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UNIT2EIA

The document outlines the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, detailing its steps including screening, scoping, and public participation. Screening determines whether a full EIA is necessary based on the potential environmental impacts of proposed projects, while scoping narrows the focus of the EIA to key issues and impacts. The document emphasizes the importance of these stages in informing development decisions and mitigating negative environmental and social effects.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
10 views107 pages

UNIT2EIA

The document outlines the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, detailing its steps including screening, scoping, and public participation. Screening determines whether a full EIA is necessary based on the potential environmental impacts of proposed projects, while scoping narrows the focus of the EIA to key issues and impacts. The document emphasizes the importance of these stages in informing development decisions and mitigating negative environmental and social effects.

Uploaded by

dawittemesgen44
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Unit 2

EIA process & stages

1
What are the Steps in an EIA?
• The EIA process aims at an assessment to inform
development decisions by mandating a
consideration of project alternatives and ways to
prevent, mitigate, and control potential negative
environmental and social impacts.
• This generally involves a number of steps, including
project screening, scoping, assessment, impact
management, EIA report development, public
participation, review, decision, and monitoring.

2
Steps in EIA

3
FIGURE 2.1. EIA PROCESS Flow-chart
2.1 Screening
• In this section you will learn methods of conducting a
quick assessment of the planned projects and
developments to decide if their impacts on the
environment and well-being are severe enough to
develop a full EIA.

What is screening?
• Screening is the first stage of the EIA process which
results in a key EIA decision, either conduct the
assessment or not conduct it.
• Screening needs to follow specific procedures often
described in the legislation.
• if the possible impacts of a project are not known, a
preliminary environmental assessment will be prepared
to determine whether the project warrants an EIA.
4
Key contributions of screening to a good EIA:
• Facilitates informed decision making by providing
clear, well-structured, factual analysis of the effects
and consequences of proposed actions.
• Influences both project selection and policy design
by screening out environmentally and/or socially
unsound proposals, as well as modifying feasible
action.

5
Why do we need to conduct a screening?
• To determine the level of impact of the proposed
project, development or initiative.
• major development projects: especially those
involving natural resources, such as mining,
hydroelectric dams, oil extraction, or tourism require
an environmental and social impacts assessment.

• A tourism project may seem a low-risk at first, but it


requires :
 the removal of endangered flora or fauna from
the development site,
 large amounts of drinking water,
 energy and extensive sewage production.
• It will also lead to increased road and air traffic to
deliver supplies, visitors and workers.
6
• Finally, the impacts of project can change over time —
thus during screening and the whole EIA impacts are
considered over the lifetime of the project, from its
construction through to operations and after closing.

7
 The threshold requirements for conducting or not
conducting an EIA vary from country to country.

• Only a limited number of proposals, usually major


projects, will need a full EIA because they likely have
major irreversible impacts on environmental resources
such as biodiversity, water, air, fragile ecosystems, on
people through health impacts or their livelihood,
needs for resettlement and on cultural heritage sites.
• We can thus identify three types of projects:

8
1. For high-impact projects: Projects that are likely to
have significant serious adverse environmental
impacts (i.e., irreversible, affect vulnerable ethnic
minorities, involve involuntary resettlement, or affect
cultural heritage sites) and thus likely a full EIA is
required:
 Dams and reservoirs forestry and production projects.
 Industrial plants (large-scale).
 Irrigation, drainage, and flood control (large-scale).
 Mining and mineral development (including oil and
gas).
 Port and harbor development.
 Reclamation, resettlement and new land
development.
 Thermal and hydropower development;
manufacture, transportation, and use of pesticides;
and other hazardous and/or toxic materials.
9
2. For projects likely to have adverse environmental
impacts that are less significant than those of in the
previous category.
 These projects likely won’t have irreversible impacts,
and mitigation measures can be designed more
readily than for high-impact projects.
 a limited EIA will be undertaken to identify suitable
mitigation and management measures, and
incorporate them into the project.

• Agro-industries
• Electrical transmission; rural electrification
• Aquaculture, irrigation and drainage (small-scale)
• Renewable energy
• Tourism
• Rural water supply and sanitation
10
3. For projects that are likely to have minimal or no
adverse environmental impacts: No EIA is required.
 These categories are often numbered 1, 2, and 3, or
indicated as A, B and C to distinguish between them.

What are the approaches to screening?


• Screening is done by the project developers often
using a set of criteria determined by the responsible
agency.
• Screening should be done as early as possible in the
development of the proposal in order for the
proponent and other stakeholders to be aware of
possible EIA obligations.
• Screening should be applied systematically and
consistently, so that the same decision would be
reached if others did the screening. 11
Overall, we can distinguish two different types
of screening
1. Prescriptive or standardized approaches in
which development proposals that either require or are
exempt from EIA are listed in legislation and regulations,
and proponents can often decide based on these
standardized approaches; this could include:
 Legal (or policy) definition of proposals to which
EIA does or does not apply.
 Inclusion list of projects (with or without thresholds)
for which an EIA is automatically required.
 Exclusion list of activities which do not require EIA
because they are insignificant or are exempt by
law (e.g. national security or emergency
activities).
12
2. Customized approaches in which proposals are
screened on an individual or case-by-case base, using
indicative guidance with categories.

 Different countries and international agencies


combine these types of screening procedures. Most
often, a simple categorization (such as A – C or 1 – 3)
is used.
 These categories help proponents and licensing
agencies decide when a whole EIA is needed. The
need for an EIA can be estimated based on planned
projects whose impacts extend beyond the project
site, such those as using water that cannot be
produced (or producing sewage and waste that
cannot be processed) on the project site.

13
 Specifically, the European Union suggests a set of
questions to quickly assess project proposals. These
questions are designed so that a “Yes” answer will
generally point toward the need for EIA and a “No”
answer to one not being required (European
Commission [EC], 2001).

