Final Environmental Scoping Report for the proposed gas ...rhdhv.co.za/media/21 april/Final ESR for Authority Review Part 1.pdf · Coke is used as a fuel and reducing agent (removes

E02.PTA.000305

Final Environmental Scoping Report for the proposed gas plant upgrade at the coke battery within the ArcelorMittal Coke and Chemicals Plant, City of Tshwane

April 2011 A Project for: ArcelorMittal Coke and Chemicals

Tel: +27 (0) 12 367 5800

Email: [email protected]

Fountain Square, 78 Kalkoen Street, Monument Park Ext 2, Pretoria

DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION

Client: ArcelorMittal Coke and Chemicals

Project Name: Final Environmental Scoping Report for the proposed gas plant upgrade at the coke battery within the ArcelorMittal Coke and Chemicals Plant, City of Tshwane SSI Environmental Reference Number: E02.PTA.000305 Authority Reference: Gaut 002/10-11/E0110 Compiled by: Phyllis Kalele Date: April 2011

Location: Pretoria Reviewers: Prashika Reddy

_____________________________ Signature

Approval: Malcolm Roods ______________________________ Signature

© SSI Environmental All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without the written permission from SSI Environmental.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 NEED AND BACKGROUND 1 1.2 APPROACH TO THE EIA STUDIES 4 1.2.1 ENVIRONMENTAL SCOPING STUDY 4 1.2.2 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STUDY 4 1.3 DETAILS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT PRACTITIONER 4 1.4 STRUCTURE OF THE REPORT 5

2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION 7 2.1 STATUS QUO 7 2.2 GAS PLANT UPGRADE 7

3 PROJECT ALTERNATIVES 9 3.1 TECHNOLOGY ALTERNATIVES 9 3.2 SITE ALTERNATIVES 10 3.3 NO-GO ALTERNATIVE 10

4 LEGAL REQUIREMENTS 11 4.1 THE CONSTITUTION OF SOUTH AFRICA 11 4.2 NATIONAL LEGISLATION AND REGULATIONS 11 4.2.1 NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT (NO 107 OF 1998) 11 4.2.2 EIA REGULATIONS (2010) 11 4.2.3 NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT: AIR QUALITY ACT 12 4.2.4 NATIONAL WATER ACT (NO 36 OF 1998) 12 4.2.5 NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT: WASTE ACT (NO 59 OF 2008) 13 4.2.6 NATIONAL HERITAGE RESOURCES ACT (NO 25 OF 1999) 13 4.2.7 OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY ACT (NO 85 OF 1993) 13 4.2.8 HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE ACT (NO 15 OF 1973) AND REGULATIONS 13

5 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PROCESS 14 5.1 AIMS OF THE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PROCESS 14 5.2 AUTHORITY CONSULTATION 14 5.3 CONSULTATION WITH OTHER RELEVANT STAKEHOLDERS 14 5.4 ADVERTISING 16 5.5 IDENTIFICATION OF INTERESTED AND AFFECTED PARTIES 16 5.6 BRIEFING PAPER 16 5.7 ISSUES TRAIL 16 5.8 PUBLIC REVIEW OF THE DRAFT SCOPING REPORT 16 5.9 FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL SCOPING REPORT 17

6 GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE STUDY AREA 18 6.1 GEOLOGY 18 6.1.1 LOCAL GEOLOGY 18

6.1.2 STRATIGRAPHY AND LITHOLOGY 18 6.2 WATER RESOURCES 20 6.2.1 GROUNDWATER 20 6.2.2 SURFACE WATER 20 6.3 CLIMATE AND LOCAL WEATHER CONDITIONS 20 6.3.1 WIND 20 6.3.2 ATMOSPHERIC STABILITY 23 6.3.3 TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY 23 6.4 BIODIVERSITY (FAUNA AND FLORA) 25 6.5 AIR QUALITY 25 6.5.1 POLLUTING SOURCES IN AREA 25 6.6 NOISE 26 6.7 SOCIAL 27 6.8 LAND-USE 27 6.9 HEALTH AND SAFETY 27 6.10 SPATIAL PLANNING 27

7 POTENTIAL IMPACTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PROJECT 29 7.1 CONSTRUCTION PHASE 29 7.2 OPERATIONAL PHASE 31 7.3 DECOMMISSIONING PHASE 32 7.4 CUMULATIVE IMPACTS 32

8 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 33

9 PLAN OF STUDY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT 34 9.1 APPROACH TO UNDERTAKING THE EIA PHASE OF THE PROJECT 34 9.1.1 AUTHORITY CONSULTATION 34 9.1.2 AIMS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT 34 9.1.3 DETAILED STUDIES TO BE UNDERTAKEN IN THE EIA PHASE 34 9.1.4 IMPACT ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY 35 9.1.5 EIA REPORT 37 9.1.6 DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME (EMPR) 38 9.2 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PROCESS 38 9.2.1 ADVERTISING 39 9.2.2 IDENTIFICATION OF AND CONSULTATION WITH KEY STAKEHOLDERS 39 9.2.3 I&AP DATABASE 39 9.2.4 CONSULTATION AND PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT 39 9.2.5 ISSUES TRAIL 39 9.2.6 PUBLIC REVIEW OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT 39 9.2.7 AUTHORITY REVIEW OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT 39 9.2.8 ENVIRONMENTAL AUTHORISATION 39

