ITALGEN Gabal El Ziet Wind Farm (GZWF Phase III) 320 MWecoconserv.com/files/A2.pdf · ITALGEN Gabal...

Arab Republic of Egypt

Environmental and Social Impact Assessment

ITALGEN Gabal El Ziet Wind Farm (GZWF Phase III) 320 MW

Executive Summary

May, 2017

Executive Summary

ESIA for ITALGEN Gabal El Ziet wind farm Phase III 1

Background

Egypt’s rapidly expanding economy and its growing population requires a reliable electricity

supply which can meet the increasing demand. Residential power demand increased by 40%

in 2008-2013, and overall power demand by 28%. This increase has led to regional blackouts

as the out of date generating capacity could not cope. The installed generation capacity of

32,015 MW is no longer sufficient.

With demand growth expected to remain at around 7% per year over the next decades, new

generation capacity in excess of 1,500 MW per year is required to replace ageing power plants

and to provide additional capacity. At present electricity generation is dominated by thermal

power stations.

An increasing need for gas and oil imports at world market prices would put pressure on

Egypt’s foreign currency reserves and would expose the country to energy price volatility. In

this context renewable energy sources become more and more attractive, particularly as the

cost of renewable energy is falling. This makes wind-power, solar-thermal and photo-voltaic

electricity generation attractive for state-owned companies as well as for private sector

investors.

Since the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding with H.E. the Egyptian Minister of

Energy and Electricity in 2007, ITALGEN has been engaged in a pioneering environmental

and energy sustainability undertaking which is the first of its kind in Egypt and the Region.

The concession from NREA to ITALGEN entails an area of circa 38.6 sq.km., divided into

phases that have already obtained approvals from the EEAA: Phase I area has around 11.9

km2, Phase II area has around 26.7 sq. km. and it is considered by the regional studies to be

potentially more critical with regards to avian collisions than Phase I. However, wind farm

development is possible in Phase III (that includes Phases I and II) if mitigations and

monitoring programmes are implemented based on comprehensive bird migration studies and

risk assessments.

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Figure 1Sensitive areas within the studied area

This document is an executive summary of the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment

of the complete 38.6sq. km. area (including both phases and considered as phase III)

Figure 2: Location of ITALGEN wind farm and surrounding wind developments

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The Gulf of Suez (Northwestern shores of the Red Sea) is considered a prime global location

for on-shore wind energy generation, due to favorable speed and uniformity of the wind

regimes. The subject of this Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) is to

identify, describe, and propose mitigation actions of ITALGEN GZWF 320 MW that is part

of a 700 sq.km. region designated by the Government of Egypt (GoE) for wind power

development. The wind regimes in the area also constitute a globally important flyway for

migrating soaring birds between Africa and Eurasia. Regional bird migration studies (carried

out by a German team of specialists) have resulted in a reduction of the original 700 sq. km.

wind farm area by more than 60% to minimize the risk of bird collision with the wind turbines.

ITALGEN was granted permission from Egyptian Authorities to undertake extensive bird

migration studies and ornithological risk assessments, as part of comprehensive ESIAs for the

different phases, in order to identify the most feasible mitigation actions to minimize the

collision risk. The studied area is situated on the coastal desert plain ca. 100 km north of the

touristic city of Hurghada, in the Red Sea Governorate.

Technical

Renewable energies avoid the pollutant emissions that are the result of conventional thermal

power generating stations which may release large volumes of sulphur dioxide, oxides of

nitrogen and carbon dioxide (CO2). A key argument for wind and solar power is the avoidance

of CO2, the most common greenhouse gas.

Wind Turbine Generators (WTGs) typically consist of a conical steel tower with a bottom

diameter of 4 m, placed on a reinforced concrete foundation of 2.5 m depth and 17x17m or

20x20m area. At the top of the tower is a nacelle with a hub where three blades are connected.