1. Will there be a large change in environmental


conditions?
2. Will new features be out-of-scale with the existing
environment?
3. Will the effect be unusual in the area or particularly
complex?
4. Will the effect extend over a large area?
5. Will there be any potential for transboundary
impact?
6. Will many people be affected? 14
7. Will many receptors of other types (fauna and flora,
businesses, facilities) be affected?
8. Will valuable or scarce features or resources be
affected?
9. Is there a risk that environmental standards will be
breached?
10. Is there a risk that protected sites, areas, and
features will be affected?
11. Is there a high probability of the effect occurring?
12. Will the effect continue for a long time?
13. Will the effect be permanent rather than temporary?
14. Will the impact be continuous rather than
intermittent?
15. If it is intermittent will it be frequent rather than rare?
16. Will the impact be irreversible?
17. Will it be difficult to avoid, or reduce or repair or
compensate for the effect? 15
• In these cases, proposals are screened based on
preliminary assessments of the potential impacts (or on
the type and magnitude of activities) that the project
is planning to undertake.
• These may include such planned activities as amount
of land cleared or water use, sewage and air emissions
produced over certain thresholds.
• Thresholds are set across the potential areas of
impacts such as the extent of water withdrawal, air
emission release to the air, destruction of soils or
changes to land cover.
• Specific projects such as oil refineries, thermal power
stations, gas and oil extraction and large agricultural
operations would all require EIAs.

16
TABLE. EXAMPLES OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF SCREENING CATEGORIES
Organization Types of screening Details on types of screening
Three categories, Category A: Projects likely to have significant adverse environmental impacts that are
World Bank depending on the sensitive, diverse, or unprecedented. These impacts may affect an area broader
type, location, than the sites or facilities subject to physical works. EIA examines the potential negative
sensitivity, and and positive environmental impacts, compares them with those of feasible
scale of the project alternatives (including the “without project” scenario), and recommends any measures
and the nature needed to prevent, minimize, mitigate, or compensate for adverse impacts and improve
and magnitude environmental performance. The proponent is responsible for preparing an EIA report.
of its potential B: Proposed project can have potential adverse environmental impacts on human
environmental populations or environmentally important areas, but less adverse than those of
impacts. Category A projects. These impacts are site-specific; few if any of them are irreversible;
and in most cases mitigating measures can be designed more readily than for Category
A projects. The scope of EA for a Category B project may vary from project to project,
but it is narrower than that of Category A EIA.
C: A proposed project is likely to have minimal or no adverse environmental impacts.
Beyond screening, no further EA action is required.
Case-by-case Decided according to thresholds and/or criteria (for example size), location (sensitive
European examination based on ecological areas in particular) and potential impact (surface affected, duration).
Union lists of sectors and Member States may set thresholds or criteria for the purpose of determining which of
types of activities such projects should be subject to assessment on the basis of the significance of their
that require an EIA environmental effects such as:
and a set of activities • For power stations: capacity in MW
that may require EIA • For landfills: total volume, volume/day, tonnes/day, total capacity in tonnes
depending on their • For shopping centres: area in hectares or m2 (area, floor space)
location, activities, • For roads: length of road (in km)
and impacts. Specific project are listed, including crude-oil refineries, thermal power stations and
other combustion installations, installations for the extraction of asbestos, chemical
installations, groundwater abstraction, works for the transfer of water resources
between river basins, dams, extraction of petroleum and natural gas, pipelines for the
17
transport of gas, intensive rearing of poultry or pigs, quarries and open-cast mining.
How is screening conducted?

• The screening is usually done by a self-assessment by


the project/development proponents using
guidance and question forms provided by the
designated authorities. These could range from
open- ended questions—in which it is up to the
proponents to create the structure around the
questions/areas provided—or the proponents are
asked to fill out a detailed form and present their
activities and impacts.

18
2.2 Scoping
In this section you will learn how to specify and narrow
down the focus of the EIA, define the project area,
alternatives and baseline data.

What is scoping?

• Scoping is a critical step in the preparation of an EIA,


as it identifies the issues that are likely to be of most
importance during the EIA and eliminates those that
are of little concern.
• Scoping is a systematic exercise that establishes the
boundaries of your EIA and sets the basis of the
analyses you will conduct at each stage.
19
• A quality scoping study reduces the risk of including
inappropriate components or excluding components
that should be addressed.
 Identifying all relevant issues and factors, including
cumulative effects, social impacts, and health risks.
 Facilitating meaningful public engagement and
review in at least two stages of the process:
i. when scoping the impacts and issues to be
considered, and
ii. during the presentation of initial findings of the EIA,
including a non-technical summary.
 Determining the appropriate time and space
boundaries of the EIA.
 Identifying the important issues to be considered in
an EIA, such as setting the baseline and included
alternatives.
20
Scoping
• begins once screening is completed
• the most important step in EIA
• establishes the content and scope of an EIA report

Outcome:
• identifies key issues and impacts to be considered
• lays the foundation of an effective process, saves
time and money, and reduces conflict.

21
Types of Scoping
i. Closed scoping:
• wherein the content and scope of an EIA Report is
pre-determined by law and modified through closed
consultations between a developer and the competent
authority.

ii. Open or Public scoping:


• a transparent process based on public consultations.

Actors
• proponent, EIA consultant, supervisory authority for EIA,
other responsible agencies, affected public and
interested public.

• The proponent is the project applicant (i.e. the developer).


22
The scoping process

• prepare a scope outline • organize key issues into


• develop the outline through impact categories (study list)
informal consultation with • amend the outline accordingly
environmental and health • develop ‘Terms of reference’
authorities (TOR) for impact analysis
• make the outline available • monitor progress against the
• compile an extensive list TOR, revising as necessary
of concerns
• evaluate relevant concerns
to establish key issues
23
Why do we need conduct a scoping process?

• Scoping is critical as it sets up the boundaries of the


EIA, including the project area, what to include in the
EIA, and how to put the EIA together guided by the
terms of reference (TOR).
• Scoping helps to select what is needed and what is
not relevant, and thus it serves as a work plan for the
entire EIA process.
• In the scoping phase the area of the focus of the EIA,
baseline data and the type of information needed,
project alternative considered are determined and
then used in the next steps of the EIA.

24
What are the approaches to scoping?
• The environmental information provided to
competent authorities must focus on those issues that
are important for decision making on the particular
project.
• It should not burdened with irrelevant details or
insignificant issues.

The key approaches to scoping:

 Determining the key aspects and criteria for


evaluating the significance of environmental and
socioeconomic impacts.

25
This first approach includes creating a list of
environmental, biological and socioeconomic
resources and issues that are important to consider,
such as water, soil and land use, biodiversity and
people’s access to water, land and food and
energy.

 At this stage it is also important to identify the


criteria based on which impacts will be assessed,
such as the amount of water extracted, waste
produced, or agricultural land lost and forest cover
cut/replanted.
 The selected environmental and social resources
and issues and the set of criteria will then be
analyzed in detail in the next phases.

26
 Public consultation

• This is a critical part of the EIA.


• The key groups involved in the consultations include
project-affected people, host communities and local
NGOs, as appropriate.
• It is critical to provide these stakeholder groups with
opportunities to participate in the planning,
implementation, and monitoring of the planned
project/investment.

