ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT/ …

1 Prepared for: EXXARO Resources PO Box 9229 PRETORIA 0001 Prepared by: Savannah ENVIRONMENTAL Pty Ltd Unit 606, 1410 Eglin office park 4 Eglin road, sunninghill, Gauteng po box 148, sunninghill, 2157 Tel: +27 (0)11 234 6621 Fax: +27 (0)86 684 0547 E-mail: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT assessment / ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME AMENDMENT PROCESS EIA/EMP report COAL SILO, COAL CONVEYOR AND ASSOCIATED INFRASTRUCTURE BETWEEN GROOTEGELUK COAL MINE AND MEDUPI POWER STATION, LIMPOPO PROVINCE MINING RIGHT REFERENCE NO: 5/3/2/50 Submitted to: Department of Mineral Resources, Limpopo Province JUNE 2010 EMP AMENDMENT FOR GROOTEGELUK COAL MINE, LIMPOPO PROVINCE: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT assessment and ENVIRONMENTAL Management Programme June 2010 Project Details Page i PROJECT DETAILS Mining Right Reference No.

2 : 5/3/2/50 Title : ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT assessment / ENVIRONMENTAL Management Programme Amendment Process ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT assessment and ENVIRONMENTAL Management Programme Coal Silo, Coal Conveyor and Associated Infrastructure between Grootegeluk Coal Mine and Medupi Power Station, Limpopo Province Authors : Savannah ENVIRONMENTAL (Pty) Ltd Jo-Anne Thomas Specialists : Bathusi ENVIRONMENTAL Consultants Johnny van Schalkwyk Client : Eskom Holdings Limited on behalf of EXXARO report Status : scoping report for authority review Date : June 2010 When used as a reference this report should be cited as: Savannah ENVIRONMENTAL (2010) EIA & EMP report : Coal Silo, Coal Conveyor and Associated Infrastructure between Grootegeluk Coal Mine and Medupi Power Station, Limpopo Province COPYRIGHT RESERVED This technical report has been produced for Eskom Holdings Limited and EXXARO.

3 The intellectual property contained in this report remains vested in Savannah ENVIRONMENTAL . No part of the report may be reproduced in any manner without written permission from Eskom Holdings Limited, EXXARO or Savannah ENVIRONMENTAL (Pty) Ltd. EMP AMENDMENT FOR GROOTEGELUK COAL MINE, LIMPOPO PROVINCE: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT assessment and ENVIRONMENTAL Management Programme June 2010 Purpose of the scoping report Page ii PURPOSE OF THE EIA & EMP report In order to adequately provide for the growing electricity demand within South Africa, Eskom Holdings Limited is in the process of constructing a new coal-fired power station southwest of the existing Matimba Power Station in the Lephalale area.

4 This power station is to be known as the Medupi Power Station and will have a maximum installed capacity of 4 800 MegaWatts (MW). Coal to fuel the Medupi Power Station will be provided to Eskom from the Grootegeluk Coal Mine by Exxaro Resources (Pty) Ltd. The Grootegeluk Coal Mine is an existing mine (Mining Right Reference No.: 5/3/2/50) located in the Limpopo Province approximately 21 km west of the town Lephalale on the farms Grootegeluk 459 LQ, Hierontrent 630 LQ, Leeuwdrift 312 LQ, Enkelbult 462 LQ, Daarby 485 LQ and Turfvlakte 463 LQ (refer to Figure ). In order for Grootegeluk mine to supply coal to the new Medupi Power Station, the following will be constructed by Eskom: A coal silo at the mine.

5 A coal feed conveyor belt between the mine and the power station. This conveyor will cross the Farm Turfvlakte for which Exxaro hold the prospecting and mining rights. An access road to be utilised during construction and operation of the coal silo and conveyor. In terms of the Minerals and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA; Act No. 28 of 2002) and National ENVIRONMENTAL Management Act (NEMA; Act No. 107 of 1998), Exxaro is required to undertake an ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT assessment (EIA) process to amend the mine s current approved ENVIRONMENTAL Management Programme (EMP) to include the coal silo, coal conveyor and access road. The EIA undertaken for the power station included an assessment of the coal conveyor.