The nacelle will include a generator, a gearbox, generally a transformer and electrical

equipment to control the WTG. Electrical energy generated by the turbines is collected to a

substation using combinations of cables, electrical switchgear units and transformers. The

cables are typically buried in trenches while the switchgear units and transformers are placed

inside the turbine or in separate kiosk adjacent to the tower.

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Figure 3: Main components of a typical wind farm

Choice of turbines capacity or size is considered critical in relation to the conclusions of the

assessment. Thus, the identified mitigation actions to reduce/avoid the potential

environmental impacts on migratory bird will be valid for any turbines with swept rotor area

between 10 m and 100 m above ground in case of a tip height of 100 m, or larger rotor in case

of higher tip height. The identified potential impacts on the environment are evaluated against

baseline conditions in the proposed wind farm areas and their surroundings, and the

reasonable performance standards which are assumed to be set during the construction and

operational phases of the project.

Regional

Gabal El Ziet is a desert area that is predominantly uninhabited. However, its vicinity includes

limited number of community gatherings with the total of no more than 35,000 persons. The

community gatherings in Gabal El Ziet are mostly inhabited by migrant workers from other

governorates of Upper Egypt. The social composition consists of Bedouins and non-

Bedouins. The tribal structure of the Bedouins includes settled ones from Hurghada, Ras

Executive Summary


Ghareb or Upper Egypt. There are also non-settled Bedouins who are dwellers living in

shanties. The non-Bedouins have migrated for work from Upper Egypt primarily from the

governorates of Assuit, Souhag, and Qena.

The gender distribution of the population in the Gabal El Ziet community gatherings is

unequal since it is predominantly males. Women and families are less likely to move to these

areas given the lack amenities and utilities which are only available in the cities of Ras Ghareb

and Hurghada. Employment opportunities are primarily in the form of day laborers in

unskilled jobs (agricultural activities, grazing and raising livestock, oil excavation activities,

mining excavation activities, and providing security).

The settlements closest in proximity are:

The City of Ras Ghareb: 35 km north: with a population of around 60,000 people.

The village of Ras Shukeir: 10 km east and on the Red Sea coast line; it has an unknown

number of oil company crews and workers (they could be estimated at couple of

thousand).

Village of Ras Gamsha: 15 km south east; it has an unknown number of fishermen.

Village Wadi Dara: 2 km south of the project; about 250 permanent residents.

Wadi Dara is a newly reclaimed valley located on the border of the selected site from the south.

Desert reclamation in Wadi Dara includes growing crops through various irrigation

techniques. There are permanent and non-permanent residents in the area of Wadi Dara. The

village itself has around 250 permanent residents, mostly men attending farming activities for

the land owners. Most of the population of Wadi Dara came from Upper Egypt Governorates.

Bedouin communities can be noticed within Wadi Dara’s territory. They include five families

of settled and unsettled Bedouins. These communities include people affiliated with Al

Ma'ayza, Al Bashareya, and Al Ababdeh tribes. There are settled Bedouins close to Wadi Dara

Village and some non-settled Bedouins living in the deep desert of Wadi Dara’s territory, with

a distance that varies from 20-60 km from the main road. These bedouins are gatherings

affiliated to Al Sewelam, and El Meayza tribes.

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Figure 4: Wadi Dara and surroundings during scoping and field work for the study (2017)

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Environmental and Social Impacts: Mitigation, Management, and Monitoring

Benefits and positive Impacts

The proposed GZWF 320 MW will have benefits and positive impacts. An overview of the

benefits of developing the proposed wind farm in accordance with Environmental, Social, and

Occupational Health & Safety Best Practice includes:

- Improve energy security through diversification of the Egyptian energy basket

- Add GHG-free capacity to the Egyptian National Electricity Grid

- Provide electricity from renewable resources with negligible environmental footprint

- Encourage other private investors to engage the renewables market in Egypt

- Provide a green and sustainable model for energy-intensive industries

- Local economic and human development in the region

- Job creation and national capacity building in state-of-the-art renewables

- Opportunities for national industries to provide project components

During site investigations and community scoping it was clear that the project was welcomed

among community people and governmental entities.