Table of Figures

FIGURE 1: COKE OVEN BATTERY 1 FIGURE 2: GOOGLE IMAGE OF GAS PLANT AREA WITHIN THE ARCELORMITTAL SA

PRETORIA WORKS (COURTESY: GOOGLE EARTH; 2010) 2 FIGURE 3: ENLARGED DETAIL OF GAS PLANT AREA AND PROPOSED ADDITIONAL /

ALTERNATIVE GAS PLANT AREA 3 FIGURE 4: CURRENT GAS PLANT 3 FIGURE 5: SCHEMATIC PRESENTATION OF THE COKE OVEN GAS CLEANING PROCESS 8 FIGURE 6: PERIOD WIND ROSE FOR UNISA (2001 - 2005) 21 FIGURE 7: WIND CLASS FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION AND ATMOSPHERIC STABILITY FOR

UNISA (2001 2005) 22 FIGURE 8: MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURE AND RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR UNISA (2001

– 2005) 24 FIGURE 9: MONTHLY AVERAGE, MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES FOR UNISA

(2001 – 2005) 24 FIGURE 10: AVERAGE HOURLY TEMPERATURE AND RELATVIE HUMIDITY FOR UNISA (2001

– 2005) 25

List of Tables

TABLE 1: DETAILS OF THE EAP 5 TABLE 2: REPORT STRUCTURE 5 TABLE 3: SUMMARY OF THE THREE TECHNOLOGIES CONSIDERED 9 TABLE 4: LISTED ACTIVITIES ACCORDING TO LISTING NOTICES 1 AND 2 OF THE EIA

REGULATIONS (2010) 12 TABLE 5: KEY STAKEHOLDER CONTACTED AS PART OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PROCESS 14 TABLE 6: LITHOLOGY OF MONITORING BOREHOLE IPW-D32 18 TABLE 7: LITHOLOGY OF MONITORING BOREHOLE IPW-D41 19 TABLE 8: LITHOLOGY OF MONITORING BOREHOLE IPW-D51 19 TABLE 9: ATMOSPHERIC STABILITY CLASSES 23 TABLE 10: SUMMARY OF PRIORITY POLLUTANTS, SOURCES AND AREAS 25 TABLE 11: POTENTIAL CONSTRUCTION PHASE IMPACTS 29 TABLE 12: POTENTIAL OPERATION PHASE IMPACTS 31 TABLE 13: CRITERIA TO BE USED FOR THE RATING OF IMPACTS 36 TABLE 14: SIGNIFICANCE RATING OF CLASSIFIED IMPACTS 37

Appendices APPENDIX A: LOCALITY MAP

APPENDIX B: APPROVAL OF APPLICATION

APPENDIX C: PUBLIC NOTIFICATIONS (BACKGROUND INFORMATION DOCUMENT; SITE NOTICES; ADVERT; I&AP CORRESPONDENCE)

APPENDIX D: I&AP DATABASE

APPENDIX E: ISSUES TRAIL

APPENDIX F: REGIONAL GEOLOGY MAP

Acronyms

AMCC ArcelorMittal Coke and Chemicals C6H4(OH)2 Hydroquinone CO Carbon Monoxide CO2 Carbon Dioxide CoT City of Tshwane dB Decibel EIA Environmental Impact Assessment EMPr Environmental Management Programme ETP Electrical Tar Precipitators GDA&RD Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development H2 Hydrogen H2S Hydrogen Sulphide H2SO4 Sulphuric Acid HCN Hydrogen Cyanide KOH Potassium Hydroxide Li-Br Lithium Bromide N2 Nitrogen Na2CO3 Sodium Carbonate Na2SCN Sodium Thiocynate Na2S2O3 Sodium Thiosulphate Na2SO3 Sodium Sulphite Na2SO4 Sodium Sulphate NEMA National Environmental Management Act (No 107 of 1998) NEMAQA National Environmental Management Air Quality Act (No 39 of 2004) NEMWA National Environmental Management Waste Act (No 59 of 2008) NH3 Ammonia OHS Occupational Health and Safety SAHRA South African Heritage Resources Agency SANS South African National Standard SHE Safety, Health and Environment SO2 Sulphur Dioxide ZED Zero Effluent Discharge

FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL SCOPING REPORT FOR THE PROPOSED GAS PLANT UPGRADE AT THE COKE BATTERY WITHIN THE ARCELORMITTAL COKE AND CHEMICALS PLANT, CITY OF TSHWANE

E02.PTA.000305 Page 1 SSI Environmental

1 INTRODUCTION ArcelorMittal South Africa Pretoria Works is an integrated steel works that is in the process of scaling down, with only selected business units set to continue operation. Within the Pretoria Works, there are two independent ArcelorMittal business units, viz. Vereeniging Works, which runs the small mills within the Works and ArcelorMittal Coke and Chemicals (AMCC). AMCC manages and runs the 4 m coke battery with 51 ovens (Figure 1) and associated coal handling plant as well as gas cleaning plant – which is the subject of this Environmental Impact Assessment Study.

FIGURE 1: COKE OVEN BATTERY

Coke is produced by the pyrolysis (heating in the absence of air) of suitable grades of coal. Coke is used as a fuel and reducing agent (removes oxygen) in smelting iron ore in the blast furnace and in ferrochrome furnaces. The coke oven battery in Pretoria is currently only producing coke for the ferrochrome industry. The AMCC operations produces approximately 226 000 tons of coke annually. The coke is stored on site and distributed to customers.