27
Selecting appropriate baseline
 baseline surveys and investigations should be carried
out on the issues that have significant environmental
effects in order to:
 Provide an understanding of existing conditions
linked to a specific year e.g., base year or period.
 Decide about a timeline that will allow for
predictions of how the project may change the key
environmental component e.g., number of years of
project operations.
 Allow for predictions of how adverse effects can be
mitigated and beneficial effects enhanced e.g.,
years needed until the mitigation responses are
implemented and start making impacts.
 Provide a sound basis for the design and evaluation
of post-EIA studies e.g. early monitoring. 28
 The description of the existing environment may include
various biophysical, social and economic parameters
such as air, water, geology, soils, biodiversity, land use,
community conditions (socioeconomic, health &
cultural) with the potential to be affected by the
project.

29
Defining alternatives
• possible courses of action, in place of another, that
would meet the same purpose and need (of
proposal). Alternatives can refer to any of the
following but are not limited to:
 alternative sites for development,
 alternative projects for a particular site,
 alternative site layouts,
 alternative designs,
 alternative processes and materials.
 the “no action” alternative.

• A comparison of alternatives will help to determine the best


method of achieving project objectives while minimizing
environmental impacts or proposing the least harmful and the
most environmentally and socially friendly solutions.
30
Terms of Reference
In concluding the scoping process, the preparation of
Terms of Reference (TOR) for an EIA is an important
task.
• In some EIA systems, the project proponents prepare their
own TORs guided by legislation; in other countries the
TOR is prescribed in the legislation.

31
EXAMPLE : SCOPING
 IMPACT OF A PROPOSED PAPER INDUSTRY

A paper industry is proposed to be established in a


locality and the effluent is proposed to discharge in
adjacent river.

Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) will be installed to bring


the discharge down to permissible limit
There are few other industries already established
discharging effluent to the river at allowable limit
People bath in river water and drink after treatment
Significant number of people depend on fishing for
occupation

32
MAJOR ISSUES
(SCOPING)
PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL BIOLOGICAL
ENVIRONMENT ENVIRONMENT

The level of increase gaseous Eutrophication (effluent


air pollutants containing n ,p)
Possible change in noise Level Public health impact
change in downstream do due Fish kills
to discharge of aqueous
effluent (organic matter)

33
MAJOR ISSUES
(SCOPING)

THE HUMAN (SOCIAL) THE HUMAN (ECONOMIC)


ENVIRONMENT ENVIRONMENT

Affect on fisheries and Possibility of increasing


aquaculture as a livelihood drinking water treatment cost
for the community Productive hour loss due
Urbanization trend and to environmental degradation
related problem Heath treatment cost
Scope of job creation

34
2.3. Impact analysis and prediction
What is impact assessment?

Predicting the magnitude of a development likely


impacts and evaluating their significance is core of EIA
process.
• a detailed assessment of the planned project and
selected alternatives compared to the baseline
conditions.
 using qualitative descriptions, such as high,
medium and low impacts, and
 by quantitative descriptions, such as indicating
the cubic meters of water withdrawn, sewage
produced, and pollutants released.
35
2.3.1. Considerations in impact prediction
It is important to systematically characterize the impacts
based on the following characteristics:

Magnitude and frequency: This refers to the size or


amount of an impact, determined on a quantitative
basis if possible (e.g., scale of vegetation removal,
water withdrawals, increased emissions from
transportation, operations, energy production etc.).
• This refers the severity of each potential impact and
indicates whether the impact is irreversible or,
reversible and estimated potential rate of recovery.
• The magnitude of an impact cannot be considered
high if a major adverse impact can be mitigated.

36
Extent of Impact: This refers to the extent of the impacts
to both the project site and beyond.
• The spatial extent or the zone of influence of the
impact should always be determined.
• Impacts can be site-specific, locally occurring,
regional, national, or sometimes trans-boundary.
Duration of Impact: This refers to the time over which the
impacts lasts, including during construction, operations
and after site closing; the duration of an activity may
differ from the duration of the resulting impact caused
by the activity.
• An impact lasts for only three to nine years after project
completion classified as short-term.
• An impact, which continues for 10 to 20 years, may be
defined as medium-term, and
• Impacts that last beyond 20 years are considered as long-
term. 37
Significance of the Impact: This refers to the value or
amount of the impact.
 Once an impact has been predicted, its significance
must be evaluated using an appropriate choice of
criteria. The most important forms of criterion are:

• Specific legal requirements e.g. national laws,


standards, international agreements and conventions,
relevant policies etc.
• Public views and complaints
• Threat to sensitive ecosystems and resources e.g. can
lead to extinction of species and depletion of
resources, which can result, into conflicts.
• Geographical extent of the impact e.g. has trans-
boundary implications.
• Cost of mitigation
38
• Duration (time period over which they will occur)
• Probability of occurrence (very likely, unlikely, etc.)
• Reversibility of impact (natural recovery or aided by
human intervention)
• Number (and characteristics) of people likely to be
affected and their locations
• Cumulative impacts e.g. adding more impacts to
existing ones.
• Uncertainty in prediction due to lack of accurate
data or complex systems.
• Precautionary principle is advocated in this scenario.

39
2.2.2. Impact prediction methodologies
Several techniques can be used in predicting the
impacts. The choices should be appropriate to the
circumstances. These can be based on:
• Professional judgment with adequate reasoning and
supporting data. This technique requires high
professional experience.
• Experiments or tests. These can be expensive
• Past experience
• Numerical calculations & mathematical models. These
can require a lot of data and competency in
mathematical modelling without which hidden errors
can arise
• Physical or visual analysis. Detailed description is
needed to present the impact.
• Geographical information systems,
• Risk assessment, and
40
• Economic valuation of environmental impacts
Analysis of alternatives
• Analysis of alternative is done to establish the preferred
or most environmentally sound, financially feasible and
benign option for achieving project objectives.
• The World Bank directives requires systematic
comparison of proposed investment design in terms of
site, technology, processes, etc in terms of their impacts
and feasibility of their mitigation, capital, recurrent costs,
suitability under local conditions and institutional,
training and monitoring requirements.
• For each alternative, the environmental cost should be
quantified to the extent possible and economic values
attached where feasible, and the basic for selected
alternative stated.
• The analysis of alternative should include a NO PROJECT
alternative.
41
 In a situation where negative environmental impacts
have high significance, the ‘no-go’ alternative takes
on particular importance.
 It is not true to assume that the ‘no-go’ alternative is
necessarily the best from an environmental
perspective. In many cases, expansions and upgrades
of existing industries (the ‘go’ alternative) permit the
implementation of technological improvements such
as the replacement of outdated equipment that leads
to reduced emissions to the air or water, in addition to
the primary aim of increased production capacity.

