SCOPING OPINION PROPOSED SOUTHAMPTON BIOMASS POWER STATION November 2010 independent impartial inclusive Scoping Opinion for Proposed Southampton Biomass Power Station 1 101101_EN010035_256935 Scoping Opinion for Proposed Southampton Biomass Power Station CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................4 1.0 INTRODUCTION...................................................................................6 Background................................................................................................................. 6 Commission’s Consultation ...................................................................................... 7 Structure of the Document ........................................................................................ 8 2.0 THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT ...................................................10 Applicant’s Information ........................................................................................... 10 Commission’s Comment ......................................................................................... 14 3.0 EIA APPROACH AND TOPIC AREAS...............................................18 General Comments on the Scoping Report........................................................... 18 Topic Areas ............................................................................................................... 20 4.0 OTHER INFORMATION .....................................................................36 Appropriate Assessment ......................................................................................... 36 CHP Readiness ......................................................................................................... 36 Health Impact Assessment...................................................................................... 37 Other Regulatory Regimes ...................................................................................... 38 Climate Change National Policy Statements and EIA Regs................................. 38 Applicant’s Consultation ......................................................................................... 40 APPENDIX 1....................................................................................................2 APPENDIX 2....................................................................................................2 APPENDIX 3....................................................................................................6 2 101101_EN010035_256935 Scoping Opinion for Proposed Southampton Biomass Power Station 3 101101_EN010035_256935 Scoping Opinion for Proposed Southampton Biomass Power Station Executive Summary This is the Infrastructure Planning Commission’s (the Commission’s) scoping opinion (the Opinion) in respect of the content of the environmental statement for a proposed biomass power station within the Port of Southampton in Hampshire by Helius Energy plc. Helius Energy intends to develop and construct a 100 MW biomass power plant capable of handling between 700,000 and 800,000 tonnes of biomass fuel per year. It is anticipated that, if commercially available, up to 200,000 tonnes of fuel may be sourced locally. This report sets out the Commission’s opinion on the basis of the information provided in Helius Energy’s report entitled ‘Environmental Assessment Scoping Statement (September 2010)’. The Opinion is based upon the proposals as currently described by the Applicant. The Commission has consulted on the scoping report and the responses received have been taken into account in adopting this opinion. The Commission is broadly satisfied that the topics identified in the scoping report encompass those matters identified in Schedule 4, Part 1, paragraph 19 of the Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2009. However, the Applicant is required to identify the main effects which the development is likely to have on the environment. In particular, the ES has omitted to cover and should consider the following additional effects and environmental aspects for the proposal: • waste, storage and transportation of; • environmental nuisance (noise nuisance; vermin and bird control; light; litter and dust); and • bio-security. The Commission draws attention both to the general points and those made in respect of each of the specialist topics in this opinion. The main potential issues identified are: • air quality impacts – arising from the discharge from the power plant stack, use of conveyors and from traffic emissions during construction and operation; • landscape and visual impacts – including the visual impact of the proposed plant and its stack; skyline effects and disruption and interruption of views from high amenity and natural landscape value areas such as the New Forest National Park; • ecological impacts – including the impacts of air and water discharges and the effects of other emissions including noise, dust and light on protected habitats, protected species and other important species; 4 101101_EN010035_256935 Scoping Opinion for Proposed Southampton Biomass Power Station • land contamination – the possibility of land and works on the proposed site causing harm to human health or polluting controlled waters; • flooding – the possibility of the proposed site flooding, or causing other sites to flood; thereby causing damage, interruption to generation and fuel integrity or leading to contamination of ground or surface water; • traffic impacts – caused by movement of materials and abnormal loads during construction and from operational phase lorry movements required to supply the plant with fuel and other materials and to remove waste from the site; • noise impacts – including construction, traffic and possible operational noise; and • other impacts – impacts on the area’s cultural heritage including buried archaeological remains. Matters are not scoped out unless specifically addressed and justified by the Applicant and confirmed as being scoped out by the Commission. The Commission’s opinion is that the majority of environmental aspects and impacts should be scoped in to the ES (rather than a number being scoped out as proposed in the Scoping Report). Full details of the Commission’s opinion are set out in Section 3. 5 101101_EN010035_256935 Scoping Opinion for Proposed Southampton Biomass Power Station 1.0 INTRODUCTION Background 1.1 On 16 September 2010, the Commission received a scoping report submitted by (the Applicant) under Regulation 8 of the Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2009 (SI 2263) (the EIA Regs) in order to request a scoping opinion for the proposed Southampton Biomass Power Station, Hampshire. This scoping opinion is made in response to this request and should be read in conjunction with the scoping report. 1.2 The EIA Regs enable an Applicant, before making an application for an order granting development consent, to ask the Commission to state in writing its formal opinion (a ‘scoping opinion’) on the information to be provided in an environmental statement (ES). 1.3 The proposals fall within Schedule 2 development under the EIA Regulations as being a thermal power station with a heat output of less than 300MW. An EIA is not mandatory for Schedule 2 development but depends upon the sensitivity of the receiving environment, the likelihood of significant environmental effects and the scale of the proposals. 1.4 In submitting the information included with their request for a scoping opinion, Helius Energy plc have notified the Commission under Regulation 6(1)(b) of the EIA Regulations that it proposes to provide an ES in respect of the proposed Southampton Biomass Power Station in Hampshire. The proposed development is determined to be EIA development in accordance with Regulation 4. 1.5 Before adopting a scoping opinion the Commission (or the relevant authority) must take into account: - ‘the specific characteristics of the particular development; - the specific characteristics of the development of the type concerned; - the environmental features likely to be affected by the development’. (EIA Regs 8 (9)) 1.6 This opinion sets out what information the Commission considers should be included in the ES for the proposed Southampton Biomass Power Station. The opinion has taken account of: i the EIA Regs; ii the nature and scale of the proposed development; 6 101101_EN010035_256935 Scoping Opinion for Proposed Southampton Biomass Power Station iii the nature of the receiving environment; and iv current best practice in the preparation of environmental statements. 1.7 The Commission has also taken account of the responses received from the statutory consultees. It has carefully considered the matters addressed by the Applicant and has used professional judgement and experience in order to come to this opinion. The Commission will take account of relevant legislation and guidelines when considering the ES. The Commission will not be precluded from requiring additional information in connection with the ES submitted with that application when considering any application for a development consent order. 1.8 This opinion should not be construed as implying that the Commission agrees with the information or comments provided by the Applicant in their request for an opinion from the Commission. In particular comments from the Commission in this opinion are without prejudice to any decision taken by the Commission on submission of the application