As part of the coke manufacturing process, a gas cleaning plant also operates to clean the coke oven gas that is created during the coking process so that the gas can be re-used as an energy source at the battery or at the small section mill. Some of the excess gas is flared. The aim of this project is to upgrade the current gas plant (situated within the Pretoria Works footprint – refer to Appendix A) with new state of the art equipment. Some additional equipment will be added in order to comply with the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act (NEM:AQA) No 39 of 2004. The proposed new gas plant will be located within the AMCC footprint.

1.1 Need and Background The new National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act (NEM:AQA) No 39 of 2004 that came into effect on 01 April 2010, grants a five year period during which steps are to be taken by existing plants to ensure compliance with the new standards, as stipulated in the Act. In order to comply with strict air quality standards by 2015, AMCC intends upgrading the old gas plant (Figure 4). This process will include the replacement of existing units as well as the construction of additional new units, with improved technology and standards. AMCC intends operating the coke plant for at least the next 15 years and possibly up to 40 years.



To ensure compliance with the NEM:AQA (2004)1

and environmental best practice, AMCC appointed SSI Environmental as the independent Environmental Assessment Practitioner (EAP) to conduct the necessary studies to obtain environmental authorisation for the proposed gas plant upgrade at the coke battery.

FIGURE 2: GOOGLE IMAGE OF GAS PLANT AREA WITHIN THE ARCELORMITTAL SA PRETORIA WORKS

(COURTESY: GOOGLE EARTH; 2010)

1 ArcelorMittal SA Pretoria Works currently has an air quality permit in terms of the Atmospheric Pollution Prevention Act (No.

45 of 1965) - Permit no. 88/38 and are in the process of applying for a new license.

See enlarged detail of gas plant below



FIGURE 3: ENLARGED DETAIL OF GAS PLANT AREA AND PROPOSED ADDITIONAL / ALTERNATIVE

GAS PLANT AREA

FIGURE 4: CURRENT GAS PLANT

The major advantages of the proposed project will include:

Preservation of approximately 230 jobs.

Creation of approximately 12 permanent jobs during the operational phase.

Complying with the NEM: AQA (2004) will provide a cleaner and healthier working environment for the AMCC employees and for the surrounding communities.

Existing gas plant

Proposed additional / alternative gas plant

area



1.2 Approach to the EIA Studies The environmental impacts associated with the proposed project require investigation in compliance with the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations (2010) published in Government Notice No. R. 543 to No. R. 545 and read with Section 24 (5) of the National Environmental Management Act - NEMA (Act No 107 of 1998) (as amended).

The required environmental studies include the undertaking of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process. This process is being undertaken in two phases:

Phase 1 - Environmental Scoping Study (ESS) including Plan of Study for EIA; and

Phase 2 - Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environmental Management Programme (EMPr).

1.2.1 Environmental Scoping Study The ESS provides a description of the receiving environment and how the environment may be affected by the development of the proposed project. Desktop studies making use of existing information will be used to highlight and assist in the identification of potential significant impacts (both social and biophysical) associated with the proposed project.

Additional issues for consideration will be extracted from feedback from the public participation process, which commenced at the beginning of the Scoping phase, and will continue throughout the duration of the project. All issues identified during this phase of the study will be documented within this Environmental Scoping Report. Thus, this Environmental Scoping Report will provide a record of all issues identified as well as any fatal flaws, in order to make recommendations regarding the project and further studies required to be undertaken within the EIA phase of the proposed project.

1.2.2 Environmental Impact Study The Environmental Impact Assessment phase will aim to achieve the following:

to provide an overall assessment of the social and biophysical environments of the affected area by the proposed project;

to undertake a detailed assessment of the preferred site/alternatives in terms of environmental criteria including the rating of significant impacts;

to identify and recommend appropriate mitigation measures (to be included in an EMPr) for potentially significant environmental impacts; and

to undertake a fully inclusive public participation process to ensure that I&AP issues and concerns are recorded and commented on and addressed in the EIA process.

1.3 Details of the Environmental Assessment Practitioner SSI Environmental has been appointed as an Environmental Assessment Practitioner (EAP) by AMCC, to undertake the appropriate environmental studies for this proposed project. The professional team of SSI Environmental has considerable experience in the environmental management and EIA fields.

SSI Environmental has been involved in and/or managed several of the largest Environmental Impact Assessments undertaken in South Africa to date. A specialist area of focus is on assessment of multi-faceted projects, including the establishment of linear developments (national and provincial roads, and power lines), bulk



infrastructure and supply (e.g. wastewater treatment works, pipelines, landfills), electricity generation and transmission, the mining industry, urban, rural and township developments, environmental aspects of Local Integrated Development Plans (LIDPs), as well as general environmental planning, development and management.

TABLE 1: DETAILS OF THE EAP

CONSULTANT: SSI ENVIRONMENTAL

Contact Persons: Prashika Reddy / Phyllis Kalele

Postal Address PO Box 25302, Monument Park, 0105

Telephone: 012 367 5973

Facsimile: 012 367 5878

E-mail: [email protected]

Expertise: Prashika Reddy is a senior environmental scientist / associate (BSc Honours – Geography) with experience in various environmental fields including: environmental impact assessments, environmental management plans/programmes, public participation and environmental monitoring and auditing. Ms Reddy has extensive experience in compiling environmental reports (Screening, Scoping, EIA and Status Quo Reports). She is also a registered Professional Natural Scientist (Pr Sci Nat 400133/10).

