-by and diverted trips) as a result of the application exceeds 50 trips per hour". Traffic volume generated during the peak construction phase of the development is in the order of: • Peak Traffic: Seventeen vehicles generate thirty-four trips a day on the road network. The maximum number of vehicles on the R381 (South), within a given hour, is not expected to exceed eleven. • Diurnal Traffic: Approximately fifty-six trips a day are generated on the R381. The majority, forty-eight trips are generated on the R381 (North) while the other eight are generated on the R381 (South). The maximum number of vehicles on the R381 (North), within a given hour, is not expected to exceed six. The ADT generated during the peak construction phase on the two sections of the R381, expressed as an "Increased ADT", are shown in Table 14. Table 14 - Construction Phase - Traffic Assessment ADT Additional Traffic Road Increased ADT Baseline * Generated ** R381 (North) 56 (12+48) = 60 116 R381 (South # 83 (22+8) = 30 113 * Average AADT of the legs along the section of road ** The first value represents the Peak Traffic and the second value represents the Diurnal Traffic The ADT on the R381 (North) is increased from fifty-six trips per day to one-hundred- and-sixteen trips per day. To put it in perspective the baseline traffic of approximately six vehicles per hour, is increased to approximately twelve vehicles per hour. The ADT on the R381 (South) is increased from eighty-three trips per day to one- hundred-and-thirteen trips per day. However, the majority of the additional traffic on this section of the road occurs during the peak traffic only. Based on baseline traffic information very few vehicles use the road during the period when peak traffic will be generated by the development.
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Concrete Transportation Since all the WTG’s are located east of the R381 and are accessed via internal road network, there is no need for the concrete trucks to travel on the public roads during the casting of the WTG foundations for this development. Thus, there is no impact on the public road network due to the transportation of concrete. 8.2 OPERATIONAL PHASE The duration of the operational phase, of this development, which is estimated to be in the order of twenty years. During this phase traffic will be generated through two distinct sources: • The commuter traffic, getting personnel to and from the site (Peak Traffic); and • The freight traffic, the delivery of materials and equipment to the site (Diurnal Traffic). It is envisaged that the transportation of the site personnel will result in the Peak Traffic, while the delivery of equipment and materials to the site will be distributed throughout the day. The traffic volumes generated, for both Peak Traffic and Diurnal Traffic, resulting from this phase of the development has been addressed in Section 7. Thus, the combined expected increase in the traffic volumes on the various roads during the operational phase of the development is summarised in Table 15. Table 15 - Operational Phase – Traffic Volumes Day (divided into three-time frames)
Afternoon Roads Morning Peak Diurnal Traffic Peak Traffic Traffic (vph) (vph) (vph) 06:30 07:30 16:30 17:30 R381 (North) 3 vph 0.25 vph 3 vph R381 (South) 2 vph 0.25 vph 2 vph Based on the information provided in the table above there are no traffic volumes that are increased by more than fifty trips an hour, thus satisfying section 2.6 of the "South African Traffic Impact and Site Traffic Assessment Manual", which reads as follows; "A Traffic Impact Assessment shall be undertaken and submitted when an application is made for a change in land use and when the highest total additional hourly vehicular trip generation (including pass-by and diverted trips) as a result of the application exceeds 50 trips per hour". Traffic volume generated during the operational phase of the development, for peak traffic and diurnal traffic is detailed below: • Peak Traffic: Five vehicles generate ten trips a day, on the road network. This traffic is predominantly on the R381 (North). The maximum number of vehicles on this section of the road, within a given hour, is not expected to exceed three; • Diurnal Traffic: Two vehicles generate four trips a day, on the road network. This traffic is distributed equally on both the R381 (North) and R381 (South). The maximum number of trips on any section of this road, within a given hour, is not expected to exceed more than one. The ADT generated during the operational phase on the two sections of the R381, expressed as an "Increased ADT", are shown in Table 16.
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Table 16 - Operational Phase - Traffic Assessment ADT Additional Traffic Road Increased ADT Baseline * Generated ** R381 (North) 56 (6+2) = 8 64 R381 (South # 83 (4+2) = 6 89 * Average AADT of the legs along the section of road ** The first value represents the Peak Traffic and the second value represents the Diurnal Traffic The ADT on the R381 (North) is increased from fifty-six trips per day, to sixty-four trips per day. However, the additional traffic on this section of the road occurs during the peak traffic. Thus, to put it in perspective the baseline traffic of approximately six vehicles per hour will increase to approximately twelve vehicles per hour, during the peak traffic. The ADT on the R381 (South) is increased from eighty-three trips per day, to eighty- nine trips per day. However, the additional traffic on this section of the road occurs during the peak traffic. Thus, to put it in perspective the baseline traffic of approximately eight vehicles per hour, during Peak Traffic is increased to twelve vehicles per hour, during the peak traffic. The increase in traffic volumes on the R381, during the operational phase of the development, is insignificant. 8.3 DECOMMISSIONING PHASE As described in Section 7.4 above, a separate traffic impact assessment should be undertaken as part of the decommissioning process, since many of the characteristics related to the traffic impact assessment, i.e. access routes, road geometry, traffic volumes, etc. would have changed over the operational life of the development. Thus, no traffic assessment for the decommissioning phase has been undertaken in this report. 9 ASSESSMENT OF CUMULATIVE IMPACTS The assessment of the cumulative increased traffic volumes on the road network within the study area during the construction, operational and decommissioning phases of this development is addressed in the following sub-sections. The construction of this development is subject to the relevant approval by the various authorities. In addition to this development, there are two other wind farm developments and grid connection proposed within the study area, as detailed in Section 6.4. It is unclear whether all three of the Nuweveld Wind Farms will be constructed concurrently or sequentially. As a worst-case scenario, concurrent construction of all three of the Nuweveld Wind Farms and the Nuweveld Grid Connection has been adopted for evaluation. The traffic volumes generated for the construction and operational phase of the other developments have been independently calculated and are the subject of separate reports. To summarise: • The cumulative construction phase assessment includes the simultaneous construction of all three proposed Nuweveld Wind Farms and the Nuweveld Grid Connection; • The cumulative operation phase assessment includes the simultaneous operation of all three proposed Nuweveld Wind Farms, the traffic generated during the