Potential Negative Impacts

Western Gabal Al Ziet is a largely uninhabited desert region with minimal resident or native

receptors of environmental and social impacts. Negative impacts of wind energy developments

on receptors in the region are typically temporary and quite low in severity. Remarkably, the

potential negative impact of wind farms which requires deep and detailed analysis, mitigation,

management, and monitoring actually affects non-resident receptors, i.e. migratory birds

crossing the area in considerable numbers twice a year.

In addition to bird migration and ornithological risk assessments, some of the impacts

evaluated in the full ESIA study include:

Traffic and transport

Impacts on plants and animals

Socioeconomic effects, especially related to Health & Safety risks for workers.

The following sections highlight some of the key impacts and outlines mitigation measures to

minimize or eliminate negative effects which may arise.

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Impacts on the biological environment

Highlights of the Bird Migration Study

The wind farm area is situated on a key flyway of the Eurasian-African bird migration route, and substantial numbers of migratory birds traverse the area every year during autumn and spring. Bird collision with the wind turbines during migration seasons has been analyzed in detail in order to identify mitigation actions for minimizing potential negative impacts on bird populations.

Figure 5: Flyways and location of the GZWF Phase III project

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Extensive Bird Migration Studies (BMS) were carried out by qualified teams composed of Egyptian and International experts through field observations for the whole duration of the migration seasons. BMSs throughout spring (2009, 2013 and 2017) and autumn (2008, 2013 and 2016) were carried out and confirmed that Gabal El Ziet area is positioned on an important zone for soaring migrating birds of which 15 species were observed in numbers of international significance. BMSs for two full seasons (autumn 2008 and spring 2009) were carried out using radar.

Figure 6. Observation Points for Bird Monitoring during Autumn 2016 and Spring 2017

The results of the overall analysis of the 6 seasons of Bird Monitoring in the GZWF Phase III 320 MW confirm that the area has different sensitive sub-areas for migratory birds, and also confirm the importance of limiting certain areas for the construction and operation of wind turbines. They additionally confirm that the erection and operation of wind turbines in phase III (that includes phases I and II) is possible if proper mitigations actions are considered during planning and preconstruction phase combined with post construction birds monitoring program put in place and proper protocol for minimizing possible mortality which could result from wind farm operation.

The radar monitoring studies from 2008-2009 showed that nocturnal migration was not critical in respect to operating wind turbines.

A Study of Birds Collision was conducted in 2007 at a wind farm with 220 turbines located at the north of the current studied area. Corpse searches were carried out over a four-week period

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during spring season.1 The results strongly indicate that the number of collisions was very low to zero throughout the period of investigation. These conclusions coincide with the results provided by the Monitoring of Bird and Bat Collisions rate with Wind Turbines in KFW 200MW wind farm at Gabal El Ziet which was carried out during September and November, 2016. The results suggest that 99% of migratory soaring birds flying at rotor swept area are able to avoid collision with wind turbines.

Figure 7: Extensive field studies on bird migration were carried out for the ESIA

Impacts on birds during construction

During the construction phase, disturbance from construction activities and reduction of available habitats will be the main impacts on birds. Heavy machines and human activities may impact birds during the construction phase. However, disturbance effects during construction are not considered critical, because only few individuals of resident species may be affected by the disturbance, and the construction phase is only temporary.

Pelicans, storks and raptors often roost in the desert during migration. However, they have no preferred roosting sites within the wind farm area, and hence may roost anywhere in the desert. Therefore, the construction work is not expected to influence available roosting sites for these species. Likewise, reduction of habitat for resident species due to construction work is not

1 NREA (2007) Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Study 1,000 MW Wind farms at Gulf of Suez. Pp. 87

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considered critical, since the density of resident birds is low within the wind farm area, and there are alternative habitats for these species in the surrounding desert.