Phyllis Kalele is an environmental consultant with experience in various facets of environmental management. These include conducting the Public Participation process; compiling Environmental Impact Reports; writing Environmental Management Programmes; conducting environmental awareness training; and conducting legal compliance audits.

1.4 Structure of the Report

TABLE 2: REPORT STRUCTURE

CHAPTER CONTENT

Chapter 1 – Introduction Introduction to project and approach to the Environmental Scoping Study

Chapter 2 - Project Description Provides the technical description of the project as well as a description of the infrastructure

Chapter 3 - Project Alternatives Consideration of alternatives (design/layout, site and do-nothing) for the project

Chapter 4 - Legal Requirements Brief scoping of national legislation and guidelines

Chapter 5 - Public Participation Process Overview of the public participation process conducted to date

Chapter 6 - General Description of the Study Area

A description of the biophysical and social environment

Chapter 7 - Potential Environmental A description of the environmental impacts on the biophysical and



CHAPTER CONTENT

Impacts social environment

Chapter 8 - Conclusions and Recommendations

Conclusions and recommendations of the Environmental Scoping Study

Chapter 9 - Plan of Study for EIA Plan of Study for the EIA study including specialist studies required for the EIA study



2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION

2.1 Status Quo In the coke making process gas is generated which is sprayed with water to cool it down. The gas and water/tar mixture flows to the gas plant by means of suction caused by the steam exhausters in the gas plant and by gravity to be cleaned.

First the gas and water/tar get separated by a down comer. The water (ammonia liquor) and tar are separated in a settling tank due to the difference in the density. A centrifuge is used if further separation is needed. The tar is pumped to a storage tank as a final product. In the process some tar sludge is generated which gets collected by Enviroserv and dumped at an authorised landfill site. Some of the water is used again for spraying the coke oven gas. The rest of the water is used further down in the process of cleaning the gas.

From the down comer the gas goes to the primary coolers where normal cooling water is used to cool the gas down. The cooling of the gas works on a heat exchanger principle. Some of the coal water (ammonia liquor) is used to spray the gas in the primary cooler directly. This is all done to subtract more tar and some naphthalene from the gas. The water/tar mixture coming from the primary coolers, due to condensation goes through the same separation process as mentioned above.

After the primary coolers, the gas goes through Electrical Tar Precipitators (ETPs). In which the gas is routed through a high-tension field formed between negatively charged scintillating electrodes. The tar droplets and dust particles entrained in the gas are negatively charged and precipitate on the positive electrodes.

After the ETPs the gas passes through the exhausters to the secondary cooler and passes through the ammonia (NH3) scrubbers. Currently the ammonia scrubbers are not in operation due to their bad state.

After the NH3 scrubbers, the gas is sent to the BTX scrubber where the gas is scrubbed with wash oil to remove the benzol from the gas. The enriched wash oil is pumped to a benzol stripper where the benzol is distilled from the wash oil by means of steam heating. The distillate is condensed and pumped to the crude benzol storage tanks. The cleaned wash oil is recycled back to the scrubber. After the benzol scrubber, the gas is distributed to the different users. The extra gas is flared.

2.2 Gas Plant Upgrade Due to the NEM:AQA (2004), AMCC proposes to upgrade the current gas plant- with the possible use of the additional area south of the existing plant (refer to Figure 3). Some of the components of the existing plant will be re-used during the upgrade of the plant, with the rest being new equipment. The process will be the same as described above except that for the following:

The wash-oil will be used for scrubbing more naphthalene and less crude benzol from the gas. The naphthalene will form part of the crude tar. In the case of effective primary and secondary coolers, the naphthalene can be removed in the cooling stages and there might be no need for the scrubbers. The technology and type of coolers used will determine the need for the scrubbers in the process.

The Claus Process will be used to produce sulphur as a by-product which will be sold. The Claus Process will be an additional process to the current one.

A chiller plant will be installed for the purpose of cooling water to lower temperatures rather than the normal cooling tower. The chiller plant will use lithium bromide (Li-Br).



The volume of the by-products will be more than 500 m3 per month. At present the volume increase of by-product to be generated is unknown at the moment but is estimated to be approximately 80 m3.

In the return gas line to the battery, a gasholder of approximately 10000 m3 will be installed with the main reason to stabilize the gas pressure to the battery.

FIGURE 5: SCHEMATIC PRESENTATION OF THE COKE OVEN GAS CLEANING PROCESS



3 PROJECT ALTERNATIVES In terms of the EIA Regulations, Section.28 (1) (c) feasible alternatives are required to be considered as part of the environmental investigations. In addition, the obligation that alternatives are investigated is also a requirement of Section 24(4) of the National Environmental Management Act (Act 107 of 1998) (as amended). An alternative in relation to a proposed activity refers to the different means of meeting the general purpose and requirements of the activity (as defined in Government Notice R.543 of the EIA Regulations, 2010), which may include alternatives to:

a) the property on which or location where it is proposed to undertake the activity;

b) the type of activity to be undertaken;

c) the design or layout of the activity;

d) the technology to be used in the activity; and

e) the operational aspects of the activity

f) the option of not implementing the activity

3.1 Technology Alternatives During the feasibility study a number of alternatives were considered regarding the type of technology to be employed by the proposed project. Three technologies are proposed:

Ammonia process

Vacuum process

“KAT-SOD” process

TABLE 3: SUMMARY OF THE THREE TECHNOLOGIES CONSIDERED

AMMONIA PROCESS VACUUM PROCESS “KAT-SOD” PROCESS

DESCRIPTION

Tar Removal H2S Removal NH3 Removal

Naphthalene Removal

Tar Removal Desulfurization NH3 Removal

Naphthalene Removal

Tar Removal Desulfurization NH3 Removal

Naphthalene Removal

PRODUCT USED Water Steam

Wash Oil NAOH

Water Steam

Wash Oil Sulphuric Acid (H2SO4)

Potassium Hydroxide (KOH)

Water Steam

Wash Oil H2SO4

Sodium Carbonate (Na2CO3) Hydroquinone - C6H4(OH)2

FINAL PRODUCTS

Tar Sulphur

Naphthalene Distillate (to Crude Tar)

Tar Sulphur


Tar Sulphur




AMMONIA PROCESS VACUUM PROCESS “KAT-SOD” PROCESS

Ammonium Sulphate Ammonium Sulphate WASTE PRODUCTS2

Effluent Water (Phenols; Cyanides)

Tail Gas (to Raw Gas) Effluent Water (Phenols; Cyanides)

Tail Gas (to Raw Gas) Effluent Water (Phenols; Cyanides)

Tail Gas (to Raw Gas) Waste Solution:

Sodium Thiosulphate (Na2S2O3) Sodium Thiocynate (Na2SCN)

Sodium Sulphite (Na2SO3) Sodium Sulphate (Na2SO4) Hydroquinone - C6H4(OH)2

3.2 Site Alternatives Two possible sites have been considered in the feasibility study:

The current gas plant area and the possible use of the area south of the current gas plant and

Only the area south of the current gas plant.

The first option is preferred for the project. Only if the upgrade compromises the operation of the battery will AMCC consider the second option and build a new plant south of the current gas plant.

3.3 No-go Alternative The new National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act (NEM:AQA) No 39 of 2004 that came into effect on 01 April 2010 grants a five year period during which steps are to be taken by existing plants to ensure compliance with the new standards, as stipulated in the Act. In order to comply with strict air quality standards by 2015, AMCC intends upgrading the old gas plant.

If this project does not go ahead, AMCC would not be complying with the NEM:AQA (2004) which essentially means that the coke battery will have to be shut down in a couple of years resulting in a loss of approximately 400 jobs.

2 These waste streams emanating from the process will be disposed off responsibly to an authorized hazardous landfill site

(e.g. Holfontein etc.).



4 LEGAL REQUIREMENTS In order to protect the environment and ensure that the AMCC operates in an environmentally responsible manner, there are a number of significant pieces of environmental legislation that need to be taken into account during this study. These include:

4.1 The Constitution of South Africa The Bill of Rights, in the Constitution of South Africa (No. 108 of 1996), states that everyone has a right to a non-threatening environment and requires that reasonable measures be applied to protect the environment. This protection encompasses preventing pollution and promoting conservation and environmentally sustainable development. These principles are embraced in NEMA and given further expression.

4.2 National Legislation and Regulations

4.2.1 National Environmental Management Act (No 107 of 1998) The National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) (No. 107 of 1998)(as amended) states that the principles of Integrated Environmental Management (IEM) should be adhered to in order to ensure sustainable development. A vital underpinning of the IEM procedure is accountability to the various parties that may be interested in or affected by a proposed development. Public participation is a requirement of the IEM procedure, in terms of the identification of potentially significant environmental impacts during the Scoping Phase. The IEM procedure aims to ensure that the environmental consequences of development proposals are understood and adequately considered during all stages of the project cycle, and that negative aspects are resolved or mitigated and positive aspects enhanced.

Furthermore, Section 28(1) of the Act states that “every person who causes or may cause significant pollution or degradation of the environment must take reasonable measures to prevent such pollution or degradation from occurring, continuing or recurring”. If such pollution cannot be prevented then appropriate measures must be taken to minimise or rectify such pollution.

The NEMA EIA Regulations (2010), which replaced the EIA Regulations (2006), have been promulgated and came into effect on 02 August 2010. Government Notice 543, regulates the procedure and criteria as contemplated in Chapter 5 of NEMA, relating to the submission, processing and consideration of, and decision on, applications for environmental authorisations for the commencement of activities in order to avoid detrimental impacts on the environment, or where it can not be avoided, ensure mitigation and management of impacts to acceptable levels, and to optimise positive environmental impacts, and for matters pertaining thereto.

4.2.2 EIA Regulations (2010) The nature of the proposed project includes activities listed in the following Listing Notices – GN R.544 (Listing Notice 1) and GN R.545 (Listing Notice 2) of the EIA Regulations (2010) – refer to Table 4.



TABLE 4: LISTED ACTIVITIES ACCORDING TO LISTING NOTICES 1 AND 2 OF THE EIA REGULATIONS (2010)

LISTED ACTIVITIES

LISTING NOTICE 1 (GN R.544)

Activity 28 The expansion of existing facilities for any process or activity where such expansion will result in the need for a new, or amendment of, an existing permit or license in terms of national or provincial legislation governing the release of emissions or pollution, excluding where the facility, process or activity is included in the list of waste management activities published in terms of section 19 of the National Environmental Management: Waste Act, 2008 (Act No. 59 of 2008) in which case that Act will apply.

Activity 48 The expansion of facilities for the refining, extraction or processing of gas, oil or petroleum products where the installed capacity of the facility will be increased by 50 m3 or more, excluding facilities for the refining, extraction or processing of gas from landfill sites.