 Stakeholders should be consulted in the identification


of alternatives and their views taken into account.
 Key criteria when identifying alternatives are that
they should be “practicable”, “feasible”, “relevant”,
“reasonable” and “viable”. 42
2.4. Mitigation and impact management
• Mitigation actions are a critical part of the EIA
process, as these actions aim to prevent adverse
impacts from the planned project on the environment
and people, making sure that those that are
unavoidable are maintained within acceptable
levels.
• At this step, the focus is on incorporating mitigation
measures into the project design (and the
alternatives) as well as on providing guidance for the
monitoring of the impacts during the whole duration
of the project.

43
• Mitigation is done to avoid, minimize or offset
predicted adverse impacts.
• For each potential adverse impact the plan for its
mitigation at each stage of the project should be
documented and costed, as this is very important in
the selection of the preferred alternative.

 The objectives of mitigation therefore are to:


 find better alternatives and ways of doing things;
 enhance the environmental and social benefits of a
project
 avoid, minimize or remedy adverse impacts; and
 ensure that residual adverse impacts are kept within
acceptable levels

44
Principles of mitigation
• Give preference to avoid and prevent measures
• Consider feasible alternatives to the proposal
• Identify customized measures to minimize each major
impact
• Ensure they are appropriate and cost-effective
• Use compensation as a last resort

45
TABLE: Design of Mitigation Measures
Approach Examples
Change of route or site details, to avoid
Avoid
important ecological or archaeological features

Regenerate similar habitat of equivalent


Replace
ecological value in different location.
Filters, precipitators, noise barriers, dust,
Reduce enclosures, visual screening, wildlife corridors,
and changed time of activities
Restore Site restoration after construction

Relocation of displaced communities, facilities


Compensate for the affected communities, financial
compensation for the affected individuals etc.
46
• Key impacts and potential mitigation actions often
relate to land. Almost all development proposals
involve disturbance of the land surface.
• This is usually extensive for major linear projects
(roads, pipelines), dams and reservoirs, and large-
scale mining, agriculture, forestry and housing
schemes.

• The mitigation hierarchy is a widely accepted


approach for environmental conservation. It is a set of
prioritized steps to limit environmental harm as far as
possible through avoidance, mitigation (or reduction),
restoration and offsetting of negative impacts.

47
Mitigation Hierarchy

Figure. Overview of the types of mitigation measures.

48
Impact Management

• Impact management is a series of plans and


protocols that are part of the EIA process (and also
continue after project implementation) to manage
and monitor identified mitigation measures and other
risks such as technology failures and natural disasters
that may occur over the project lifetime.

Objectives of impact management

• Ensure that mitigation measures are implemented


• Establish systems and procedures for this purpose
• Monitor the effectiveness of mitigation measures
• Take action when unforeseen impacts occur

49
Why do we need to conduct impact management?
• The analyses of the impacts and mitigation measures
(carried out in the previous step) will likely identify a
number of changes in the project design,
implementation and closure.
• Requires additional action plans to manage
risks and carry out monitoring.
• The need for these plans depends on:
 the type of project,
 the identified impacts,
 the risks associated with the project
• For example, if the project takes place in close
proximity to a community; a resettlement plan may
be needed, while if there are no communities close
by; a resettlement would not be necessary.
50
What are the approaches to impact management?

• A core part of impact management is developing an


EMP which is usually prepared as part of EIA
reporting.
• An EMP translates recommended mitigation
measures into specific actions that will be carried out
by the proponent.
• An EMP also forms the basis for impact management
during project construction and operation, and
outlines activities for continuous monitoring.

51
The content of the EMP can be summarized as
follows:

• Mitigation: The EMP summarizes all mitigation measure


and details about how they will be implemented; the
mitigations are linked to the finding’s impact analyses.
• Monitoring: Monitoring of the environmental impacts
during project implementation and also monitoring of
the effectiveness of mitigation measures to address
impacts.
• Capacity Development: The assessment of capacity-
building needs that would require stakeholders’
involvement in managing environmental and social
impacts and monitoring efforts.

52
• Implementation Schedule and Cost Estimates: Costs of
the outlined mitigation activities, capacity building and
monitoring.
• Integration of the EMP with the Project: The EMP needs
to be developed in a way that fits with the planned
project and the mitigation actions and other activities
are linked to the project activities.
Contingency plan: The EIA must include an assessment
of possible risks and external contingency (natural
events and disasters) relevant to the activities
developed by the project, identifying and determining
the activities that pose risks or threats to the health of
the population and the structure of ecosystems.

53
The Contingency Plan shall include the following:
1. Preventive actions to be taken to avoid, if possible,
all types of emergencies that may occur during the
unloading, storage and supply of fuel.
2. Actions to be taken when emergencies occur.
3. Provisions to prevent, as far as possible, loss of life
and damage to the environment and to people.
4. Measures that should be adopted to exercise
operational control of cash in an emergency.
5. Information and arrangements regarding the
provision and use of equipment to be used during
an emergency

54
Resettlement and rehabilitation plans
 to minimize or reduce the number of people affected
and displaced by a project.
 These plans need to be developed in close
collaboration with the local authorities such as
municipal leaders and key agencies that are aware
of the local situation, and must have processes in
place to reach out to the community and establish
good connections with community leaders.

55
2.5. The EIA Report
• Once you have completed the assessment,
mitigation measures and related management
plans, this step includes pulling the information
together into a comprehensive report using the
terms of reference (TOR).

Aspects of a good EIA report include:


• Is well-structured and uses non-technical language
supported by data and well-executed analyses.
• Provides information that is helpful and relevant to
decision making.
• Results in the satisfactory prediction of the adverse
effects of proposed actions and their mitigation
using conventional and customized techniques. 56
 After the EIA report is completed, the review process is
conducted by the responsible agencies.
 Overall there are often many challenges in putting
together a comprehensive EIA. These challenges
include
 limited description of the critical impacts,
 insufficiently described alternatives and mitigation
measures and
 use of outdated models (Table, to follow).