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operational phase of the Nuweveld Grid Connection is nominal and has been excluded for the purpose of this report. 9.1 CONSTRUCTION PHASE The traffic volumes are based on a manpower complement of four-hundred-and-sixty for the three Wind Farms, which is approximately twenty per cent less than the combined manpower for each of the Wind Farms, plus a further one-hundred-and- ten involved in the Grid Connection. Thus, the cumulative impact is based on a combined manpower of approximately five-hundred-and-seventy. The cumulative traffic volumes on the affected roads within the study area, for both Peak Traffic and Diurnal Traffic, during the peak construction phase of all three Nuweveld Wind Farms and the Grid Connection are provided in Table 17. Table 17 - Cumulative Peak Constructional Phase - Traffic Volume Day (divided into three-time frames) Afternoon Roads Morning Peak Diurnal Traffic Peak Traffic Traffic (vph) (vph) 06:30 07:30 16:30 (vph) 17:30 R381 (North) 16 vph 21 vph 16 vph R381 (South) 32 vph 4 vph 32 vph DR02317 24 vph 10 vph 24 vph Based on the information provided in the table above there are no traffic volumes that are increased by more than fifty trips an hour, thus satisfying section 2.6 of the "South African Traffic Impact and Site Traffic Assessment Manual", which reads as follows; "A Traffic Impact Assessment shall be undertaken and submitted when an application is made for a change in land use and when the highest total additional hourly vehicular trip generation (including pass-by and diverted trips) as a result of the application exceeds 50 trips per hour". The cumulative traffic volumes generated on the various roads during the construction phase is in the order of: • Peak Traffic: Forty-eight vehicles generate ninety-six trips a day. The maximum number of vehicles within a given hour, is expected to be in the order of thirty-two on the R381 (South), sixteen on the R381 (North) and twenty-four on the DR02317; • Diurnal Traffic: Approximately one-hundred-and-ninety-two trips a day are generated on the R381, of which one-hundred-and-sixty-six are on the R381 (North) and twenty-six are on the R381 (South). The maximum number of vehicles on the R381 (North), within a given hour, is not expected to exceed twenty-one. The assessment of the cumulative traffic impact generated during the peak construction phase expressed as an "Increased ADT", is provided in Table 18. Table 18 - Cumulative Constructional Phase - Traffic Assessment ADT Additional Traffic Road Increased ADT Baseline * Generated ** R381 (North) 56 (32+166) = 198 254 R381 (South) 83 (64+26) = 90 173 DR02317 10 (48+80) = 128 138 * Average AADT of the legs along the section of road ** The first value represents the Peak Traffic and the second value represents the Diurnal Traffic The ADT on the R381 (North) is increased from fifty-six trips per day to two-hundred- and-fifty-four trips per day. To put it in perspective the baseline traffic of less than six
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vehicles per hour is increased to approximately twenty-five vehicles per hour, this represents a significant increase, but still does not increase the traffic by more than fifty vehicles per hour. While the ADT on the R381 (South) is increased from eighty-three trips per day to one-hundred-and-seventy-three trips per day. However, the majority of the additional traffic on this section of the road occurs during the peak traffic. Thus, to put it in perspective the baseline traffic of less than nine vehicles per hour, during Peak Traffic is increased to forty vehicles per hour. The ADT on the DR02317 is increased from ten trips per day to one-hundred-and- thirty-eight trips per day. To put it in perspective the baseline traffic of approximately one vehicle per hour is increased to approximately fourteen vehicles per hour, this represents a significant increase, but still does not increase the traffic by more than fifty vehicles per hour Concrete Transportation The transportation of concrete, on the public roads, required for the casting of the WTG foundations, has been minimised as far as possible and is only applicable to the casting of some of the WTG foundations on Nuweveld East Wind Farm. The envisaged impact on the public roads due to the casting of the WTG foundations are: • Nuweveld North Wind Farm – Will have no impact on the public road network; • Nuweveld West Wind Farm – Will have no impact on the public road network; • Nuweveld East Wind Farm - The casting of WTG foundation adjacent to the DR02317, will be impacted the traffic using the DR02317, on the twenty-four individual days, this equates to approximately 3.3% of the overall construction period of twenty-four months. Assuming that the concrete for the northern five WTG units is supplied from Nuweveld West Wind Farm. 9.2 OPERATIONAL PHASE The traffic generated during the operational phase is based on a combined manpower complement of ninety-six, distributed evenly over the three wind farms. The cumulative traffic volumes on the affected roads within the study area, for both Peak Traffic and Diurnal Traffic, during the operational phase of all three Nuweveld Wind Farms are provided in Table 19 Table 19 - Cumulated Operational Phase – Traffic Volumes Day (divided into three-time frames) Afternoon Roads Morning Peak Diurnal Traffic Peak Traffic Traffic (vph) (vph) 06:30 07:30 16:30 (vph) 17:30 R381 (North) 9 vph 0.25 vph 9 vph R381 (South) 6 vph 0.25 vph 6 vph DR02317 5 vph 0.25 vph 5 vph Based on the information provided in the table above there are no traffic volumes that are increased by more than fifty trips an hour, thus satisfying section 2.6 of the "South African Traffic Impact and Site Traffic Assessment Manual", "A Traffic Impact Assessment shall be undertaken and submitted when an application is made for a change in land use and when the highest total additional hourly vehicular trip generation (including pass-by and diverted trips) as a result of the application exceeds 50 trips per hour".
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The cumulative traffic volumes generated on the affected roads within the study area, during the combined operational phase of the three Nuweveld Wind Farms, is in the order of: • Peak Traffic: Fifteen vehicles generate thirty trips a day. Most of this traffic is on the R381 (North). The maximum number of vehicles within a given hour is expected to be in the order of nine; • Diurnal Traffic: Approximately two trips a day are generated on the roads. The maximum number of vehicles on any section of the road, within a given hour, is expected to be in the order of one. The assessment of the cumulative traffic impact generated during the operational phase expressed as an "Increased ADT", is provided in Table 20. Table 20 - Cumulative Operational Phase – Traffic Assessment ADT Additional Traffic Road Increased ADT Baseline * Generated ** R381 (North) 56 (18+2) = 20 75 R381 (South) 83 (12+2) = 14 97 DR02317 10 (10+2) = 12 22 * Average AADT of the legs along the section of road ** The first value represents the Peak Traffic and the second value represents the Diurnal Traffic The ADT on the R381 (North) is increased from fifty-six trips per day, to seventy-five trips per day. However, the majority of the additional traffic on this section of the road occurs during the peak traffic. Thus, to put it in perspective the baseline traffic of approximately six vehicles per hour will increase to approximately fifteen vehicles per hour. While the ADT on the R381 (South) is increased from eighty-three trips per day, to ninety-seven trips per day. However, the majority of the additional traffic on this section of the road occurs during the peak traffic. Thus, to put it in perspective the baseline traffic of approximately eight vehicles per hour, during Peak Traffic is increased to approximately fourteen vehicles per hour. 9.3 DECOMMISSIONING PHASE As described in Section 7.4 above, a separate traffic impact assessment should be undertaken as part of the decommissioning process, since many of the characteristics related to the traffic impact assessment, i.e. access routes, road geometry, traffic volumes, etc. would have changed over the operational life of the development. Thus, no cumulative traffic assessment for the decommissioning phase, of the Grid Connection, has been undertaken in this report.
10 RISKS AND IMPACTS A development within an established environment can cause significant road impacts, particularly when a new development is introduced into the environment, which leads to an increase in traffic on public roads. The traffic volume will vary depending on the phase of the development. More traffic is envisaged during the construction and decommissioning phases of the development, while an insignificant increase in traffic is envisaged during the operational phase of the development. The more activities there are during any given period, the greater the possibility of an incident. Thus, there is more chance, that the identified risks will occur during the construction and decommissioning phase, than during the operational phase.
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With the increase of traffic along the roads, comes the potential increase in incidents. The incidents could vary from minor damage to the vehicle due to the road conditions to fatal collisions with other vehicles, pedestrians or even animals. Traffic safety is directly related to the attitude of the drivers using the roads. The road condition will dictate the safe speed limit a responsible driver will travel. However, not all the road users are responsible, resulting in frustrated drivers taking unnecessary chances, many of which involve excessive speeding. Thus, to improve traffic safety on the roads it is strongly suggested that all key personnel, including mini-bus and bus drivers, be provided with advanced driver training. 10.1 RISKS The existing road network has numerous intrinsic risks, which could be exacerbated by the traffic generated due to the development. The most pertinent risks are briefly discussed below and need to be considered by the developer during the various phases of the development.