LISTING NOTICE 2 (GN R.545)

Activity 3 The construction of facilities or infrastructure for the storage, or storage and handling of a dangerous good, where such storage occurs in containers with a combined capacity of more than 500 m3.

Activity 4 The construction of facilities or infrastructure for the refining, extraction or processing of gas, oil or petroleum products with an installed capacity of 50 m3 or more, excluding facilities for the refining, extraction or processing of gas from landfill sites.

Activity 5 The construction of facilities or infrastructure for any process or activity which requires a permit or license in terms of national or provincial legislation governing the generation or release of emissions, pollution or effluent and which is not identified in Notice No. 544 of 2010 or included in the list of waste management activities published in terms of section 19 of the National Environmental Management: Waste competent authority is the Minister of I Act, 2008 (Act No. 59 of 2008) in which case that Act will apply.

4.2.3 National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act (No 39 of 2004) The National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act No. 39 of 2004 (“the Air Quality Act) repeals the entire Air Pollution Prevention Act (No. 45 of 1965). The purpose of the Air Quality Act is to reform the law regulating air quality in order to protect the environment by providing measures for the prevention of pollution and ecological degradation, while, promoting justifiable economic and social development. The Air Quality Act seeks to provide national standards regulating air quality monitoring management and control.

4.2.4 National Water Act (No 36 of 1998) The purpose of the National Water Act No 36 of 1998 (‘the National Water Act”) is to provide for fundamental reform of the law relating to water resources; to repeal certain laws; and to provide for matters connected therewith.



4.2.5 National Environmental Management: Waste Act (No 59 of 2008) The National Environmental Management Waste Act (No 59 of 2008) reforms the law regulating waste management in order to protect health and the environment by providing reasonable measures for the prevention of pollution and ecological degradation and for securing ecologically sustainable development; to provide for institutional arrangements and planning matters; to provide for national norms and standards for regulating the management of waste by all spheres of government; to provide for specific waste management measures; to provide for the licensing and control of waste management activities; to provide for the remediation of contaminated land; to provide for the national waste information system; to provide for compliance and enforcement; and to provide for matters connected therewith.

4.2.6 National Heritage Resources Act (No 25 of 1999) In terms of section 38 (subject to the provisions of subsections (7), (8) and (9) of the Act), any person who intends to undertake a development categorised as:

The construction of a road, wall, power line, pipeline, canal or other similar form of linear development or barrier exceeding 300 m in length;

The construction of a bridge or similar structure exceeding 50 m in length;

Any development or other activity which will change the character of a site:

Exceeding 5 000 m² in extent;

∗ Involving three or more existing erven or subdivisions thereof; or

∗ Involving three or more erven or divisions thereof which have been consolidated within the past five years; or

∗ The costs of which will exceed a sum set in terms of regulations by SAHRA or a provincial heritage resources authority;

The re-zoning of a site exceeding 10 000 m2 in extent; or

Any other category of development provided for in regulations by SAHRA or a provincial heritage resources authority, must at the very earliest stages of initiating such a development, notify the responsible heritage resources authority and furnish it with details regarding the location, nature and extent of the proposed development.

4.2.7 Occupational Health and Safety Act (No 85 of 1993) The Occupational Health and Safety Act provides for the health and safety of persons at work and for the health and safety of persons in connection with the use of plant and machinery; the protection of persons other than persons at work, against hazards to health and safety arising out of or in connection with the activities of persons at work.

4.2.8 Hazardous Substance Act (No 15 of 1973) and Regulations Provides for the definition, classification, use, operation, modification, disposal or dumping of hazardous substances.



5 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PROCESS

5.1 Aims of the Public Participation Process The primary aims of the public participation process are:

to inform interested and affected parties (I&APs) and key stakeholders of the proposed application and environmental studies;

to initiate meaningful and timeous participation of I&APs;

to identify issues and concerns of key stakeholders and I&APs with regards to the application for the development (i.e. focus on important issues);

to promote transparency and an understanding of the project and its potential environmental (social and biophysical) impacts (both positive and negative);

to provide information used for decision-making;

to provide a structure for liaison and communication with I&APs and key stakeholders;

to ensure inclusivity (the needs, interests and values of I&APs must be considered in the decision-making process);

to focus on issues relevant to the project, and issues considered important by I&APs and key stakeholders; and

to provide responses to I&AP queries.

5.2 Authority Consultation The competent authority (Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development) reviewing the project and providing environmental authorisation was consulted from the outset of this study.

Authority consultation included the following activities:

Submission of an application for environmental authorisation in terms of Section 26 of the EIA Regulations (2010) on 07 November 2010.

Approval of the application documentation by GDA&RD was received on 16 November 2010 (see Appendix B).