Waste and open water reservoirs resulting during construction activities will attract birds to the wind farm area. This will not be critical during the construction phase. However, in order to avoid having birds habituating into the area, waste disposal and open water reservoirs should be avoided within the wind farm area during all the phases of the project.

Bushes and other vegetation may attract both migratory and resident birds. Therefore, to reduce the impact on birds during the construction phase, construction work and other human activities should be avoided or greatly reduced in wadis and areas with permanent vegetation.

If the above mentioned mitigation measures are taken, impacts on resident and migratory birds will not be critical during the construction phase.

Impacts on birds during operation

Negative impacts on birds from wind turbines may occur due to collision, barrier effects and disturbance. Collision risk is the most important of these impacts, since an increased mortality due to collisions with turbines can potentially result in population declines for affected bird species. Disturbance effects of wind turbines are mainly associated with foraging and resting, and hence of minor relevance for the wind farm area, due to a lack of favorable sites for resting and foraging birds.

During the operation and maintenance phases the proposed wind farm is not considered to have critical impacts on birds due to barrier effects or disturbance. However, considering the general development of wind energy in the area, cumulative effects of several neighboring wind farms may result in a barrier for migrating birds.

Cumulative effects

Birds migrating over the area are likely to encounter additional wind turbines during their flight due to wind farms being planned and built along the Red Sea coast. Cumulative effects of wind farms in the area may lead to barriers for migrating birds, and potential mortality among migrants due to collisions. The various wind farm developments must collectively assess and mitigate potential negative impacts resulting from cumulative effects.

Mitigation of impacts on migratory birds

Based on the result of previous ornithological studies conducted at GZWF Phase III area and

relevant recommendations in addition to lessons learned from KFW wind farm it is highly

recommended to follow a bird friendly wind farm layout and use appropriate size of wind

turbines. Large wind turbines (i.e. with rotor diameter of 90 m or more and unit power around

2-3 MW) are recommended, due to their characteristics and specifications (size, height, blades

speed, etc.) which provide enough space to migratory birds for avoiding collision with the

structures. Post-construction monitoring is prescribed as essential to clarify potential impacts

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of wind energy development in Phase III. The recommended detailed mitigation measures are

presented below at the different stages of the project.

Pre-construction mitigation measures

Planning is an essential stage to take the necessary measures to avoid and/or reduce the

collision risk. The following pre-construction mitigation measures are recommended due to

their effectiveness in minimizing adverse impacts on soaring birds’ migration.

Wind turbines

There is favorable turbines size that would reduce the impact on migratory birds. It was

reported that increasing the number of turbines results in increasing power production, but

the number of collided birds could be increased. Therefore it is recommended to increase the

size of turbines to meet the same power capacity and reduce potential collision risk. Fewer

and larger turbines, more widely spaced, are thought to be more bird friendly (Tucker 1996,

Erickson et al. 2001)

- Based on the experience gained at NREA, KFW 200 MW, and JICA wind farms it is

recommended to use wind turbines with capacity around 2-3 MWe, with a maximum

total height (till the blade tips) not less than 100 m and better more, or similar available

types of turbines in order to reduce the number of structures and to reach the desired

power capacity.

- Painting blades with contrasting color to increase visibility and reduce collision

probability (this measure was reported to lower mortality risks in some cases, but its

effectiveness is not yet confirmed).

- If aircraft warning lighting is required to identify turbines at night, the use of blinking

strobe lights, with flashes interspersed with darkness at 3 second intervals, is preferred.

Continuous lights can lead to an increase in fatalities by attracting birds, with an

associated increase in the risk of collisions with infrastructure. The number of lit

turbines should be kept to a minimum. Lights should flash synchronously over the

site.