10.1.1 Traffic Volumes The traffic volumes on the road network will be significantly more during the construction phases, than what is expected during the operational phase of the development. During the construction phase of the three developments, the maximum combined traffic volumes on any one section of the road are estimated to be in the order of thirty-nine vehicles per hour. Which occurs during the morning and afternoon peaks. During the operational phase of the development, there will be a nominal increase in traffic on the local road network. The traffic volumes will be limited to peak traffic with negligible diurnal traffic generated. The increased traffic volumes will increase the potential of incidents on the roads within the study area.
10.1.2 Road Condition The public access roads to all three of the developments are gravel. The R381 (North) is relatively flat with minor inclination. However, the passes through the Nuweveld Mountains is extremely treacherous, with very few barriers, steep drop- offs, very tight corners, negative banking and loose gravel. During the construction phase of the development, there will be an increase in the traffic volumes on the local road network. The increased traffic volumes will place an additional burden on the roads within the study area. Mitigation of this impact is regular maintenance of the roads by the local roads' authorities. However, due to budget constraints, it is unlikely that the necessary road maintenance will be undertaken by the local roads' authorities. However, as is standard practice, and normally enforced as part of the planning approval for the development, the local roads' authorities should instruct the developer to do such maintenance.
10.1.3 Reduced Visibility Numerous natural phenomena could compromise the visibility of vehicle users, which increase the potential of accidents on the road network, these include inter alia;
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• Sun glare: When driving on the road into the sun, there is a high probability of being blinded by the sun, not being able to observe activities along the road and intersections, which could result in an incident; • Inclement weather: Visibility is the main concern when driving in inclement weather. Reduced visibility resulting from either the rain itself or from the spray of the vehicles travelling on the road. Skidding and aquaplaning resulting from water on the road surface is a probable risk; • Dust: Generation of dust when travelling on unpaved roads is inevitable. The larger the vehicle the more dust is generated, this dust hinders the drivers wishing to over-take with a clear view for over-taking, resulting in drivers taking unnecessary chances, which could result in unfavourable consequences.
10.1.4 Pedestrians and Animals The development is to be constructed in the rural area, consisting predominately of mountainous terrain. Large portions of the area are undeveloped and are home to various species of antelope. Stray livestock, wild animals and pedestrians are all potential risks to the road users. If evasive action is taken by drivers, at high speed, there is a strong probability that the vehicle could roll, resulting in severe injuries or even fatalities, failing to take evasive action will result in the certain fatality of the animal or pedestrian. Mitigation measures are limited to provide drivers with advanced driver training and train drivers how to handle a vehicle in the event of a tire blow-out or an antelope jumping in the road, as the incorrect evasive action could have dire consequences. 10.2 IMPACTS The road network within the study area is limited, offering very little opportunity of selecting alternative routes. All routes evaluated for the development are existing roads and no new roads need to be constructed, apart from sections of the proposed by-pass around Beaufort West (if required). However, remedial action on various sections of the transportation routes will be required before the execution of the works. Safety and road network integrity impacts for various phases of the development have been assessed using an assessment tool provided by Aurecon South Africa (Pty) Ltd.
10.2.1 Construction Phase During the peak construction phase of the development, the following safety and road network integrity impacts have been assessed. Increased Road Incidents The impact due to the increased traffic volumes on the public roads which will increase the potential of incidents on the road network within the study area is provided in Table 21. Table 21 - Construction Phase - Increased Road Incidents Project phase Construction Phase Impact Increased Road Incidents Description of The increased traffic volumes on the public roads will increase the potential of incidents on the road impact network within the study area Mitigation does not exist, or mitigation will slightly reduce the significance of Mitigatability Low impacts Potential Post relevant road signage along affected routes; mitigation Create local WhatsApp Group, notifying users of expected deliveries and propose alternative routes; NUWEVELD NORTH WIND FARM - TIA (Rev 2) Page 48
Transport Management Plan, this is to be compiled once the contractor has been appointed and all the relevant details of the construction process are known. The Transport Management Plan needs to address, inter alia: - clearly defined route to the site for specific vehicles needed to transport equipment and materials' - schedule delivery to avoid local congestion; Ensure all vehicles are roadworthy, visible, properly marked, and operated by an appropriately licenced operator. Assessment Without mitigation With mitigation Nature Negative Negative the impact will last between 1 the impact will last between Duration Short term Short term and 5 years 1 and 5 years Extending across the site Extending across the site Extent Local Local and to nearby settlements and to nearby settlements Natural and/ or social Natural and/ or social Intensity Very high functions and/ or processes Very high functions and/ or processes are majorly altered are majorly altered There are sound scientific There are sound scientific Probability Certain / definite reasons to expect that the Certain / definite reasons to expect that the impact will definitely occur impact will definitely occur Determination is based on Determination is based on Confidence Medium common sense and general Medium common sense and general knowledge knowledge The affected environment will The affected environment not be able to recover from will not be able to recover Reversibility Low Low the impact - permanently from the impact - modified permanently modified The resource is irreparably The resource is irreparably Resource High damaged and is not High damaged and is not irreplaceability represented elsewhere represented elsewhere Significance Moderate - negative Moderate - negative Comment on Reversibility: Low - if the incident results in a fatality significance Resource irreplaceability: High - if incident results in a fatality Cumulative The cumulative impact on traffic volumes on the R381 (North) for Nuweveld Wind Farms, and on impacts DR03217 for Nuweveld East Wind Farm. Road Degradation The impact due to the increased traffic volumes on the public roads which will increase the potential of localised degradation of the road network within the study area is presented in Table 22. Table 22 - Construction Phase - Road Degradation Project phase Construction Phase Impact Road Degradation Description of The increased traffic volumes on the public roads will increase the potential of localised degradation of impact the road network within the study area. Mitigatability Medium Mitigation exists and will notably reduce the significance of impacts Create local WhatsApp Group and post notices of road conditions and propose alternatives. Developer to contribute to the maintenance of the public roads in the area during construction phases of the development Potential A photographic record of the road condition should be maintained throughout the various phases of the mitigation development. This provides an objective assessment and mitigates any subjective view from road users. Upgrade unpaved roads to a suitable condition for proposed construction vehicles; Ensure that the roads are left in same or better condition, post-construction. Assessment Without mitigation With mitigation Nature Negative Positive the impact will last between 1 the impact will last between Duration Short term Short term and 5 years 1 and 5 years Extending across the site Extending across the site Extent Local Local and to nearby settlements and to nearby settlements Natural and/ or social Natural and/ or social Intensity Moderate functions and/ or processes Low functions and/ or processes are moderately altered are somewhat altered
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Almost certain / It is most likely that the Almost certain / It is most likely that the Probability Highly probable impact will occur Highly probable impact will occur Determination is based on Determination is based on Confidence Medium common sense and general Medium common sense and general knowledge knowledge The affected environmental The affected environment Reversibility High will be able to recover from High will be able to recover from the impact the impact The resource is not Resource The resource is not damaged Low Low damaged irreparably or is irreplaceability irreparably or is not scarce not scarce Significance Minor - negative Minor - Positive Comment on Intensity: Moderate - due to the risk of mechanical damage to vehicles. Low - due to the reduced risk of significance mechanical damage to vehicles. Cumulative The cumulative impact on traffic volumes on the R381 (North) for Nuweveld Wind Farms, and on impacts DR03217 for Nuweveld East Wind Farm. Dust The larger the vehicle the more dust is likely to be generated, this dust hinders the drivers wishing to over-take without a clear view for over-taking, resulting in drivers taking unnecessary chances, which could result in unfavourable consequences. The impact due to the increased traffic volumes on the unpaved public roads which will generate dust is presented in Table 23. Table 23 - Construction Phase - Dust Project phase Construction Phase Impact Dust The increased traffic volumes on the unpaved public roads will generate more dust. The larger the Description of vehicle the more dust is likely to be generated, this dust hinders the drivers wishing to over-take without impact a clear view for over-taking, resulting in drivers taking unnecessary chances, which could result in unfavourable consequences Mitigation does not exist, or mitigation will slightly reduce the significance of Mitigatability Low impacts Reduce travel speed on the gravel road to reduce dust Potential Dust suppression of the roads mitigation Regular preventative maintenance of roads, this should be conducted over weekends to minimise the impact on the normal construction period. Assessment Without mitigation With mitigation Nature Negative Negative Short term the impact will last between 1 Short term the impact will last between 1 Duration and 5 years and 5 years Local Extending across the site Local Extending across the site and Extent and to nearby settlements to nearby settlements High Natural and/ or social High Natural and/ or social Intensity functions and/ or processes functions and/ or processes are notably altered are notably altered Almost certain / It is most likely that the Almost certain / It is most likely that the impact Probability Highly probable impact will occur Highly probable will occur Medium Determination is based on Medium Determination is based on Confidence common sense and general common sense and general knowledge knowledge Low The affected environment will Low The affected environment will not be able to recover from not be able to recover from Reversibility the impact - permanently the impact - permanently modified modified High The resource is irreparably High The resource is irreparably Resource damaged and is not damaged and is not irreplaceability represented elsewhere represented elsewhere Significance Minor - negative Minor - negative Comment on Reversibility: Low – if the incident results in a fatality significance Resource irreplaceability: High - if incident results in a fatality Cumulative The cumulative impact on traffic volumes on the R381 (North) for Nuweveld Wind Farms, and on impacts DR03217 for Nuweveld East Wind Farm.