57
TABLE . SHORTCOMINGS AND DEFICIENCIES OF EIA REPORTS
Example EIA Report Shortcoming
An EIA report describes the proposed construction of an industrial The description of the
plant but omits information about construction of a pipeline and proposal does not cover key
other facilities to transport and handle raw materials and finished features.
products to and from the plant.
An EIA report describes the proposed construction of a coal-fired Key problems affected by
power plant using surface water as a cooling medium. It does not the proposal are not
divulge that the surface water body is already used by other described.
industrial activities for this purpose to the limit of its cooling capacity.
An EIA report for a pipeline project does not indicate that the Sensitive elements in the
proposed alignment will dissect certain areas of ecological value. affected environment are
overlooked.
An EIA report for a sanitary landfill indicates that the soil types in the Alternatives do not comply
area are very diverse, ranging from sand and clay to peat. The with environmental
alternatives do not take into account the large differences in regulations and standards.
compaction and subsidence of these soil types, with subsequent
failure of underlining and drainage systems.
An EIA report for a sanitary landfill does not describe a system for Appropriate mitigating
collecting methane gas produced in the landfill, even though measures are not
greenhouse gas emissions contribute to climate warming and should considered.
be capped at current levels.
An EIA report for a sanitary landfill in an area with very variable soil Serious environmental impacts
conditions does not describe the environmental risks and consequences of or risks are not described or are
a possible failure of the underlying sealing and drainage systems. incorrectly described.
An EIA report on an urban development scheme makes use of a mobility Insufficient or outdated
prediction model using national averages, although local data is available prediction models are used.
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and would permit a more precise prediction to be made.
Why do we need to do an EIA report?

• Reporting is an important part of the EIA to pull


together all the conducted analyses, mitigation
measures, plans and outcomes of the consultation.
• An EIA report should be complete, easily understood,
objective, factual and internally consistent.
• Therefore, it is very important to allocate enough time
for writing the EIA report so that the outcomes are
relevant for decision making.
• Once the report is submitted, designated authorities
will review the EIA report to determine how the
planned project will address major environmental and
social impacts.

59
What are the approaches to creating an EIA report?

• The general approach of preparing an EIA report is to


structure the information and interpret the material
collected.
• This structuring and interpretation is important
because often a large amount of data, trends and
research covering diverse issues—from impacts on
water to impacts on culture and aesthetics—is
completed during the previous step.

• The document structure and interpretation is guided


by the TOR which the project is subjected to.
• Guidelines for TORs vary according to funding
organizations and countries.
• The following Table provides examples of TOR by
major international organizations:
60
TABLE. EXAMPLES OF TERMS OF REFERENCE BY MAJOR INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
Agency/country EIA - Term of Reference
European Union  Contact Details of the Developer
 Characteristics of the Project (incl. boundaries including any land required
temporarily during construction, physical form of the development).
 Location of the Project (maps; land uses, zoning, policies, protected areas).
 Characteristics of the Potential Impact (hydrology, air quality, climate, noise and
vibration, the landscape and visual environment, historic and cultural heritage
resources, and the interactions between them).
 Nature of the impacts (i.e. direct, indirect, secondary, cumulative, short,
medium- and long-term, permanent and temporary, positive and negative).
 Extent of the impact (area, size of the affected population/habitat).
 Risk analyses.
 Mitigation options.
 Monitoring plan
World Bank  Project Description
 Project site, its location map
 Project Alternatives (sites, infrastructure, technologies)
 Existing Environment and Baseline Data Collection
 Determination of the Potential Impacts
 Analysis and Evaluation of Risks
 Formulation of Environmental Management Plan
 Mitigation Plan
 Monitoring Plan
 Resettlement Action Plan (if relevant) 61
How is an EIA report developed?

 The EIA report is done by the project team and the


involved consultants. At this step, all the data
collection, analyses, developed plans are
summarized together in a well-structured and concise
document according to the TOR identified during the
Scoping stage.
 For example, the TOR may have the following
structure:
• Proponent details and Index
• Executive Summary of the EIA
• Project description and alternatives
• Legal considerations and environmental
regulations applicable
• Description of the physical environment
62
• Description of the biological environment
• Description of the socioeconomic environment
• Identification and prioritization of environmental
impacts
• Environmental Management Plan
• Risk Analysis and Contingency Plan
• Cost Analysis - Environmental Benefit
• Environmental Policy for the project and its
regulations
• Environmental monitoring plan

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2.6. Review of the EIA report and licensing
 The review is the final check on the quality of the EIA
report submitted to obtain a project license.
 leads to a requirement for additional information
on potential impacts, mitigation measures or other
aspects.

 The key objectives of EIA review are to:


• Assess the adequacy and quality of an EIA report.
• Take into account public comments.
• Determine if the information is sufficient for a final
decision to be made.
• Identify, as necessary, the deficiencies that must be
addressed before the report can be submitted.
• If the report is accepted, a license is issued to permit
the developers to begin project implementation.
64
Why do we need to undertake review?

 The ultimate purpose of the EIA is to provide critical


inputs for decision making about the planned
development.
 The review is carried out to confirm the quality of the
information and methods used in the EIA, and that
the EIA report addresses all the critical and
cumulative impacts as well as the relevant mitigation
measures.
 Once the EIA report is submitted, designated
authorities will usually go through it thoroughly,
weighing the methods used, data, mitigation
measures and conclusions to assess the impacts of
the planned development.
65
What are the approaches to EIA reporting and review?
• This is often a formal procedure in many EIA systems, which
may be undertaken by the responsible authority itself,
another government agency or committee or an
independent body.

 In general, these can be divided into two main types:

 Internal review – undertaken by the responsible authority


or other government agency, with or without formal
guidelines and procedures;
 this is a relatively low cost option however it lacks
transparency.
 External review – undertaken by an independent body,
separate from and/or outside government agencies, with
an open and transparent procedure for public comment;
 helps in ensuring high-quality outcomes.
66
Using input from public comment:
 Public comment is a critical part of the EIA review
process.
• Input may come from a public hearing, or from
written comments submitted to the proponent or
government department.
 From a hearing there will often be a summary of
issues provided by the panel or officers responsible
for hearing the submissions.
 With written comments, a summary of key points
will be needed to guide the review of the EIA.

• In both cases the summary should focus on


information that helps to identify problems with the
EIA, contributing to the assessment of impacts, and
identifying ways to reduce impacts.
67
• Identifying the review criteria: A systematic review is
based on specified criteria. Criteria can also be
formulated as questions and then the reviewer
assesses if the EIA meets the criteria completely,
partially or not at all.
• The list below provides examples of questions that
reviews can use to assess the submitted EIA.