5.3 Consultation with Other Relevant Stakeholders Consultation with other relevant key stakeholders will be undertaken through telephone calls and written correspondence in order to actively engage these stakeholders from the outset and to provide background information about the project during the Environmental Scoping Phase. These stakeholders included:

TABLE 5: KEY STAKEHOLDER CONTACTED AS PART OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PROCESS

OWNERS AND OCCUPIERS OF LAND ADJACENT TO THE SITE Francois van Eden Metrorail Fenton Gastin PRASA Mandisa Mondi Spoornet Colonel Sandra Diedericks SAPS Training College Major General Nyalungu SAPS Training College



Renier Kruger Millenium Pipe and Steel Johan Watkins / Clive Gurney Wegezi Electrical Machines Denise Martin BMG group Wegezi Power Hannes Coetzee Steel and Pipes Witness Kwaza Exxaro Gerhard Jonck Exxaro Driana Salri L&M Autobody Bertus Jaco Forge Products Sifundo Klaas Primedia Home Fanie Olivier Consol Speciality Glass Eddy den Tandt Lido Electricity Piet Malan Gijima Rico Euripidou groundWorks Other PUC

ACT Coal Laboratory AFROX MVA Steel MVA Bricks Insinc S Acc Bobcat, Sales, Service and Rentals RRL Grindrod Locomotives Econoslag Crusher Plant Mail Unique Azani Caterers

LOCAL AUTHORITY MR Digamela Ward 3 Councillor - City of Tshwane Metropolitan

Municipality Frederik van Weele City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality Juan Mostert Air Quality Management - City of Tshwane

Metropolitan Municipality Marlah Hammond Environmental Management - City of Tshwane

Metropolitan Municipality Tshinyadzo Mphephu Open Space Management - City of Tshwane

Metropolitan Municipality Rudzani Mukheli

Open Space Management - City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality

PROVINCIAL AUTHORITY Faith Mlambo Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural

Development Lucy Ramatapa

Gauteng Department of Health: Environmental Health

Rina Taviv

Gauteng Department of Agriculture & Rural Development: Air Quality

STATE DEPARTMENTS Justice Maluleke Department of Water Affairs Masego Khambule Department of Water Affairs Concilience Sambo Department of Water Affairs Dumisani Mthembu Department of Environmental Affairs –

Environmental Impact Management



5.4 Advertising In compliance with the EIA Regulations (2010), notification of the commencement of the EIA process for the project was advertised in a local newspaper, namely the Rekord West on 25 February 2011 (refer to Appendix C). Interested and affected parties (I&APs) were requested to register their interest in the project and become involved in the EIA process. The primary aim of these advertisements was to ensure that the widest group of I&APs possible was informed and invited to provide input and questions and comments on the project.

In addition to advertisements, three A2 size notice boards (refer to Appendix C) were placed at the following public places advertising the EIA process for the project:

Pretoria Works Access Permit Office (Frikkie Meyer Street).

ArcelorMittal SA Pretoria Works Main Gate.

ArcelorMittal SA Pretoria Works East Gate.

5.5 Identification of Interested and Affected Parties I&APs were identified primarily through an existing database as well as from responses received from the notice boards mentioned above. Letters were sent to key stakeholders and other I&APs on the existing database, informing them of the application for the project, the availability of the draft Environmental Scoping Report (ESR) for review and indicating how they could become involved in the project. The contact details of all identified I&APs are updated on the project database, which is included in Appendix D.

This database will be updated on an on-going basis throughout the EIA process.

5.6 Briefing Paper A briefing paper or Background Information Document (BID) for the project was compiled in English (refer to Appendix C). The aim of this document is to provide a brief outline of the application and the nature of the development. It is also aimed at providing preliminary details regarding the EIA process, and explains how I&APs could become involved in the project. The briefing paper was distributed to all identified I&APs and stakeholders, together with a registration/comment sheet inviting I&APs to submit details of any issues, concerns or inputs they might have with regards to the project.

5.7 Issues Trail Issues and concerns raised in the public participation process during the EIA process will be compiled into an Issues Trail. The ESS-phase Issues Trail is attached as Appendix E, in which all comments received and responses provided have been captured.

5.8 Public Review of the Draft Scoping Report An advert was placed in the Rekord West newspaper informing I&APs of the application and the availability of the draft ESR and Plan of Study for EIA for review and comment. The Rekord West is a free weekly community newspaper. The advert appeared on 25 February 2011. A copy of the advertisement is included in Appendix C. Additionally, all registered I&APs were notified of the availability of the report in writing.



The draft ESR, together with the Plan of Study for EIA was made available for authority and public review for a total of 40 days from 28 February to 12 April 2011. In addition, the report was made available at the following public locations within the study area, which are all readily accessible to I&APs:

Wespark Municipal Library (corner Bosbok and Channel Street, Pretoria West);

ArcelorMittal SA Pretoria Works Access Permit Office (Frikkie Meyer Street);

Offices of SSI Engineers and Environmental Consultants (78 Kalkoen Street, Monument Park, Pretoria); and

SSI Environmental website (www.ssi-dhv.com/pages/enviromental/current-projects.php).

5.9 Final Environmental Scoping Report The final stage in the Environmental Scoping Study process will entail the capturing of responses and comments from I&APs on the draft ESR in order to refine the ESR, and ensure that all issues of significance are addressed. The final Environmental Scoping Report will be submitted to GDA&RD for review and decision-making.



6 GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE STUDY AREA

6.1 Geology

6.1.1 Local Geology The study area is underlain by the Timeball Hill Formation belonging to the Pretoria Group of the Transvaal Sequence. The south-western portion of the area, situated along the northern slope of the Langeberge, is underlain by a partly ferruginous quartzite and magnetic quartzite with subgreywacke alternating with shale and siltstone (T3tQ) dipping some 20° to the north – refer to Appendix F (Regional Geology Map).

The quartzite is overlain by shale locally with conglomerate, breccias and quartzite, which can be seen on the Regional Geology Map (Appendix F) as the geological layer T3tS. The ArcelorMittal Pretoria Works Consolidated Plant Area (CPA) is bounded and transected by two major faults. Several Transvaal diabase sills are intruded into the shale (T3tS) underlying the CPA.