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Intersection Safety The impact due to the increased traffic volumes at intersections which will increase the potential risk of accidents at the intersections, resulting in serious injuries or even fatalities, is presented in Table 24. Especially at the intersection on the main roads, when vehicles from the site needing to cross over oncoming traffic. Table 24 - Construction Phase – Intersection Safety Project phase Construction Phase Impact Intersection Safety The increased traffic volumes at intersections will increase the potential risk of accidents at the Description of intersections, resulting in serious injuries or even fatalities. Especially at the intersection on the main impact roads, when vehicles from the site needing to cross over oncoming traffic. Mitigatability Medium Mitigation exists and will notably reduce the significance of impacts Compile TMP Reduce speed at intersections and use appropriate traffic warning signs Identify alternative routes where possible Potential mitigation Request the assistance of local law enforcement Ensure that all construction vehicles are roadworthy Ensure all vehicles are roadworthy, visible, properly marked, and operated by an appropriately licenced operator. Assessment Without mitigation With mitigation Nature Negative Negative the impact will last between 1 the impact will last between 1 Duration Short term Short term and 5 years and 5 years Very limited Limited to specific isolated Very limited Limited to specific isolated Extent parts of the site parts of the site High Natural and/ or social High Natural and/ or social Intensity functions and/ or processes functions and/ or processes are notably altered are notably altered Almost certain / It is most likely that the Almost certain / It is most likely that the impact Probability Highly probable impact will occur Highly probable will occur Medium Determination is based on Medium Determination is based on Confidence common sense and general common sense and general knowledge knowledge Low The affected environment will Low The affected environment will not be able to recover from not be able to recover from Reversibility the impact - permanently the impact - permanently modified modified High The resource is irreparably High The resource is irreparably Resource damaged and is not damaged and is not irreplaceability represented elsewhere represented elsewhere Significance Minor - negative Minor - negative Comment on Reversibility: Low - if the incident results in a fatality significance Resource irreplaceability: High - if incident results in a fatality Cumulative Cumulative impacts for major intersections impacts
10.2.2 Operational Phase During the operational phase of the development, the traffic volumes are considerably less than during the constructional phase of the development, thus all impacts associated with increased traffic volumes have been omitted. Thus, the only impact deemed important during the operational phase of the development is addressed below. Intersection Safety The cumulative impact due to the increased traffic volumes at intersections which will increase the potential risk of accidents at the intersections, resulting in serious injuries or even fatalities, is presented in Table 25. Especially at the intersection on the main roads, when vehicles from the site need to cross over oncoming traffic.
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Table 25 - Operational Phase – Intersection Safety Project phase Operational Phase Impact Intersection Safety The increased traffic volumes at intersections will increase the potential risk of accidents at the Description of intersections, resulting in serious injuries or even fatalities. Especially at the intersection on the main impact roads, when vehicles from the site need to cross over oncoming traffic. Mitigatability Medium Mitigation exists and will notably reduce the significance of impacts Compile TMP Reduce speed at intersections and use appropriate traffic warning signs Identify alternative routes where possible Potential mitigation Request the assistance of local law enforcement Ensure that all construction vehicles are roadworthy Ensure all vehicles are roadworthy, visible, properly marked, and operated by an appropriately licenced operator. Assessment Without mitigation With mitigation Nature Negative Negative the impact will last between 1 the impact will last between 1 Duration Short term Short term and 5 years and 5 years Very limited Limited to specific isolated Very limited Limited to specific isolated Extent parts of the site parts of the site High Natural and/ or social High Natural and/ or social Intensity functions and/ or processes functions and/ or processes are notably altered are notably altered Almost certain / It is most likely that the Almost certain / It is most likely that the impact Probability Highly probable impact will occur Highly probable will occur Medium Determination is based on Medium Determination is based on Confidence common sense and general common sense and general knowledge knowledge Low The affected environment will Low The affected environment will not be able to recover from not be able to recover from Reversibility the impact - permanently the impact - permanently modified modified High The resource is irreparably High The resource is irreparably Resource damaged and is not damaged and is not irreplaceability represented elsewhere represented elsewhere Significance Minor - negative Minor - negative Comment on Reversibility: Low - if the incident results in a fatality significance Resource irreplaceability: High - if incident results in a fatality Cumulative Cumulative impacts for major intersections impacts
10.2.3 Decommissioning Phase As part of the decommissioning process, a separate traffic impact assessment should be undertaken since many of the characteristics related to the traffic impact assessment, i.e. access routes, road geometry, traffic volumes, etc. would have changed over the operational life of the development. Thus, the impact assessment for the decommissioning phase has not been provided.
