ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION REPORT SECTION 36 CONSENT VARIATION DAMHEAD CREEK 2 POWER STATION Name Job Title Signature Date Environmental John Bacon / Consultant / February Prepared Associate Director, 2016 Andrew Hepworth Aecom Technical Technical Director, February Kerry Whalley Review Aecom 2016 February Approved Richard Lowe Director, Aecom 2016 AMENDMENT RECORD Issue Date Issued Date Effective Purpose of Issue and Description of Amendment 1.0 January 2016 January 2016 S36 Variation Draft EIR for review 2.0 February 2016 February 2016 S36 Variation Final for Issue DHC2 Environmental Information Report 4-Feb-16 Page 2 of 116 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Executive Summary 5 1. Introduction 9 1.1 Purpose of this Document 10 1.2 Planning history of DHC2 10 1.3 Environmental Assessment 11 2. Description of the Development 15 2.1 Proposed Development 15 2.2 Site Location 16 2.3 Application Site Context 17 2.4 Main Buildings and Plant 18 2.5 Process Description 19 2.6 Operational Information 21 2.7 Environmental Permit 22 2.8 Combined Heat and Power (CHP) 23 3. Legislative Framework 26 4. Status of Pre Commencement Planning Conditions 27 4.1 Operational Noise 27 4.2 Contamination of Watercourses 27 4.3 Ecological Enhancement and Protected Species 27 4.4 Ground Contamination 28 4.5 Landscaping and Creative Conservation 28 4.6 Archaeology 29 4.7 Layout and Design 29 4.8 Green Travel Plan 29 4.9 Construction and Construction Traffic 30 4.8 Other Planning Conditions 30 4.8 Other Planning Consents 30 5. Stakeholder Consultation 31 6. Environmental Appraisal 33 6.1 Methodology 33 6.2 Air Quality 35 6.3 Noise and Vibration 42 6.4 Landscape and Visual Amenity 48 6.5 Ecology 61 6.6 Water Quality 75 6.7 Geology, Hydrology and Land Contamination 82 6.8 Traffic and Infrastructure 93 6.9 Cultural Heritage 98 6.10 Socio-Economics 104 7. Conclusions 109 Figures: Figure 1: Damhead Creek 2 CCGT Power Station Site Location Figure 2: Application Site Boundary and Areas 1 to 3 Figure 3: Application Site Boundary on Aerial Photograph Figure 4a: General Arrangement Plan 2015 Figure 4b: General Arrangement Plan 2016 Figure 5: Proposed 1,800 MW CCGT with peaking plant scheme option – Indicative Layout (no CCR) Figure 6: Proposed 1,800 MW CCGT with peaking plant scheme option – Indicative Layout (with CCR) Figure 7: Consented 1,800 MW CCGT-only scheme option – Visualisation Figure 8: Proposed 1,800 MW CCGT with peaking plant scheme option – Visualisation Appendices: Appendix A: Proposed Section 36 Consent Variation and S90 Direction Consent Notice 2016 Appendix B: Carbon Capture Readiness (CCR) Footprint Report Appendix C: Imperial College, Assessment of the CCR Compliance of the Proposed Damhead Creek 2 1500 MW CCGT + 300 MW OCGT Scheme Appendix D: Air Quality Technical Note Appendix E: Combined Heat and Power Readiness (CHP-R) Report Appendix F: Noise Assessment Appendix G: Visualisations Appendix H: Habitats Regulations Assessment Review 2016 Appendix I: Flood Risk Assessment DHC2 Environmental Information Report 4-Feb-16 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ScottishPower (DCL) Limited proposes to construct and operate a power station of up to 1,800 MW electrical output capacity, comprising a Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) plant and potentially an Open Cycle Gas Turbine (OCGT) peaking plant, called Damhead Creek 2 (DHC2), on land immediately adjacent to their existing Damhead Creek CCGT power station on the Hoo Peninsula, Kent (see Figures 1 to 3). On 25 January 2011, ScottishPower secured consent under Section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989, for the development, construction and operation of a new 1,000 MW CCGT adjacent to the existing Damhead Creek Power Station. Further to this, on 28 July 2014 ScottishPower secured consent under Section 36(c) of the Electricity Act 1989 to increase the output of Damhead Creek 2 CCGT to 1,200 MW (12.04.09.04/265C) and subsequently in October 2015 this was further increased to 1,800 MW output CCGT (hereafter referred to as the 1,800 MW CCGT-only scheme option). ScottishPower now seek to further vary the existing consent to allow flexibility in the make-up of the plant to include up to 300 MW of OCGT peaking plant. The proposed development therefore now comprises a CCGT/OCGT power station with a total combined electrical capacity up to 1,800 MW, hereafter referred to as the ‘1,800 MW CCGT with peaking plant’ scheme option. This application to vary the consent retains the option of constructing the already consented 1,800 MW CCGT-only scheme option but also includes provision of up to 300 MW as part of that capacity as OCGT units, with the CCGT capacity correspondingly reduced such that the combined output remains at 1,800 MW. This Environmental Information Report