1. Formal and administrative aspects


1.1. Does it comply with the format specified in the
regulations or specific guidelines?
1.2. Does it comply with basic requirements established in
laws, regulations, or guidelines with regard to extension,
index, etc.?
1.3. Are the classical components of an environmental
impact study included?
1.4. Is the language simple, direct, and easy to understand?
1.5. Does it include an executive summary? 68
2. Technical and content aspects
2.1. Are project objectives clearly described?
2.2. Is the project clearly justified?
2.3. Are possible project alternatives analyzed and
described?
2.4. Are there enough background data to describe
the project and its characteristics, including
economic and social aspects during the different
stages of design, construction, operation, and
abandonment?
2.5. Is the legislation governing the project clearly
identified, as well as the framework for decisions?

69
Determining remedial options: Three remedial options are
available when an EIA report fails to meet the standards
required; these can be listed as follows:

 Acceptable – The EIA has acceptable quality;


• it identifies and mitigates the impacts of the development
while at the same time identifying and addressing public
participation and social impacts.
• The data and methods meet national protocols and/or
internally accepted relevant standards.
• the information is well presented. The EIA is often
considered satisfactory, although there may be some
minor omissions and inadequacies of approach. The
reviewing authority often provides a list of modification
needed.

70
 Partially acceptable – The EIA considers the key
impacts of the planned project, but there are
significant omissions and inadequacies in the methods
used, or some mitigation actions may be lacking.
 At this level, substantial modifications or
complements are necessary.
 The reviewing authority often provides a list of
modification needed.
 Deficient. The background data are unsatisfactory,
poorly analyzed and presented and biased.
 They are not acceptable.

71
How to conduct a review?
The review can be carried out in three steps:
Step 1: Identify the deficiencies in the EIA report, using
the TOR, relevant guidelines, criteria and information on
standards by national agencies and comparable EIA
reports.
Step 2: Focus on any shortcomings in the EIA report and
identify gaps and areas that require further information
and improvements in the methods based on suggested
protocols; look at key gaps in areas that prevent
qualified decision making. If no serious omissions are
found, this should be stated clearly.
Step 3: Recommend how and when any serious
shortcomings are to be remedied, in to facilitate
informed decision making and appropriate measures
for project implementation.
72
 A comprehensive review of the adequacy and quality of
an EIA report would address many or all of the following
issues:
 Does the report address the terms of reference?
 Is the necessary information provided for each major
component of the EIA report?
 Have the views and concerns of affected and interested
parties been taken into account?
 Is the information correct and technically sound?
 Is the statement of the key findings complete and satisfactory,
e.g., for significant impacts, proposed mitigation measures,
etc.?
 Is the information clearly presented and understandable by
decision makers and the public? Is the information relevant
and sufficient for the purpose of decision making and
condition setting?
 The response to the last question is the most significant aspect
for review conclusions, and will largely determine
whether or not an EIA can be submitted as is or with minor
revisions. 73
The reviewer should follow these steps:

 Read the contents of the analysis included in the


qualification list, study them, and reflect on the
information requirements and qualification criteria.
 Identify the information required.
 If the communication of results and fulfillment of
formal and administrative aspects are not adequate,
the reviewer should request the project coordinator
to rewrite the study report and explain its deficiencies.
 If the communication of results is appropriate and the
study provides the necessary information, the review
team should continue with the analysis.

74
 Study the specific tasks that should have been carried
out to comply fully with the requirements described.
 The study can be qualified negatively if information is
repeatedly found to be lacking.
 Decide on the appropriate qualification and record it
in the qualification summary list.
 Decide if the EIA is acceptable and the licence to
operate can be awarded, if the EIA needs
improvements or shows that the planned
development could have impacts to the area that are
too severe and thus is to be rejected.

75
2.7. Monitoring
• Environmental monitoring during project implementation
will provide information on the environmental and social
impacts of the project.
• The data collected during monitoring is critical in ensuring
that the mitigation measures, priorities listed in the EMP,
and contingency plans are implemented as approved
and that they are effective in addressing the impacts.

Why do monitoring?
 Monitoring commitments are one of the ongoing outcomes
of the EIA for the whole project lifecycle.
 Monitor is critical to ensure fulfillment of all the
commitments made in the approved EIA.
 Monitoring is also important to keep track of changes that may
happen in the environment and communities because of other
global and local changes, such as changes in water availability
due to droughts, economic crisis and out- and or in- migration.
76
What are the approaches to monitoring?
• Monitoring is a key part of EIA. The monitoring plan
should specify the types of monitoring needed for
measuring potential environmental and social impacts
during construction, operation and closing phases.

 Indicator selection and prioritization: The identified


environmental and social impacts and mitigation
measures should be the core part of monitoring
efforts. It is critical to select indicators that:
 capture the most important impacts;
 measure the effectiveness of the mitigation measures
to ensure that these indeed reduce the impacts;
 monitor actions in the contingency plans.
For each of these areas, different sets of indicators can
be selected; it is therefore critical to define a set of
criteria for the indicator selection (see Table below).
77
TABLE . OVERVIEW OF THE CRITERIA FOR INDICATOR SELECTION
Criteria Questions
Relevant (R) Does the proposed indicator illustrate an important aspect of the
impacts and mitigation in the direct and indirect area of the project?
Does it relate to specific decisions that can be used to reduce impacts?
Comparable (Cm) Is the indicator similar to indicators from other projects and surrounding
communities? Is the intent and spirit of the indicator close enough for
some comparison to be made?
Understandable Does the indicator measure an aspect of the project implementation
(U) and impacts in a way that most decision makers, community members
and other stakeholders can easily understand and interpret?
Consistent (Ct) Is the information source likely to produce good-quality data over a
number of years/relevant time frame? Can the data be collected,
compiled, in the same way each year/relevant time frame?
Availability (Av)Is it possible to obtain the needed data at a reasonable cost? Is
information available in time to be of value in assessing performance
and making decisions?
Outcome oriented Does the indicator measures the actual conditions in the environment
(O) and socioeconomic issues? Or does the indicator measure an outcome
of the response to the issue (rather than the input of the response
itself)? 78
Data collection: once the indicators are selected; it is
important to define data collection protocols for the
indicators. Such protocols need to cover key aspects of
data collection, including:
 The name and specific definition of the indicator
 Units used to measure the indicator
 Frequency of data collection (hourly, monthly,
yearly)
 Methods and tools used for data collection
 People, departments responsible for data collection
Data collection can be carried out by both the project’s
implementers and by local communities/surrounding
municipalities.