10.2.4 Cumulative Impacts The Grid Connection is a result of the development of the three proposed Nuweveld Wind Farms, which are the only known large scale approved developments identified within the study area. The cumulative impacts on the road network, as a result of the three proposed Nuweveld Wind Farms and Grid Connection, are provided below. Increased Road Incidents
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The cumulative impact due to the increased traffic volumes on the public roads which will increase the potential of incidents on the road network within the study area is presented in Table 26. Table 26 - Cumulative Impact - Increased Road Incidents Project phase Cumulative Construction Phase Impact Increased Road Incidents Description of The increased traffic volumes on the public roads will increase the potential of incidents on the road impact network within the study area Mitigation does not exist, or mitigation will slightly reduce the significance of Mitigatability Low impacts Post relevant road signage along affected routes; Create local WhatsApp Group, notifying users of expected deliveries and propose alternative routes; Transport Management Plan, this is to be compiled once the contractor has been appointed and all the relevant details of the construction process are known. The Transport Management Plan needs to Potential address, inter alia: mitigation - clearly defined route to the site for specific vehicles needed to transport equipment and materials' - schedule delivery to avoid local congestion; Ensure all vehicles are roadworthy, visible, properly marked, and operated by an appropriately licenced operator. Assessment Without mitigation With mitigation Nature Negative Negative the impact will last between 1 the impact will last between Duration Short term Short term and 5 years 1 and 5 years Extending across the site Extending across the site Extent Local Local and to nearby settlements and to nearby settlements Natural and/ or social Natural and/ or social Intensity Very high functions and/ or processes Very high functions and/ or processes are majorly altered are majorly altered There are sound scientific There are sound scientific Probability Certain / definite reasons to expect that the Certain / definite reasons to expect that the impact will definitely occur impact will definitely occur Determination is based on Determination is based on Confidence Medium common sense and general Medium common sense and general knowledge knowledge The affected environment will The affected environment not be able to recover from will not be able to recover Reversibility Low Low the impact - permanently from the impact - modified permanently modified The resource is irreparably The resource is irreparably Resource High damaged and is not High damaged and is not irreplaceability represented elsewhere represented elsewhere Significance Moderate - negative Moderate - negative Comment on Reversibility: Low - if the incident results in a fatality significance Resource irreplaceability: High - if incident results in a fatality Cumulative The cumulative impact on traffic volumes on the R381 (North) for Nuweveld Wind Farms, and on impacts DR03217 for Nuweveld East Wind Farm. Road Degradation The cumulative impact due to the increased traffic volumes on the public roads which will increase the potential of localised degradation of the road network within the study area is presented in Table 27. Table 27 - Cumulative Impact – Road Degradation Project phase Cumulative Construction Phase Impact Road Degradation Description of The increased traffic volumes on the public roads will increase the potential of localised degradation of impact the road network within the study area. Mitigatability Medium Mitigation exists and will notably reduce the significance of impacts Create local WhatsApp Group and post notices of road conditions and propose alternatives. Potential mitigation Developer to contribute to the maintenance of the public roads in the area during construction phases of the development
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A photographic record of the road condition should be maintained throughout the various phases of the development. This provides an objective assessment and mitigates any subjective view from road users. Upgrade unpaved roads to a suitable condition for proposed construction vehicles; Ensure that the roads are left in same or better condition, post-construction. Assessment Without mitigation With mitigation Nature Negative Positive the impact will last between 1 the impact will last between Duration Short term Short term and 5 years 1 and 5 years Extending across the site Extending across the site Extent Local Local and to nearby settlements and to nearby settlements Natural and/ or social Natural and/ or social Intensity Moderate functions and/ or processes Low functions and/ or processes are moderately altered are somewhat altered Almost certain / It is most likely that the Almost certain / It is most likely that the Probability Highly probable impact will occur Highly probable impact will occur Determination is based on Determination is based on Confidence Medium common sense and general Medium common sense and general knowledge knowledge The affected environmental The affected environment Reversibility High will be able to recover from High will be able to recover from the impact the impact The resource is not Resource The resource is not damaged Low Low damaged irreparably or is irreplaceability irreparably or is not scarce not scarce Significance Minor - negative Minor - Positive Comment on Intensity: Moderate - due to the risk of mechanical damage to vehicles. Low - due to the reduced risk of significance mechanical damage to vehicles. Cumulative The cumulative impact on traffic volumes on the R381 (North) for Nuweveld Wind Farms, and on impacts DR03217 for Nuweveld East Wind Farm. Dust The cumulative impact due to the increased traffic volumes on the unpaved public roads which generate dust is presented in Table 28. The larger the vehicle the more dust is likely to be generated, this dust hinders the drivers wishing to over-take without a clear view for over-taking, resulting in drivers taking unnecessary chances, which could result in unfavourable consequences. Table 28 - Cumulative Impact - Dust Project phase Cumulative Construction Phase Impact Dust The increased traffic volumes on the unpaved public roads will generate dust. The larger the vehicle Description of the more dust is likely to be generated, this dust hinders the drivers wishing to over-take without a clear impact view for over-taking, resulting in drivers taking unnecessary chances, which could result in unfavourable consequences Mitigation does not exist, or mitigation will slightly reduce the significance of Mitigatability Low impacts Reduce travel speed on the gravel road to reduce dust Potential Dust suppression of the roads mitigation Regular preventative maintenance of roads, this should be conducted over weekends to minimises the impact on the normal construction period. Assessment Without mitigation With mitigation Nature Negative Negative Short term the impact will last between 1 Short term the impact will last between 1 Duration and 5 years and 5 years Local Extending across the site Local Extending across the site and Extent and to nearby settlements to nearby settlements High Natural and/ or social High Natural and/ or social Intensity functions and/ or processes functions and/ or processes are notably altered are notably altered Almost certain / It is most likely that the Almost certain / It is most likely that the impact Probability Highly probable impact will occur Highly probable will occur
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Medium Determination is based on Medium Determination is based on Confidence common sense and general common sense and general knowledge knowledge Low The affected environment will Low The affected environment will not be able to recover from not be able to recover from Reversibility the impact - permanently the impact - permanently modified modified High The resource is irreparably High The resource is irreparably Resource damaged and is not damaged and is not irreplaceability represented elsewhere represented elsewhere Significance Minor - negative Minor - negative Comment on Reversibility: Low - if the incident results in a fatality significance Resource irreplaceability: High - if incident results in a fatality Cumulative The cumulative impact on traffic volumes on the R381 (North) for Nuweveld Wind Farms, and on impacts DR03217 for Nuweveld East Wind Farm. Intersection Safety The cumulative impact due to the increased traffic volumes at intersections which will increase the potential risk of accidents at the intersections, resulting in serious injuries or even fatalities, is presented in Table 29. Especially at the intersection on the main roads, when vehicles from the site need to cross over oncoming traffic. Table 29 - Cumulative Impact – Intersection Safety Project phase Cumulative Construction and Operational Phase Impact Intersection Safety The increased traffic volumes at intersections will increase the potential risk of accidents at the Description of intersections, resulting in serious injuries or even fatalities. Especially at the intersection on the main impact roads, when vehicles from the site need to cross over oncoming traffic. Mitigatability Medium Mitigation exists and will notably reduce the significance of impacts Compile TMP Reduce speed at intersections and use appropriate traffic warning signs Identify alternative routes where possible Potential mitigation Request the assistance of local law enforcement Ensure that all construction vehicles are roadworthy Ensure all vehicles are roadworthy, visible, properly marked, and operated by an appropriately licenced operator. Assessment Without mitigation With mitigation Nature Negative Negative the impact will last between 1 the impact will last between 1 Duration Short term Short term and 5 years and 5 years Very limited Limited to specific isolated Very limited Limited to specific isolated Extent parts of the site parts of the site High Natural and/ or social High Natural and/ or social Intensity functions and/ or processes functions and/ or processes are notably altered are notably altered Almost certain / It is most likely that the Almost certain / It is most likely that the impact Probability Highly probable impact will occur Highly probable will occur Medium Determination is based on Medium Determination is based on Confidence common sense and general common sense and general knowledge knowledge Low The affected environment will Low The affected environment will not be able to recover from not be able to recover from Reversibility the impact - permanently the impact - permanently modified modified High The resource is irreparably High The resource is irreparably Resource damaged and is not damaged and is not irreplaceability represented elsewhere represented elsewhere Significance Minor - negative Minor - negative Comment on Reversibility: Low - if the incident results in a fatality significance Resource irreplaceability: High - if incident results in a fatality Cumulative Cumulative impacts for major intersections impacts
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10.2.5 No-go Alternative If the proposed development does not materialise the increase in the traffic volume will not transpire, resulting in the following impacts: Road Degradation Less traffic on the roads means that the rate of degradation to the roads will be less. However, the maintenance of the roads will not be augmented by the proposed development. Improved maintenance of the roads will improve the quality of life to the road users and increase the economic opportunities in the area. Road Safety Less traffic on the roads means less probability of an incident, reducing the likelihood of a fatality. Statement The negative impacts on the road network due to the development is counteracted by the improved road maintenance and economic prospects the development will bring to the local community and the impact the development has on a national scale.