GZWF Phase III is evaluating the installation of 160 wind turbines around 2 MW each and

90 m rotor diameter or even bigger if the tip height reaches 120 m. This is in accordance with

the above recommendations and similar to other wind farms in the region.

Wind Farm layout and Configuration

The spacing and utilization of the allocated area for wind turbines installation as well as

understanding migration behavior of soaring birds within the studied area, are critical in

influencing the magnitude of predicted collision risk of soaring birds.

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The effectiveness of the wind farm configuration implemented in NREA’s wind farms as KFW, JICA and Gamesa (Spanish) is confirmed. It is considered green and birds friendly (Strix, 2016 and pres. observation). The layout of the GZWF Phase III wind farm should adhere to the following considerations:

-The wind turbines installed in regular lines with distance interval between 170m-180m

between each turbine.

-Wind turbines array oriented in NE – SW direction, with distance interval between 700m-

1,000m between different rows.

The two recommended considerations combined are effective in giving more space for soaring

birds to move between wind turbines and enough space for gaining high altitude between

different turbine rows.

In order to avoid/minimize the risk of collision and barrier effects for birds at GZWF Phase

III during migratory seasons the following three alternatives are presented:

Alternative 1: Wind farm configuration and following the Fixed Shutdown (FS) and Shutdown On

Demand (SOD) Programme based on RCREEE Protocol

Accordingly to the lessons learned in the region, a Shutdown Programme is the most

feasible option. There are two main approaches used to avoid birds’ mortality by controlling

wind farm operations:

Fixed shutdown, i.e. decided stopping periods of the whole wind farm within the

high sensitive period of the year. It can be most effective when high risk of collision

for soaring birds is expected within the facility or nearby. Additionally, fixed shutdown

can be used for specific turbines within high mortality ‘hot spots’ (Piorkowski et al.,

2012), where only shut down can be applied on hot spot turbines based on times,

seasons, or year, monitoring to lower collision mortality without compromising the

energy generation of the rest of the turbines not impacting mortality rates (Piorkowski

et al., 2012). Decision of fixed shutdown protocol should be identified through

comprehensive studies where variables as seasonality (Manville, 2005), weather

condition, (Liechti et al., 2013; Hüppop et al., 2006; Hein, 2014), and concerned

species behaviors and movements must be investigated (Johnson et al., 2007;

Smallwood, 2010). However, implementing fixed shutdown ensures minimum birds

mortality within wind energy facility; it will result in zero operation of wind farm during

certain period of the year (zero energy production). Therefore, it should be

recommended when other mitigation measures were not effective.

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Shutdown On Demand: It is a recent approach adopted in improve stopping

protocol of the wind farm to ensure maximum wind farm operation and maintain

minimum or acceptable mortality risk of soaring birds. Wind farm can shutdown a

certain turbine, row of turbines, single circuit or more and the inter facility when a

particular species or flocks enters the wind farm or spots approaching the wind

turbines according to early established criteria (Sheppard et al., 2014; Sutter et al.,

2012). The advantage of such measure is to reduce the risk of collision during wind

farm operation which makes it significantly efficient during migration seasons within

sensitive migration corridors (Johnson et al., 2011 and Piorkowski et al., 2012). Several

studies recommended the approach of shutdown on demand with the advantage of

reducing collision risk and, consequently, mortality rate of raptors. A significant study

was done on raptor mortality rates and wind turbine curtailment measures in Tarifa,

Cadiz, Spain (a major migratory bottleneck north of the Strait of Gibraltar). During

this study mortality rates for the Griffon vulture was investigated at 10 out of 13 wind

facilities under implementing shutdown protocol from 2008 to 2009 compared rates

from a no stopping program in 2006–2007 Lucas et al. (2012). The effective shutdown

protocols used at different wind facilities should be species- site specific, as shown by

different studies on mortality rates and efficiency of such site species specific measure

in reducing raptors mortality to more than 50% (Lucas et al., 2012; Muños Gallego et

al., 2011).