6 This study will therefore be used as the basis for the EMP amendment process required to be undertaken in accordance with the MPRDA. The first phase of an EIA was the scoping Phase, during which issues associated with the proposed development were identified and evaluated to highlight the significant issues that may require further investigation and assessment in the EIA. The purpose of this EIA and EMP report provides an assessment of these potential impacts as well as recommends management measures for the mitigation of these impacts. EMP AMENDMENT FOR GROOTEGELUK COAL MINE, LIMPOPO PROVINCE: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT assessment and ENVIRONMENTAL Management Programme June 2010 Purpose of the scoping report Page iii This EIA and EMProgramme report consists of the following sections: Part 1: Background to the Project Chapter 1 provides background to the proposed project and the EIA process Chapter 2 provides an overview of the proposed project Chapter 3 outlines the EIA process which was followed for the proposed project Part 2.

7 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT assessment Chapter 4 provides a description of the environment which may be potentially affected by the proposed project Chapter 5 provides an assessment of the potential impacts associated with the proposed project, including recommendations for mitigation of potentially significant impacts and an IMPACT statement regarding the proposed project Part 3: ENVIRONMENTAL Management Programme Chapter 6 presents the ENVIRONMENTAL Management Programme, including details of the planned monitoring and ENVIRONMENTAL management for the construction and operation of the conveyor and associated infrastructure Appendices: Includes technical and supporting documentation, including specialist reports undertaken for the EIA and EMP.

8 EMP AMENDMENT FOR GROOTEGELUK COAL MINE, LIMPOPO PROVINCE: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT assessment and ENVIRONMENTAL Management Programme June 2010 Table of Contents Page iv TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE PURPOSE OF THE EIA & EMP report .. II TABLE OF CONTENTS .. IV ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS .. VIII DEFINITIONS AND TERMINOLOGY .. IX CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .. 1 THE NEED FOR THE PROPOSED PROJECT .. 1 LEGAL REQUIREMENT FOR AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT assessment .. 1 Regulating Authorities .. 2 DETAILS OF SAVANNAH ENVIRONMENTAL S EXPERTISE TO CARRY OUT THE scoping PROCESS .. 2 OBJECTIVES OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT assessment AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME .. 3 OUTLINE OF THE scoping report .

9 4 CHAPTER 2: PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND MOTIVATION .. 1 BACKGROUND TO THE PROPOSED PROJECT .. 1 PROJECT OVERVIEW AND MOTIVATION .. 3 DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT .. 3 Coal Supply Conveyor .. 3 Road Access .. 4 Coal Silo .. 4 DESCRIPTION OF ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED .. 5 Alternative Conveyor Alignments .. 5 No-go Alternative .. 7 CHAPTER 3: STUDY APPROACH AND METHODOLOGY .. 8 PHASE 1: scoping STUDY .. 9 PHASE 2: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT assessment AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN .. 9 assessment of Issues Identified through the scoping Process .. 9 Methodology for the assessment of Impacts .. 10 Public Consultation .. 12 PHASE 3: ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME.

10 12 REGULATORY AND LEGAL CONTEXT .. 12 Legislation and Guidelines that have informed the preparation of this EIA/EMP .. 12 Regulatory Hierarchy .. 13 EMP AMENDMENT FOR GROOTEGELUK COAL MINE, LIMPOPO PROVINCE: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT assessment and ENVIRONMENTAL Management Programme June 2010 Table of Contents Page v CHAPTER 4: DESCRIPTION OF THE AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT .. 20 LOCATION AND LAND USE .. 20 GEOLOGY .. 20 TOPOGRAPHY AND DRAINAGE .. 21 CLIMATE .. 22 Mean monthly and annual rainfall .. 22 Mean monthly maximum and minimum temperatures .. 22 Mean monthly wind direction and speed .. 22 Mean evaporation .. 22 SURFACE WATER .. 22 GROUNDWATER .. 23 WASTE MANAGEMENT.