10.2.6 Impact Summary The impacts listed above are summarised in Table 30. Table 30 - Impact Summary
11 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS Red Cap Energy is proposing to develop three wind farms and associated grid connection, north of Beaufort West within the Central Karoo District Municipality of the Western Cape. The proposed wind farms are the Nuweveld North Wind Farm; the Nuweveld East Wind Farm and the Nuweveld West Wind Farm and are collectively referred to as the Nuweveld Wind Farms. This report represents the traffic impact assessment for Nuweveld North Wind Farm. NUWEVELD NORTH WIND FARM - TIA (Rev 2) Page 56
11.1 CONCLUSION Based on the information provided in this document, the following conclusions can be drawn: Assessment Assumptions • A twenty-four-month construction phase is expected; • Cumulative impact during the peak construction phase, worst-case scenario, includes simultaneous construction of the three Nuweveld Wind Farms and Nuweveld Grid Connection. The combined manpower complement is assumed to be in the order five-hundred-and-seventy; • Cumulative impact during the operational phase includes the simultaneous operation of the three Nuweveld Wind Farms, the traffic volume generated during the operational phase of the Nuweveld Grid Connection are extremely low and as such have been ignored; • It is not possible to determine the volume of traffic that will be generated during the decommissioning phase. It can, however, be expected that the volumes will be lower than during the construction phase. As part of the decommissioning process a separate traffic impact assessment should be undertaken, since many of the characteristics related to the traffic impact assessment, i.e. access routes, road geometry, traffic volumes etc., would have changed over the operational life of the development; Road Conditions • The R381 (North), between Loxton and the development, is relatively flat with minor inclination. The road surface is very stony with lots of loose gravel that can damage the vehicle's tyres. The condition of this road is expected to further deteriorate due to the envisaged traffic volumes and nominal maintenance of the road. Thus, the developer would have to assist local roads authorities with regular maintenance of this road; • The gravel section of the R381, between Beaufort West and the development, traverses Nuweveld Mountains through a trio of passes, which are extremely treacherous, with very few barriers, steep drop-offs, very tight corners, negative banking and loose gravel. The developer, in consultation with the local roads' authorities, shall undertake remedial action required to improve the integrity and safety of this route that is to be used to commute personnel to and from the site on a daily basis and the delivery of equipment and material; • It is proposed that the majority of the deliveries to site, will be transported via the R63 onto the R381 (North), and all vehicles delivering equipment and material to the site using the R381 (South) shall be limited to a gross vehicle mass not exceeding ten tonnes; • The developer, in consultation with the local roads' authorities, would need to investigate upgrading the intersection between the R63 and R381, to accommodate the expected transportation requirements. This upgrade would need to be implemented to facilitate the delivery of abnormal loads to the site; • To minimise the impact on urban communities along the transportation routes, the developer must, in consultation with the local roads' authorities, investigate the upgrading requirements of the existing road network; • The expected traffic increase on the road network during the peak construction phase will lead to greater wear and tear of the roads but will not have an undue detrimental impact on the structure of the roads if the roads are properly
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maintained. The developer shall contribute towards the maintenance of the public road network affected by the development as identified by the local roads' authorities. It is proposed that the developer contribute to the maintenance of the road network during the construction and the operational phases, commencing the year after successfully achieving Commercial Operation; • Additional ongoing funding from the wind farms towards the maintenance of the roads will have a positive impact on the local road conditions and community; Transportation Route • The development is accessed from well-established transportation routes between large commercial centres within South Africa; • Previously established transportation routes from the Ngqura Container Terminal, near Port Elizabeth, to existing wind farms, could be used for the transportation of equipment and material, including abnormal loads; • The final route selection is subject to the limitations specified in the transport permits and the transportation vehicles to be used by the appointed logistics company; • All site entrances from public roads, existing intersection and road alignments that require upgrading to accommodate the transportation requirements of equipment and material, are to comply with geometric standards and approved by the relevant roads' authorities; • All equipment and material transported to the site on vehicles with a gross vehicle mass exceeding ten tonnes shall be via the R381 (North); • All vehicles transporting equipment and material to the site via the R381 (South) shall be limited to a gross vehicle mass of not exceeding ten tonnes, due to the constraints imposed by the road geometry of the trio of passes on the road between Beaufort West and site; • Any constraints along the proposed transportation routes will have to resolved once the final route has been identified; • No anomalies associated with the proposed transportation routes were observed or identified that will compromise the development. However, this will have to be confirmed by the logistics contractor once the preferred WTG supplier has been selected; Traffic Volumes • The most significant impact on traffic volumes is as a result of commuting personnel to and from the site, in the morning and the afternoon; • At no point during the construction or operational phases does the traffic volume on the various roads exceed fifty trips per hour, which is the threshold for a detailed Traffic Impact Assessment; • The traffic volume generated during the peak construction phase of the development is in the order of: - Peak Traffic: Seventeen vehicles generate thirty-four trips a day on the road network. The maximum number of vehicles on the R381 (South), within a given hour, will never exceed eleven; - Diurnal Traffic: Approximately fifty-six trips a day are generated on the R381. The majority, forty-eight trips are generated on the R381 (North) while the other eight are generated on the R381 (South). The maximum number of vehicles on the R381 (North), within a given hour, is not expected to exceed six.