Optimally shutdown on demand protocol should be assisted by RADAR to help ground

observers to spot migratory soaring birds early enough to apply turbine shutdown in proper

time, especially in lower visibility and unfavorable weather conditions (sand storms) and ensure

maximum delectability of migrants birds with full coverage of the area of study. This was

confirmed by a study conducted in Southwest Portugal to investigate collision risk at wind

farm under implementation of Radar Assisted Shutdown on Demand (RASOD) protocol,

with pre-defined criteria based on intense migration of soaring birds (especially Griffon

Vulture). During the research period they estimated a minimum of 570–1,550 individuals were

at risk with collision through turbines and the use of RASOD increased the efficiency of the

used protocol by minimizing the average shutdown period combined with zero mortality of

soaring birds crossing the area of the wind farm (Tomé et al., 2015).

It is considered that Shutdown on Demand Programme is the most feasible and preferred alternative for GZWF Phase III project. ITALGEN is proposing to apply the recommendations and protocols derived by this programme in coordination with EEAA, NREA, EETC and RCREEE. (RCREEE Protocol).

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Figure 8. Layout with the suggested configuration of the windfarm (Alternative 1)

Alternative 2: Implementing one Escape Corridor (neither FS nor SOD)

This alternative entails the implementation of an escape corridor that shall have a

width of about 1 km and shall be oriented parallel to the mountains, at the northwest

to southeast areas of the Phase III, due the several birds flying above that section of

the plot, accordingly to the results of the bird monitoring surveys.

Figure 9. Proposed escape corridor (Alternative 2)

1.0 km between rows

0.18 km between WTG

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Alternative 3: Implementing two Escape Corridors (neither FS nor SOD)

This alternative entails the implementation of two escape corridors crossing the plot of the wind farm that shall have a width of about 1 km each. The orientation of the corridors is based on the dominating wind direction oriented to the northwest to southeast area of phase III. The location of the corridors has been selected to include the majority of the hilly area and the wadis, also because these landscape features play an important role in guiding bird. Due to slight differences in the dominating direction of migration within the area, the two corridors are having slightly different directions.This is quite similar to the original configuration proposed in the ESIA conducted during 2010 and 2014.

Figure 10. Two escape corridors (Alternative 3)

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Discussion about Alternatives 1, 2 and 3

It is important to highlight, as mentioned before, that the effectiveness of the escape corridors

is not well defined, while they will certainly reduce the generation of energy due the reduction

of the area for WTGs.

However, in any alternative a big escape corridor is present, as per the below pictures, with no

impact on energy generation.

Moreover, the effectiveness of the SOD has been proven in the NREA KFW operating wind

farm, with good results concerning bird mortality and little reduction of the energy production.

Besides, in Alternative 1, the distance between turbines and rows is higher than in other

alternatives, and this leaves more space for bird migration, allowing more flexibility in the local

layout optimization in order to better preserve flora and fauna.

Therefore Alternative 1 is recommended to be implemented.

Bird escape corridor

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Post construction mitigation measures

Based on the experience gained from NREA- KfW site the most effective post construction

and operation mitigation measure is the implementation of RADAR assisted shutdown on

demand program. The effectiveness of the aforesaid mitigation protocol is well documented

and proven by several researches worldwide, due to its high efficiency in reducing the mortality

to minimum levels combined by minor energy production loss. The technical protocol and

shutdown on demand criteria is site specific, which needs to be carefully designed based on

comprehensive risk assessment ornithological studies during construction and post

construction and adopted in consultation with NREA and EEAA.

Post construction monitoring:

Following the guidelines adopted by Birdlife international and EEAA it is recommended to

implement during and post construction monitoring programs to assess the effectiveness of

implemented mitigation measures, assess collision risk of soaring birds in different sectors of

the wind farm and under different weather conditions.

Post-construction monitoring programs is recommended to verify the findings and conclusion

from the Impact Assessment studies, and to adjust wind farm operation if unexpected negative

impacts are identified where additional mitigation measures could be required.

