SUBSTANTIVE AMENDMENT TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL AUTHORISATION ISSUED FOR EDISON PV AND SHARED ELECTRICITY INFRASTRUCTURE, DEALESVILLE, FREE STATE DEA REFERENCE NUMBER: 14/12/16/3/3/2/851/AM1 December 2018 FINAL AMENDMENT REPORT submitted to the National Department of Environmental Affairs for decision-making Prepared for: 29 Solar (Pty) Ltd Prepared by: CSIR © CSIR 2018. All rights to the intellectual property and/or contents of this document remain vested in the CSIR. This document is issued for the sole purpose for which it is supplied. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the express written permission of the CSIR. It may also not be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise disposed of by way of trade in any form of binding or cover than that in which it is published. 0 SUBSTANTIVE AMENDMENT TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL Title: AUTHORISATION ISSUED FOR EDISON PV AND SHARED ELECTRICITY INFRASTRUCTURE, DEALESVILLE, FREE STATE Prepared for: 29 Solar (Pty) Ltd Prepared by: Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Luanita Snyman-Van der Walt Lead Author: MSc Env Sci | PgC GISc | Pr. Sc. Nat. Email: [email protected] Tel: 021 888 2490 Surina Laurie Internal review: MPhil (Stell) | Pr. Sc. Nat. DEA Reference 14/12/16/3/3/2/851/AM1 Number: CSIR Project Number: EMS0153 Date: December 2018 Version: FINAL, for decision-making CSIR. 2018. Substantive Amendment to the Environmental Authorisation issued for Edison PV and shared electricity To be cited as: infrastructure, Dealesville, Free State. CSIR Report Number: CSIR/IU/021MH/IR/2018/0004/A. Stellenbosch. 1 Table of Contents Summary ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................... 9 1.1 Legislative context for amendments to Environmental Authorisation ........................... 11 Proposed Amendment ............................................................................................................................... 12 2.1 Motivation for the proposed amendments .............................................................................. 14 Split of the EA ................................................................................................................................................ 14 Amendment of electricity infrastructure voltage specification .................................................. 14 Amendment of the electricity infrastructure layout ........................................................................ 14 Project Description ...................................................................................................................................... 15 3.1 Project components and specifications ..................................................................................... 15 3.2 Listed Activities that have been authorised .............................................................................. 22 Public Participation Process ..................................................................................................................... 25 4.1 Register of Interested and Affected Parties .............................................................................. 25 4.2 Notification of I&APs ........................................................................................................................ 25 4.3 30-days public comment on draft Amendment Report ...................................................... 25 4.4 Comments and Reponses ................................................................................................................ 25 Assessment of impacts related to the proposed changes ........................................................... 42 5.1 Geohydrology ...................................................................................................................................... 43 5.2 Fauna, Flora and Ecology ................................................................................................................. 43 5.3 Avifauna .................................................................................................................................................. 44 5.4 Wetlands and aquatic ecology ...................................................................................................... 45 5.5 Soils and agricultural potential ...................................................................................................... 46 5.6 Heritage and palaeontology ........................................................................................................... 46 5.7 Visual landscape character .............................................................................................................. 47 5.8 Socio-economic ................................................................................................................................... 48 Measures to ensure avoidance, management and mitigation of impacts associated with the proposed changes ........................................................................................................................................ 49 6.1 Geohydrology ...................................................................................................................................... 49 6.2 Fauna, flora and ecology .................................................................................................................. 49 6.3 Avifauna .................................................................................................................................................. 50 6.4 Wetlands and aquatic ecology ...................................................................................................... 50 6.5 Soils and agricultural potential ...................................................................................................... 50 2 6.6 Heritage and palaeontology ........................................................................................................... 51 6.7 Visual landscape character .............................................................................................................. 51 6.8 Socio-economics ................................................................................................................................. 52 Changes to the EMPr .................................................................................................................................. 53 Advantages and disadvantages associated with the proposed changes ............................... 54 Concluding Statement by the EAP ........................................................................................................ 55 References .................................................................................................................................................. 56 Appendix A .............................................................................................................................................................. 58 DEA correspondence on the nature of the proposed Amendment process ............................. 58 Appendix B .............................................................................................................................................................. 63 Letters from specialists declaring and confirming that the outcomes and recommendations from their original assessment remain unchanged ............................................................................. 63 Geohydrology ................................................................................................................................................ 63 Ecology (including Fauna, Flora, Avifauna, Wetlands, Aquatic Ecology) ................................. 64 Soils and agricultural potential ............................................................................................................... 66 Heritage and palaeontology .................................................................................................................... 67 Visual and landscape character .............................................................................................................. 70 Socio-economics .......................................................................................................................................... 72 Appendix C .............................................................................................................................................................. 74 Annotated Environmental Authorisation Indicating the Requested Changes .......................... 74 Appendix D .............................................................................................................................................................. 93 Comments and Responses............................................................................................................................ 93 DEA Correspondence ................................................................................................................................. 93 Other Authority Correspondence ..............................................................................................................