Darling Wind Farm Saldanha Steel Koeberg Nuclear Power Station
Mankind has always harvested nature in a variety of ways and South Africa's West Coast provides diverse examples of this, illustrating brave new worlds and the change in thinking to more sustainable solutions.
Development is inevitable and all development has good and bad impacts... the challenge is to minimise the bad and maximise the good.
Saldanha Steel was built at a time when a cabinet minister called for more local beneficiation of minerals – "because we have the wide open spaces and our air can still handle pollution." Imagine someone saying that today! Koeberg nuclear power station represents what many believed was the future of energy, without fully planning for the consequences. Darling Wind Farm uses nature in a way that points to the future, but wind farms elsewhere have demonstrated their own negative impacts and development permissions are increasingly being refused. Nothing mankind does has no impact, and it's against this background that one needs to look at the proposals for PPC's new cement factory in Riebeek Valley.
A decade or more ago, PPC's investment would have been seen as a strategic one, with little attention paid to critics. Cement usage in the Western Cape has increased and the demand for houses is greater than ever. Who would deny the homeless the right to a roof over their heads? The 21st century will see sustainability as a key issue, but we don't have the technologies in place yet and we cannot wait until we have them.
Anyone who naively believes that they can stop development, would be equally naive in ignoring the basic needs of most South Africans. And cement, until more sustainable building methods are found, fulfills part of that basic need. What is needed is balance... and development impacts must be mitigated. Scaremongering and sensation-seeking are just not productive.
The EIA
The purpose of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process is to assess the potential environmental (that include biophysical and social impacts) associated with a proposed activity, in this case PPC's proposed new cement manufacturing facility and associated increase to the current limestone mining operations. The EIA process consists of two phases, namely the Scoping phase and the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) phase.
The Scoping phase identifies reasonable and feasible alternatives as well as potential impacts associated with the proposed activity, which is based on existing literature, specialised knowledge of the area, professional experience as well as public and authority comments. These identified impacts are then assessed in the Environmental Impact Report phase.
The EIR describes and assesses the range of feasible alternatives identified during the Scoping process in terms of the potential environmental impacts associated with the proposed cement manufacturing facility. These impacts could have positive or negative consequences. Where required, specialists investigate and report on particular impacts, for example the impact of air emissions as a result of the new cement manufacturing facility.
The results of these specialist studies are then used to describe and assess the significance of the identified potential impacts associated with the proposed cement manufacturing facility, mining operation and associated infrastructure. Specialists also give suggestions to enhance positive impacts while reducing the significance of negative impacts. These are called mitigation measures. This EIR synthesises the key findings of the specialist studies and provides the requisite independent assessment of the environmental implications of the proposed activity.
The ultimate purpose of the EIR is to provide a basis for informed decision making, firstly by the proponent (PPC) with respect to the activity or alternatives they wish to pursue, and secondly by the environmental authority regarding the environmental acceptability of the proponents' preferred option.
Limestone mining in Riebeek Valley
PPC Cement opened its Riebeeck operation at Riebeek West in 1960. They plan to invest R3 billion on a 1.2 million ton per annum clinker production facility on their existing property. This will include the cement milling and packing facilities to match the clinker production. The extent of the site required for the facility and associated infrastructure is approximately 70 hectares. Associated with the facility is an
extension to current mining operations and overburden dumps.
The construction phase requires a temporary construction worker camp and associated package wastewater treatment plant will be constructed on PPC’s property.
The cement manufacturing facility includes infrastructure such as the provisions for water and electricity supply, service roads, dust and waste management, raw materials and product transportation.
Click on the site plan to see a larger version
Ninham Shand have also investigated the visual impact of the complex over its lifespan – looking at both the structures and the overburden dumping.
Elevation from R311 of Delectus site on completion
Elevation from R311 of Delectus site around 2075
Two alternative sites are being – the process is not completed – thoroughly investigated. Both sites are further from the nearest town than the existing factory.
The Draft Environmental Impact Report identified several impacts.
Ninham Shand were commissioned to undertake the EIA. They have no interest in the outcome – whether the project proceeds or is aborted is immaterial to them – and their professional reputation is on the line. So an accurate and comprehensive assessment is in their interests.
For their full summary of all the impacts, weighted according to severity, along with the impact after mitigation, click here.
Some of the local objections have focused on: Traffic & the peaceful nature of the town – the town currently experiences heavy traffic passing through it and this would increase.
"Property prices may decrease by 25%" – Investment should and can benefit the area. Property agents who claim to have lost sales should attribute that to locals who have hyped up the negativity.
"Turning the town into an industrial no-go zone" – this is the pure nonsense of an editor trying to drum up his own circulation.
"The water table would be lowered by 45 metres and could well put surrounding farmers out of business" – This is before mitigating solutions are implemented.
"The employment of local labour to build the factory may well disrupt agricultural labour practices leaving farmers bereft of people to work the land, pick and pack fruit" – Surely farmers can enter into an agreement with PPC over labour practices?
Overcoming objections
The biggest issue for most locals, and one which they live with now, is heavy vehicle traffic through the towns of Riebeek Kasteel and Riebeek West. If PPC were to invest in an alternative route, the towns would be far better off than they are now. Many locals feel this would remove most strident objections to the new development.
Empathy
Twenty five years ago, during the Christmas holidays in the almost deserted offices of Murray & Roberts, we had a fascinating discussion with Neil Fraser who was then MD of M&R Cape Town. He was speaking of the empathy that a developer or contractor needs for local communities. He made the point that most people dislike changes to their environment and this needs to be carefully factored into whatever one tackles. He spoke about the entrepreneurial opportunities for win-win solutions.
Maybe PPC can help grow tourist attractions... From their consultant's economics report:
"There are relatively few organized tourist events or activities,
apart from special weekend events devoted to showcasing its renowned local products
and artists during the annual Olive Festival in early May and The Shiraz and Art Weekend.
"There are a few designated tourist attractions such as the house where Jan Smuts was
born which is located on the PPC factory site, as well as a small museum, and various
historical landmark buildings and churches. There are no 4 x 4 trails, and aside from hiking
and limited mountain biking, outdoor or adventure activities are not a focus. However, the
Valley can be a base for exploring other towns such as Porterville which feature mountain
biking, golf, fishing, and paragliding to name a few."
We also learnt that M&R devoted a fixed portion of their profits or revenues every year to good causes.
PPC could learn from that. Rather than (or in addition to) appointing scores of consultants and hiding behind EIA reports, they could engage the local community.
They could turn around the damage they already do with heavy vehicle traffic by changing from road to rail transport completely. They could devote a fixed percentage of their turnover to social and environmental projects in the Valley. PPC as it is today is not a sustainable company. When they have finished mining the lime and have leave the Valley forever, they should leave a legacy they can be proud of.
Limestone mining in Riebeek Valley
Traffic & the peaceful nature of the town – the town currently experiences heavy traffic passing through it and this would increase.
"The water table would be lowered by 45 metres and could well put surrounding farmers out of business" – This is before mitigating solutions are implemented.