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• The traffic volume generated during the operational phase of the development is in the order of: - Peak Traffic: Five vehicles generate ten trips a day on the road network. The maximum number of vehicles on the R381 (North), within a given hour, will never exceed three; - Diurnal Traffic: Approximately four trips a day are generated on the R381, the majority of which are on the R381 (North). The maximum number of vehicles on this section of the road, within a given hour, is not expected to exceed one. • The cumulative traffic volume generated, during the peak construction phase of all three Nuweveld Wind Farms and the Nuweveld Grid Connection, is in the order of: - Peak Traffic: Forty-eight vehicles generate ninety-six trips a day. The maximum number of vehicles within a given hour, is expected to be in the order of thirty- two on the R381 (South), sixteen on the R381 (North) and twenty-four on the DR02317; - Diurnal Traffic: Approximately one-hundred-and-ninety-two trips a day are generated on the R381, of which one-hundred-and-sixty-six are on the R381 (North) and twenty-six are on the R381 (South). The maximum number of vehicles on the R381 (North), within a given hour, is not expected to exceed twenty-one. • The cumulative traffic volume generated, during the operational phase of all three Nuweveld Wind Farms, is in the order of: - Peak Traffic: Fifteen vehicles generate thirty trips a day. Most of this traffic is on the R381 (North). The maximum number of vehicles within a given hour is expected to be in the order of nine; - Diurnal Traffic: Approximately two trips a day are generated on the roads. The maximum number of vehicles on any section of the road, within a given hour, is expected to be in the order of one. Safety • The winding road through the trio of mountain passes on the R381 (South) is a serious safety concern that needs to be addressed by the developer in consultation with the local roads' authority; • This is an agriculture area, home to many species of small fauna. Stray on/crossing the road, is a common occurrence which could result in a collision; • Excessive fine and loose material was observed along the road creating visibility concerns in dry weather and slippery conditions in wet weather; • Additional vehicles on the road will be subject to these hazards, with a potential for an increase in incidents. 11.2 RECOMMENDATIONS Based on the conclusions of this report, the following recommendations are made and should be included in the conditions of the environmental authorisation: • All remedial work or modifications to any of the public roads shall be done in consultation with and have the approval of the local road’s authority (as is standard practice this will be finalised during and be a requirement of the municipal planning approval process); • The treacherous section of the gravel road, between Beaufort West and the site, R381 (South), is to be upgraded by the developer, to improve the safety of the road for all road users, including the personnel commuting to and from the site on a
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daily basis. This upgrade would need to be implemented prior to or during site establishment but before major earthworks commence on the development; • The intersection between the R63 and R381 is to be upgraded by the developer to accommodate the expected transportation requirements. This upgrade would need to be implemented to facilitate the delivery of abnormal loads to the site; • The route for construction vehicles from the R63 to the R381 should not unduly impact on the local community of Loxton and should avoid the commercial centre of Loxton. In this regard, unless a technical issue is identified once the final turbine and abnormal trucks specifications are known, the route from R63 is via Auret Street, onto Fraserburg Street, onto the R381; • The developer shall contribute to the maintenance of all roads affected by the development, during the construction and operational phases of the development; • A Traffic Management Plan (TMP) is required. The TMP is to be compiled once the contractor has been appointed and all the relevant details of the construction process are known. The TMP needs to address: - outline specific traffic management measures across all phases of the development; - include measures to minimise impacts on existing road users; - define the repair and maintenance strategy to be adopted during the various phases of the development; - schedule deliveries by heavy vehicles to avoid the formation of convoys. Sufficient distance must be maintained between heavy vehicles to allow light vehicles to overtake safely. • The TMP should consider the scope of the development and take cognisance of the existing condition of the road network at the time the project commences; • The developer shall ensure that the contractor provides the necessary driver training to key personnel, to minimise the potential of incidents on the public road network; • Temporary signs warning motorists of construction vehicles should be erected on the approaches to the access road; • The developer shall ensure that the condition of the roads impacted by construction of the development is left in a similar or better state once the construction phase is complete; • The implementation of the relevant transport impact mitigations measures. Which includes inter alia: - Provide regular information to the local community and individuals on the volumes of traffic particularly heavy vehicles, anticipated on the road during construction and operation phases. Taking the above findings into consideration it can be concluded that the development of the Nuweveld North Wind Farm will have a notable increase in traffic volumes on the road network during the peak construction phase of this development. However, this report has assessed the impact of this additional traffic on the surrounding road network and found that the existing road network is currently operating at well below its capacity and provides an adequate level of service, although the road network is not well maintained due to budgetary constraints within various spheres of government. The increase in traffic volumes will lead to greater wear and tear, especially during construction, but will not have an undue detrimental impact on the road network within the study area if the mitigation measures are undertaken. It is the reasoned opinion of the author that the development of the Nuweveld North Wind Farm can be approved, from a traffic and transportation perspective, as there NUWEVELD NORTH WIND FARM - TIA (Rev 2) Page 60
are no constraints or notable impacts that would jeopardise the implementation of the development, subject to the specific requirements included within this report. 12 APPENDICES Appendix 1: Declaration Appendix 2: NEMA Requirements for Specialist Reports Appendix 3: Curriculum Vitae
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APPENDIX 1 - DECLARATION I, Athol Carl Schwarz, as the appointed specialist hereby declare/affirm the correctness of the information provided or to be provided as part of the application, and that I:
• in terms of the general requirement to be independent: o other than fair remuneration for work performed/to be performed in terms of this application, have no business, financial, personal or other interest in the activity or application and that there are no circumstances that may compromise my objectivity; or o am not independent, but another specialist that meets the general requirements set out in Regulation 13 has been appointed to review my work (Note: a declaration by the review specialist must be submitted); • in terms of the remainder of the general requirements for a specialist, am fully aware of and meet all of the requirements and that failure to comply with any the requirements may result in disqualification; • have disclosed/will disclose, to the applicant, the Department and interested and affected parties, all material information that has or may have the potential to influence the decision of the Department or the objectivity of any report, plan or document prepared or to be prepared as part of the application; • have ensured/will ensure that information containing all relevant facts in respect of the application was/will be distributed or was/will be made available to interested and affected parties and the public and that participation by interested and affected parties was/will be facilitated in such a manner that all interested and affected parties were/will be provided with a reasonable opportunity to participate and to provide comments; • have ensured/will ensure that the comments of all interested and affected parties were/will be considered, recorded and submitted to the Department in respect of the application; • have ensured/will ensure the inclusion of inputs and recommendations from the specialist reports in respect of the application, where relevant; • have kept/will keep a register of all interested and affected parties that participate/d in the public participation process; and • am aware that a false declaration is an offence in terms of regulation 48 of the 2014 NEMA EIA Regulations.
Signature of the specialist:
Athol Schwarz Name:
18 th September 2020 Date:
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APPENDIX 2 - NEMA REQUIREMENTS FOR SPECIALIST REPORTS
Specialist Report content as required by the NEMA 2014 EIA Appendix 6 Section Regulations, as amended (i) the specialist who prepared the report; and 1 (1)(a) (ii) the expertise of that specialist to compile a specialist report including a Appendix 3 curriculum vitae; a declaration that the specialist is independent in a form as may be (b) Appendix 1 specified by the competent authority; an indication of the scope of, and the purpose for which, the report was (c) Section 5.2 prepared; an indication of the quality and age of the base data used for the (cA) Section 7.1.2 specialist report; a description of existing impacts on the site, cumulative impacts of the (cB) Section 8 & 9 development and levels of acceptable change; the duration, date and season of the site investigation and the relevance (d) of the season to the outcome of the assessment; a description of the methodology adopted in preparing the report or (e) carrying out the specialised process, inclusive of equipment and Section 5.4 modelling used; details of an assessment of the specifically identified sensitivity of the site (f) related to the proposed activity or activities and its associated structures Section 6.1 and infrastructure, inclusive of a site plan identifying site alternatives; (g) an identification of any areas to be avoided, including buffers; NA a map superimposing the activity including the associated structures and (h) infrastructure on the environmental sensitivities of the site including areas NA to be avoided, including buffers; a description of any assumptions made and any uncertainties or gaps in (i) Section 5.5 knowledge; a description of the findings and potential implications of such findings on (j) Section 10 the impact of the proposed activity, or activities; (k) any mitigation measures for inclusion in the EMPr; Section 11.2 (l) any conditions for inclusion in the environmental authorisation; Section 11.2 any monitoring requirements for inclusion in the EMPr or environmental (m) NA authorisation; a reasoned opinion- (i) whether the proposed activity or portions thereof should be authorised; and (n) (iA) regarding the acceptability of the proposed activity or activities; and Section 11.2 (ii) if the opinion is that the proposed activity or portions thereof should be authorised, any avoidance, management and mitigation measures that should be included in the EMPr, and where applicable, the closure plan; a description of any consultation process that was undertaken during the (o) NA course of preparing the specialist report; a summary and copies of any comments received during any consultation (p) NA process and where applicable all responses thereto; and (q) any other information requested by the competent authority. NA Where a government notice gazetted by the Minister provides for any 2 protocol or minimum information requirement to be applied to a specialist N/A report, the requirements as indicated in such notice will apply.