79
Reporting: Once the data has been collected it is
important to make it available for key authorities,
communities and other stakeholders (such as local
municipalities) so that it can be used in the planning
and cumulative assessments, as well as to help ensure
that the commitments agreed upon in the EIA are being
met.
• A central part of such reporting is providing an
interpretation of the indicator trends. This includes the
key factors that influenced the trends (even if these
factors are beyond the control of the project) and
possible additional corrective measures and
indicators needed to address any negative trends.

80
How to conduct monitoring?
 Monitoring is usually carried out by the project proponent,
under the supervision of independent agencies and/or
government agencies.
 Key steps in creating a monitoring program:
 Identify the focus areas to be considered for the monitoring
plan (based on the impacts, mitigation measures and other
issues from the contingency plans).
 Select of a long list of indicators for the focus areas, such as
those on population, health, and natural elements used by
the population (soil, drinking water, etc.).
 Prioritize a core set of indicators based upon agreed
criteria.
 Identify data collection protocols.
 Develop data interpretation methods and create a
reporting template.
 Schedule activities, evaluate program and personnel
costs, and define personnel responsibilities. 81
Example:
EIA Case Studies
Energy – Nicaragua

Project name: “Technical Reconversion in San Jacinto-


Tizate (Nicaragua) to generate 72 MW of electric energy”
Sector: Energy
Date: 2008
Location: San Jacinto-Tizate, Leon, Nicaragua

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Project Information
• This project was originally operationalized in 1994 under
declaration no. 18-94, Public Utility of the Construction of
the Project “San Jacinto-Tizate.”
• Concessions were awarded for a 20-year period to run a
geothermal energy plant.
• The purpose of this project is to increase energy generation
capacity to sell energy to the National interconnected
system by amplifying the installed capacity from 10 MW to
72 MW through changes to more efficient technology.

83
• A secondary purpose is to grow in the market of
Certified Carbon Emissions promoted by the
mechanism for clean development of the Kyoto
protocol through increasing the capacity of
geothermal energy production.
• The main activities to be carried out in this project are
to perforate 13 new production and reinjection ponds
and to increase the installed capacity and the
technological reconversion of counter pressure units
(BPUs) by switching to modular condensation turbines
(MCT) which are more efficient and cleaner.

84
Project Area
• The project is located near the community of San
Jacinto-Tizate, in the department of Leon, 100 km to the
northwest of the capital, Managua.
• The community has 558 houses and approximately 4,715
inhabitants. Census data from 2005 showed that in the
municipality, there was 10% immigration and 29%
emigration related to searching for employment. Also, 95
percent of the population over 10 years participated in
either paid or unpaid labour.
• The principal employment opportunities are in
construction, agriculture and day and seasonal workers.
• The area where the geothermal turbines are to be
installed is a dry tropical forest. The forest is used by locals
for construction and fire wood.

85
• Much of the surrounding area has been altered for
agriculture purposes but there are still many important
tree species, both native and introduced.
• Deforestation and slash and burn agriculture practices
have significantly decreased the amount and types of
wild animals in the area.
• The project is found within the “El Chorro” water basin;
this is the main surface water drainage basin and is fed
by many localized springs.
• One third of this project is located within the Telica-Rota
protected area which is threatened by seismic activity,
volcanoes, falling rocks, landslides and in some areas,
flash flooding.
• Because this project is located within a protected area,
an EIA study must be carried out.

86
Screening
• As a requirement for the screening process in
Nicaragua, it is necessary to fill out an environmental
form to assess all projects, works, activities and
industries.
• All projects are classified into four categories, three of
which require an EIA:
1. Special projects considered for their national or
regional importance and high impact on the
economy, social activity and the environment. These
are subject to an EIA.
2. All projects that pose a potential high impact on the
environment. These are subject to an EIA.

87
3. All projects that may cause a moderate amount of
impact to the environment but may generate
cumulative effects and so therefore require an
environmental assessment, but not a full-blown EIA.
4. All projects with low potential impact are regulated by
article 25 of the General Law on the Environment and
Natural Resources. An environmental form must be filled
out and submitted to local authorities and permissions
be obtained. No EIA is necessary.
• This project falls under Category 2 and is also located
within a protected area. Under Nicaraguan law, an EIA is
necessary in protected areas regardless of the impact of
the project.

88
Scoping
Assessment Method Used Throughout the EIA
• The Rapid Impact Assessment Matrix (RIAM) is a
systematic approach using qualitative data that can
be expressed in a semi-quantitative way.
• The process that RIAM follows is to identify significant
changes (positive and negative) caused by the
project, establish a baseline for the monitoring plan,
identify mitigation strategies and design a monitoring
and evaluation system to determine the effectiveness
of the mitigation strategies.

89
• Using the RIAM method, public participation is carried
out at the data collection and mitigation stages of the
process. Both of these stages are directly followed by
quality control measures during the analysis and
program monitoring stages.

Potential Project Impacts

The following Table displays all the potential impacts of


the project, categorized by the type of impact
(physiochemical, biological-ecological, sociocultural
and economic-operational), the phase of the project
and the impact level.

90
TABLE. POTENTIAL PROJECT IMPACTS
Type of
Impact
Phase

Impact level Details


Negative/ Moderate Residual solids: Generation of residual solids from construction of buildings (can control
and mitigate, national standards to be followed).
Moderate Residual Liquid: All fluids coming from the project’s reservoir after electricity is
generated will not affect the surface environment as they will be reinjected into the
subsoil.
High Changes in soils and subsoils: Wind and water erosion, and waste from the removal of
Physio-chemical

Construction

vegetation, caused by the movement of soil for construction, contribute to the degradation
of soils. Chemical elements that may be present include mercury, boron, and arsenic.
This can cause problems for vegetation and agriculture in the area. The removal of trees
and vegetation will increase the risk of erosion. Mitigation plan will be put in place.
Moderate/ negative Changes in noise levels: Due to the use of heavy machinery, noise levels in the area
will increase. This may have a negative effect on workers and the local community.
Moderate/ negative Changes in air quality: An increased use of machinery and movement of soil will
produce emissions.
Positive Changes in quality and quantity of water: There will be a temporary and localized
change in the pattern of the stream surface drainage. However, as the work will be carried
out during the dry season with strategic installations to improve drainage year round.
Negative/ moderate Residual Solids: Waste from the perforation of the geothermal pools will generate mud
and small rock fragments that will need to be brought to the surface.
Operation

Negative/ Moderate Residual Liquid: Grey water will be produced from the temporary construction, brine
water from electricity generation and leaking of oil/gas from heavy machinery and
transformers.
Changes in air quality: Geothermal generators produce far less CO2 than other thermal
plants. The release of radon and mercury are estimated to be very minor based on the
concentrations of vapour.
91
Type of
Impact

Phase Impact level Details


Positive This project works within the Plan to Manage the Telica-Rota Protected Area
and helps to reduce reliance on use of wood products for firewood and
Biological-
ecological

furniture.
Most trees and vegetation have been altered by agricultural production. This
project will not significantly impact the flora and fauna of the area.