Therefore, the overall objective of the post-construction monitoring program is to verify that

the wind farm does not cause unacceptable levels of bird collisions, and to feed in to the

technical operation of the turbines to meet the required level. To fulfill this objective, the

acceptable level of mortality due to collisions with the wind turbines should be identified for

all relevant species, and a functional field program to monitor the level of collisions should be

conducted.

Objectives of post construction monitoring program:

- Assess on collision rates and species-specific avoidance rates by technical carcass

search program.

- Risk assessment monitoring program to ensure effectiveness of “shutdown on

demand” protocol during operation of wind farm.

- Ensure that impacts are kept within the acceptable levels of impacts on soaring birds.

Post construction monitoring will provide useful information on the operational impact of

wind farms, and will guide on scientific bases the adaptive mitigation actions and future

operational procedures. To ensure the value of implementing this monitoring program it

should be carried out by standardized data collection method comparable to the

preconstruction techniques. All of the above mentioned procedures and measures combined

by post- construction monitoring and carcass search program will help to reduce the potential

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identified birds’ risks with the maximum operational capacity of the wind farm to meet the

desired energy production target.

Impacts on Flora and Fauna (excluding birds)

Negative impacts on flora, reptiles and mammals are considered minor. Those impacts are related to human activities more than generation of renewable energy itself; therefore most of the impacts can be avoided/mitigated by applying proper awareness to the workers, planning proper construction activities, etc.

Areas with permanent vegetation are valuable habitats for the local flora and fauna, and should therefore be impacted as little as possible. Therefore, construction work and other human activities should be avoided or greatly reduced in wadis and other areas with permanent vegetation in order to avoid disturbance of flora and fauna.

Impacts on physical environment

During the construction phase

Impacts on topography, geology and soils will occur due to road construction, burial of cable

connections and excavation for turbines’ foundations. Roads’ construction (mostly already

done) will have the largest impact, due to the large amount of soils handled and the large areas

affected. The soils may also be impacted during construction due to accumulation of

excavation material and construction wastes. However, this impact is considered as minor.

The construction phase will also have an effect on air quality and ambient noise. Dust

emission, especially due to excavation, hauling, rigging and increased traffic will negatively

influence the air quality during construction. Noise from equipment and vehicles, and

increased traffic are the main sources of noise during construction, which has a direct impact

on the construction crew and a minor impact on the neighboring projects. Soil pollution may

occur if oils and lubricants are split during maintenance of equipment and machinery.

However, the overall impacts on hydrography, hydrogeology and water quality are assessed to

be non-critical.

Apart from changes to the landscape’s topographic features due to leveling, all other impacts

are reversible and can be mitigated with proper planning, handling and management. The

landscape of the wind farm area is common along the Rea Sea coast and, therefore, the changes

in landscape features are not considered to be a critical impact.

During the construction phase there are no significant impacts on the physical environment of the wind farm.

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During the operation phase

Operation of the wind farm will have a significant positive impact on the physical environment, because it will lead to a reduction in emissions of carbon dioxides, sulphur dioxides, nitrogen dioxides and greenhouse gases. This is regarded as a positive effect in relation to the global warming and climate changes.

In the coastal plain, where the turbines will be erected, the visual impact of the wind farm will be significant compared to the existing condition. However, because the area of Gabal El Ziet has other wind farms, the cumulative impact will be minor.

Figure 11: Simulated view of the proposed ITALGEN’s wind farm from perspectives A and B

Aerodynamic noise from the rotating blades will have a marked impact on the local environment near the turbines. However, since the wind farm area is far from areas with outdoor human activities, impacts from noise are considered insignificant.