therefore focuses on the new variant including the use of peaking plant, as the already consented 1,800MW CCGT-only option was fully assessed as part of the 2015 variation. A variation to the current Section 36 Consent is therefore now being sought from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) pursuant to The Electricity Generating Stations (Variation of Consents) (England and Wales) Regulations 2013. The original Section 36 application in 2009 was supported by an Environmental Statement (ES)1 and the applications to vary the Section 36 Consent in 2014 and 2015 were supported by Environmental Information Reports (EIRs)23. This EIR provides an environmental review of the proposed 1,800 MW CCGT with peaking plant scheme option in the context of the information and findings of the 2009 ES, the 2014 EIR and 2015 EIR and should be read in conjunction with these documents. The assessments reported in the 2009 ES1, 2014 EIR2 and 2015 EIR3 considered a range of environmental topics: air quality; noise and vibration; landscape and visual amenity; ecology; water quality; geology, hydrology and land contamination; traffic and infrastructure; cultural heritage; and socio-economics. Supporting reports also included demonstration that the scheme met the Carbon Capture Readiness requirements. The previous 1,800 MW CCGT-only scheme option assessed in the 2015 EIR comprised either a single shaft or a multi-shaft combined cycle arrangement with up to three gas turbines, each with a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG), and connected to either a dedicated steam turbine or a single steam turbine respectively, depending on plant configuration. Taking account of the implementation of the identified mitigation measures (which are required by the Section 90 Direction planning conditions), the 2015 EIR3 did not identify any significant adverse effects due to the construction or operation of the 1,800 MW CCGT-only scheme option, with the exception of moderate adverse effects on two nearby visual receptors. This conclusion was consistent with the findings of the 2009 ES1 and 2014 EIR2. The potential configuration considered for the proposed 1,800 MW CCGT with peaking plant scheme option (used in the plant visualisation (Figure 8), photomontages (Appendix G) and consideration of Carbon Capture and Storage Readiness (CCR) space requirements (Appendix B and Appendix C)) is a multi-shaft arrangement for the CCGT units, comprising two gas turbines, each with a HRSG, and 1 ScottishPower (2009) Damhead Creek 2 CCGT Power Station - Environmental Statement. 2 ScottishPower (2014) Damhead Creek 2 CCGT Power Station - Environmental Information Report. 3 ScottishPower (2015) Damhead Creek 2 CCGT Power Station - Environmental Information Report. DHC2 Environmental Information Report 4-Feb-16 connected to a single steam turbine. The peaking plant capacity will be generated through up to two OCGT units which will be natural gas fired with no diesel back-up. The environmental appraisal has considered the General Arrangement Plan (2016) (Figure 4b) which is unchanged from the 1,800 MW CCGT-only scheme option (Figure 4a) considered in the 2015 EIR (whilst the detailed layout has changed to include the peaking plant, the development areas required remain unchanged). Discusssions have taken place with DECC, Medway Council, the Environment Agency and Natural England on the proposed Section 36 Consent variation and their comments have been taken into account. Using available information, including additional environmental baseline data gathered since the 2009 ES was prepared; the predicted environmental effects of the proposed 1,800 MW CCGT with peaking plant scheme option have been compared to the environmental effects of the currently consented 1,800 MW CCGT-only scheme option. The findings are summarised below. • Air Quality o A dispersion modelling assessment has been undertaken for the proposed 1,800 MW CCGT with peaking plant scheme option to assess the potential effects on residential and ecological receptors in the vicinity of the Site. Agreement was reached with Natural England for the previous section 36 consent variation on the predicted level of impact on the designated ecological receptors – notably the Medway Estuary and Marshes SSSI, SPA and Ramsar site – that would not give rise to significant effects and the current proposed variation remains within those agreed levels. o Through use of appropriate stack heights on the CCGT and OCGT units, no significant adverse air quality effects are predicted on human or ecological receptors as a result of the proposed variation, assuming emission levels remain within those to be specified within the Environmental Permit for the installation. • Noise and Vibration o A noise modelling assessment has been undertaken for the proposed 1,800 MW CCGT with peaking