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APPENDIX 3 - CURRICULUM VITAE
ATHOL SCHWARZ Pr Tech Eng Independent Author
Athol, is a Professionally Registered Civil Engineering Technologist with more than 35 years of experience, specialising in Civil and Structural Engineering services for renewable energy facilities and infrastructure. These services range from the concept phase all the way through to project close-out, including inter alia: design, contract and construction management phases. Since 2010, Athol was employed by Hatch, as a Civil Engineering Author working on numerous infrastructure and renewable energy projects (including wind farms, fixed and rotating PV solar plants, CPV solar plants) for various Independent Power Producers (IPP) / Developers. Athol has experience in traffic impact assessments, transportation route analysis, infrastructure development and design, construction and project management (NEC), with a keen eye for detail. SPECIFIC RELEVANT EXPERIENCE EDUCATION • Red Cap Energy (Pty) Ltd - Impofu Wind Farms consisting of Impofu North Master’s Diploma in Wind Farm, Impofu West Wind Farm and Impofu East Wind Farm Technology – Civil: • juwi Renewable Energies (Pty) Ltd – Paulputs Traffic Impact Assessment Structures (1989) • CPV1 Solar - Touwsriver Solar, Western Cape, 36 MW Concentrated Photovoltaic Plant (1500 trackers), supervised civil infrastructure activities National Higher Diploma • juwi Renewable Energies (Pty) Ltd - Moorreesberg Wind Energy Facility, (1987) Moorreesberg, Western Cape, consisting of 25 wind Turbine Generators - National Diploma (1986) feasibility study for the routing of the access roads. • juwi Renewable Energies (Pty) Ltd - Garob Wind Farm, Copperton, Northern LANGUAGES Cape, consists of 46 Acciona 3.0 MW Wind Turbine Generators - conducted a • English hydrological study to determine the potential impact of the flood levels on the • Afrikaans development, • French (limited) • juwi Renewable Energies (Pty) Ltd - Wolf Wind Farm, Kleinpoort, Eastern PROF AFFILIATIONS Cape, consisting of 28 Wind Turbine Generators - identify the most viable access point onto the property and internal access road. • ECSA - Professional • Scatec Solar AS (Norway) - Dreunberg Filter Yard (Capacitor bank), 75 MW Engineering Single-axis PV plant – Burgersdorp, Eastern Cape – Quality control of civil Technologist, activities. • SAICE - South African • Scatec Solar AS (Norway) - Linde Filter Yard (Capacitor bank), 36.8 MW Institution of Civil Single-axis PV plant – Hanover, Northern Cape – Quality control of civil Engineering - Member activities. COMPETENCES • Scatec Solar AS (Norway) - Kalkbult Filter Yard (Capacitor bank),75 MW Single-axis PV plant – De Aar, Northern Cape – Quality control of civil • Structural Design activities. (concrete and steel), • juwi Renewable Energies (Pty) Ltd - Keiskammahoek Wind Farm, King • Project and William's Town, Eastern Cape, consisting of 16 Wind Turbine Generators - Construction feasibility study to minimise the impact on the commercial plantation due to Management the development of Keiskammahoek Wind Farm SOFTWARE • South Africa Mainstream Renewable Power De Aar PV (Pty) Ltd - 50 MW PV Plan – De Aar, Northern Cape – clients engineer • MS Office • South Africa Mainstream Renewable Power Droogfontein PV (Pty) Ltd – • MS Projects 50 MW PV Plan – Kimberly, Northern Cape – clients engineer • Micro Station and • juwi Solar ZA Construction 3 (Pty) Ltd - Aries, 9.7 MW PV Plant – Kenhardt, Autocad Northern Cape - civil author services and Traffic Impact Assessment • Prokon • juwi Solar ZA Construction 3 (Pty) Ltd - Konkoonsies, 9.7 MW PV Plan – • Model Maker Pofadder, Northern Cape - civil author services and Traffic Impact Assessment • juwi Renewable Energies (Pty) Ltd - Namies Wind Energy Facility, near Aggeneys, Northern Cape, consists of between 46 and 58 wind turbine generators - transportation route assessment •
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ATHOL SCHWARZ Pr Tech Eng Independent Author • juwi Renewable Energies (Pty) Ltd - Outeniqua Wind Farm (North), Uniondale, Western Cape - transportation route assessment • juwi Renewable Energies (Pty) Ltd - Wolf Wind Farm, Kleinpoort, Eastern Cape consisting of 25 Wind Turbine Generators - feasibility study for the access routes • juwi Renewable Energies (Pty) Ltd - Outeniqua Wind Farm (South), Uniondale, Western Cape, 16 Wind Turbine Generators - feasibility study for the access routes • UMOYA ENERGY (Pty) Ltd - Hopefield Wind Farm, approximately 6 km south-east of the town of Hopefield, Western Cape, consisting of 37, Vestas 1.8 MW WTG – ACS HV Yard and Substation. • South Africa Mainstream Renewable Power Jeffreys Bay (Pty) Ltd - Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm, Humansdorp, Eastern Cape, consists of 60 Siemens 2.3 MW WTG - review the foundation design for the wind towers - review the designs for compliance to the national standards. • juwi Solar ZA Construction 3 (Pty) Ltd - RustMo1, 6.8 MW PV Plant – Rustenburg, North-West - author services regarding access and internal gravel roads • Barrick Africa (Pty) Ltd - Buzwagi Gold Mine in Tanzania – a feasibility study. • juwi Renewable Energies (Pty) Ltd - Garob Wind Farm, Copperton, Northern Cape, consists of 46 Acciona 3.0 MW Wind Turbine Generators - transportation management plan. • Slim Sun Swartland Solar Park - SlimSun Solar - 5 MW PV Plant – Malmesbury, Western Cape – ACS for HV Yard and Substation. • Cennergi (Pty) Ltd - Kopleegte Switching Station at Amakhala Emoyen Phase 1, Bedford, Eastern Cape, consisting of 56 Nordex, 2,4 MW Wind Turbines Generators- ACS for HV Yard and Substation. • EXXARO Resources Ltd And Watt Energy (Pty) Ltd - Wittekleibosch Switching Station at Tsitsikamma Community Wind Farm, Tsitsikamma, Eastern Cape, consists of 31 Vestas 3.0 MW WTG - ACS for HV Yard and Substation. • Windlab Developments South Africa (Pty) Ltd - AMAKALA EMOYENI – Phase 2, Bedford, Eastern Cape, consisting of 66 WTG - feasibility study for access and internal road network • Windlab Developments South Africa (Pty) Ltd – Phase 1, Bedford, Eastern Cape, consisting of 56 Nordex, 2,4 MW Wind Turbines Generators - feasibility study for access and internal road network • IBEDRROLA - Klip Heuwel Switching Station at Caledon Wind Farm, Caledon, Western Cape, consisting of 9, Sinovel 3.0 MW Wind Turbines Generators – ACS for HV Yard and Substation. • EXXARO Resources Ltd - Lephalale 60 MW PV Plant, 13 km north-west of the town of Lephalale, Limpopo - ACS for HV Yard and Substation. • SASOL Technology - 3.6 MW PV Demonstration Plant – civil author services • Solafrica Pty (Ltd) - Bokpoort CSP Project, a 50 MW Concentrating Solar Thermal Power Station (CSP – parabolic trough) located approximately 80 km east-south-east of Upington, Northern Cape - prepared enquiry documentation for the geotechnical investigation and topographic survey
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