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Figure 12 Iso-lines of noise effect from operating wind turbines in the plot for the layout without Bird

Corridors. Points A, B and C denote the closest potential residential area

Figure 13: Wind turbine noise compared to other sources

Mitigation of Impacts on the physical environment

During all the project’s phases waste should be controlled according to national regulation, international standards and Best Practices Guidelines, and reusing or recycling of materials should be carried out. Hazardous substances should be handled and stored properly to avoid local contamination, and send them to proper treatment/final disposal. Preservation and protection of soil and ground water should be obtained through good construction management.

To minimize dust nuisance, constructed roads should be well compacted and graveled. The speed limit on the site should not exceed 30 km/ hour, and trucks should be covered during transportation of fine aggregates and other friable materials. Additionally, water trucks with sprinklers can be used to damp the dust along roads and in congested areas.

To mitigate noise impacts, the following measures may be implemented: 1) Enforcement of speed limits, 2) Control of vehicle routing and access to the site, 3) Activities with highest noise emissions should be conducted during the day shift.

After construction, the contractor should clean up all areas used for construction, and remove all signs of temporary construction facilities. Furthermore, the disturbed areas should be graded and filled.

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Socio-economic impacts

The wind farm project has potential for creating job opportunities during the construction phase in particular and also during the operation phase. This is assessed as a significant positive impact on the socio-economic environment.

An operating wind farm in the area will have several positive impacts on the socio-economic conditions. The area will obtain increased potential due to electricity provision, which may lead to additional job opportunities in areas like farming, mining and poultry breeding stations.

The project is also foreseen to have a positive impact on the nearby village by bringing them closer to services (mainly water and electricity), and provide them opportunities for direct and indirect jobs

In the future, increase in land value may impact low income groups, who might be unable to access land or housing in the area due to their limited economy.

During the construction phase, impacts on the socio-economic environment from noise, dust, and accumulation of wastes should be mitigated as described above for effects on the physical environment. To cope with transportation of oversized elements during construction, a slight modification of certain road elements may become necessary.

Construction activities should be undertaken in a manner that does not present hazards to workers’ health and safety. The owner is committed to enforce stringent occupational health and safety procedures and measures.

To cope with the increased population in the area, health and sanitation systems should be developed according to modern standards and overconsumption of resources. Water resource should be mitigated by a rational use of ground water.

To reduce potential negative impacts on local communities, they should be consulted during the project’s planning for the to make sure that any proposed development plans (like job opportunities, infrastructure or facilities) will meet their needs. Additionally, efforts should be taken to ensure that Bedouin development and integration does not come on the cost of their local traditions, and activities and programmes that aim at reviving and maintaining the Bedouins local culture should be implemented.

Thus, it might be worth considering gender sensitive actions/programmes to ensure that women also benefit from the opportunities that will be generated.

There is no evidence on potential archaeological findings in the area, but some historical findings such as animal fossils might be encountered. If encountered, the contractor shall install protection for these resources and is responsible for their preservation.

Vulnerable Groups

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The main potential vulnerable groups would be the daily-wage workers who may be recruited during the construction phase. Those groups might be vulnerable due to as they have no health insurance. Health care and emergency preparedness should be established on-site.

Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP)

In addition to the above mentioned post-construction monitoring of migratory birds, an environmental and social monitoring/management plan (ESMP) has been developed. The ESMP describes how the operating company intends to reduce different identified impacts, effectiveness of measures and system to monitor this. An ESMP will often develop during the lifetime of the wind farm project due to the assessments and feed-back of the environmental monitoring. The ESMP was developed according to the conditions of the project and the mitigation actions that minimize/avoid the negative impacts.

The ESMP describes how the mitigation measures are organized and who is responsible for carrying out the activities and monitoring measures. Continuous monitoring is thus required during both the construction and operation phases in order to ensure the implementation of best practice in environmental and social management throughout the lifetime of the project.

The detailed ESMP is presented in the full ESIA report.

ITALGEN Gabal El Ziet Wind Farm (GZWF Phase III) 320 MWecoconserv.com/files/A2.pdf · ITALGEN Gabal...

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