There will not be any major differences in the sociocultural area at any stage
of the project.
While there are no negative impacts in this area: because the project is
located within a risk zone, it will be integrated into the local plan of
Sociocultural

prevention, mitigation and attention to disasters.


Employment: approximately 700 people will be employed in phases I and II
Positive of the project.
Access to basic services: potable water is an issue in San Jacinto. The
Positive PRNSA helps part of the community by allowing them to use a tap on the
outside of their offices and helped purchase tubes to install potable water in
the rest of the community.
Negative/ low On-site Safety: There is potential for work hazards if any tubes carrying
Operational
Economic-

potential vapour or reinjection water break.


Potential for electrocution if individuals get too close to transmission lines

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Impact Assessment and Mitigation
• The RIAM methodology described above was used in
the identification, prediction and analysis of all
potential direct and indirect impacts connected to the
project.
• Using this model, the four major impact areas are
analyzed:
 physio-chemical,
 biological-ecological,
 sociocultural and
 economic-operational.

93
Project Alternatives
A: Without the project
• In the analysis where the project is not undertaken, the
most significant impacts are found in the economic arena
in the form of lost job opportunities, dependence on fossil
fuels, lost opportunities for carbon credits and an alliance
to help manage the Telica-Rota protected area.

B: With the project


• The most significant impacts found in the analysis with the
project in place are in the physical-chemical environment.
• Most impacts will be felt during the construction phase
and will therefore be temporary.
• Mitigations strategies were identified for all impacts
throughout all stages of the project. Magnitude is
estimated using experts’ judgment based on the
information collected in most cases.
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• The EIA provides a detailed description of all the
elements that may be affected by the construction
and operations phases. These elements range from
houses, schools and health centers to roads,
agriculture land, forests and water sources among
others.
• The report shows the number of units directly and
indirectly affected by the project and other important
observations such as town names, or water sources.

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 Using the RIAM method both direct and indirect impacts are
identified. The group uses GIS to estimate a radius around
the project identifying areas of direct and indirect influence
at each stage of the project.
 The areas of impact were estimated using the principal
transmission line where the principal risk—the hydro cables—
is found.
 Areas of influence are most greatly impacted by:
 Noise and gas emissions in the construction zone.
 Activities involving removal of vegetation where the
platforms and access roads are situated.
 Moving equipment and materials.
 Contracting construction workers and services.

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Impact Management
• The Socio-Environmental Management Plan laid out in this
project was developed using observations and studies
in the area of influence, site visits and public consultations
within the municipality of Telica.

 The impact management plan has five objectives:


 Strengthen all the components that make up the social and
environmental areas of influences throughout all phases of
the project.
 Establish mitigation measures and a monitoring plan to
prevent and reduce any significant negative impacts to
acceptable levels and strengthen all positive impacts
caused as a result of the project.

97
 Define the responsibilities of all the different actors to
properly implement the mitigation measures during
all phases of the project.
 Comply with the established environmental and
social regulations in order to obtain environmental
licence.
 Protect the health and safety of all the workers and
citizens living in the project area.
The plan includes sections to address mitigation
measures, monitoring, a contingency plan, a waste
management plan, a reforestation plan and an
implementation plan.

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99
100
Contingency Plan
• The Security and Emergency plan includes security policies, a
plan for notification in case of an emergency, responsibilities
for supervisors and workers, functions and duties for the
health and safety committee, emergency training, rules and
practices for workers relative to materials handling,
transportation, work with electricity, soldering, using tools and
machinery, anti-fire protection and handling chemicals.

Included within the contingency plan are:


 Occupational health and safety plan
 Plan for prevention, mitigation and attention to disasters
 Waste management plan
 Hydrocarbon management plan
All plans identify measures taken to date and all regulations
they are obligated to follow under national and local law.
101
Reforestation plan
• While the impact analysis does not emphasize any
significant impact to the natural landscape, the
project has dedicated an effort to reverse the
negative effects of human interaction in the area. As
such, a reforestation and management plan is
included in this document. This is done to strengthen
the positive impacts the project has on the area.

102
Implementation plan
 This plan outlines who is responsible for all aspects of
the Socio-Environmental Management Plan to ensure
that all mitigation measures are being implemented.
 Authorized bodies are responsible for monitoring
compliance with the environmental management and
monitoring plan.

Budget
 A brief budget is included, in U.S. dollars, to outline
the costs for the construction and operation phases
and monitoring programs.

103
Monitoring Plan

 Under the terms of the monitoring plan, experts are


employed in their specific areas on a permanent
basis: results are verified by a panel of consultants
who convene every 18 months to ensure quality
standards in data analysis.
 Detailed plans are in place to monitor air, water, soil,
pH levels in rainwater, and geothermal activities as a
result of all energy production operations. Each plan is
written in detail, with specific elements being
monitored, standards followed and how long
monitoring has been carried out.

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 some general information about what indicators are
monitored is available:

TABLE. MONITORING PLAN

Monitoring Plan Indicator


Air quality H2S levels 0-500 ppb
Water quality Concentration level of liquid effluent in the
water source-specifically boric acid, arsenic
and chlorides
Soil Presence of micro-seismic incidents
Thermo-hydraulic Temperature
evaluation of Flow
ponds Pressure % gas in vapor state

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EIA Reporting
The EIA report consists of the following main sections:
 Introduction
 Objectives and justification for the project
 Project description, including location orientation,
characteristics of the existing structures, reconversion
of technology, phases of the project in general and
stages of this phase of the project
 Legal aspects including all existing environmental
licences
 The initial diagnostic (Screening)

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 Prediction and evaluation of impacts, including the
assessment methodology used, comparison of the project
with and without the project in place, impacts listed by
category
 The Socio-Environmental Management program including,
objectives, structure, mitigation measures for each impact
category, monitoring plans, contingency plans, waste
management plans, reforestation and implementation
plans and the cost of the overall management plan
 Conclusions of the EIA
 Bibliography
 List of illustrations
 List of abbreviations
 Glossary

107

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