6.1.2 Stratigraphy and Lithology The local geology underlying the study area, consist mainly of shale and intrusive diabase. This is best represented by the geology penetrated in monitoring boreholes IPW-D32, IPW-D41 and IPW-DS1. In these boreholes, the following lithologies were penetrated:

TABLE 6: LITHOLOGY OF MONITORING BOREHOLE IPW-D32

DISTANCE DESCRIPTION

00,0 m – 01,0 m Overburden: grey

01,0 m – 05,0 m Overburden: reddish brown

05,0 m – 08,0 m Shale: reddish brown, weathered

08, 0 m – 09,0 m Shale: dark brown, weathered

09, 0 m – 10,5 m Shale: light brown, weathered

10,5 m – 11,5 m Shale: olive brown, weathered

11,5 m – 14,0 m Shale: brownish grey, weathered, fractured

14,0 m – 20,5 m Shale: brownish grey, fractured

20,5 m – 21,5 m Shale: pinkish brown, fractured

21,5 m – 24,0 m Shale: light grey, fractured

24,0 m – 29,0 m Shale: brownish grey, fractured, fresh, 'Water Strike 26 m – 27 m (1.1 l/s)

29,0 m – 30,0 m Diabase: yellowish brown, weathered, fractured

30,0 m – 31,0 m Diabase: brownish grey, slightly weathered to fresh



TABLE 7: LITHOLOGY OF MONITORING BOREHOLE IPW-D41 DISTANCE DESCRIPTION

00,0 m – 00,3 m Soil: dark grey, sandy, gravel bearing

00,3 m – 06,0 m Soil: reddish brown

06,0 m – 08,0 m Soil: yellowish brown, clayey

08, 0 m – 10,0 m Clay: red

10, 0 m – 11,0 m Clay: reddish brown

11,0 m – 12,0 m Clay: brown

12,0 m – 13,0 m Diabase: greyish brown, weathered

13,0 m – 15,0 m Diabase: brownish grey, fractured, fresh

15,0 m – 16,0 m Diabase: brownish grey, weathered, fresh

16,0 m – 24,0 m Diabase: yellowish brown, weathered, clayey

24,0 m – 26,0 m Shale: dark brown, weathered, clayey

26,0 m – 27,0 m Clay: reddish brown, weathered

27,0 m – 28,0 m Shale: greyish brown, weathered, fractured, Water Strike (0.1 l/s)

28,0 m – 33,0 m Shale: greyish brown, fractured, fresh

33,0 m – 34,0 m Shale: brownish grey, fractured, Water Strike (0.1 l/s)

34,0 m – 35,0 m Shale: greenish grey, fractured

35,0 m – 40,0 m Shale: brownish grey, slightly fractured to fresh

TABLE 8: LITHOLOGY OF MONITORING BOREHOLE IPW-D51 DISTANCE DESCRIPTION

00,0 m – 00,2 m Overburden: greyish black, gravel-bearing

00,2 m – 02,5 m Overburden: reddish brown, gravel-bearing

02,5 m – 09,0 m Clay, red

09, 0 m – 10,0 m Clay, brown

10, 0 m – 12,0 m Clay, brownish yellow

12,0 m – 15,0 m Diabase: yellowish brown, weathered,

clayey

15,0 m – 17,0 m Diabase: yellowish brown, weathered

17,0 m – 30,0 m Diabase: yellowish brown, weathered,

clayey, Water Strike 26 m – 27 m (0.02 l/s)

30,0 m – 40,0 m Diabase: yellowish brown, weathered



The general weathering profile constitutes a soil profile that varies in depth between 0,00 m and 34,00 m, with an average depth below surface of ± 9,90 m. This is followed by weathered rock varying in depth between 6,50 m and 41,00 m, with an average depth below surface of ± 21,70 m, which gradually change to fractured rock varying in depth between 9,00 m and 40,00 m, with an average depth below surface of ± 30,30 m, before changing to fresh hard rock.

Based on the above geological information, and as can be seen from the lithology from the borehole data, the CPA does not fall within a critical dolomitic zone as originally indicated in the draft Environmental Scoping Report.

6.2 Water Resources

6.2.1 Groundwater The proposed site is located in an area with a deep water table i.e. more than 1.5 m in depth and there are nine boreholes in the vicinity. AMCC have taken various measures to improve the quality of groundwater including:

The recovery and reuse of waste;

Clean up of contaminated areas;

Temporary capping of contaminated areas using soil;

Bunding of operational areas to contain spills and potentially contaminated surface water;

Prevention of spillages at operational plants; and

Sealing off areas with open soils adjacent to the operational areas.

6.2.2 Surface Water There are no surface water bodies in the immediate vicinity of the AMCC. The operations at AMCC are Zero Effluent Discharge (ZED). The ZED sump system is situated on the north of the coke ovens office block. The discharge sump is constructed under the ground surface to allow gravitational flow of water to the sump. The purpose of the ZED sump system is two fold:

a) Primarily to ensure that the coke ovens operates as a ZED plant during dry weather flow conditions, e.g. no water is permitted to be discharged from the coke ovens premises by means of stormwater (which includes any process water). All water must either be re-used or recycled and the water consumption of the plant must be optimized.

b) Secondly it is to provide for 600 m3 of buffer storage capacity, to store and control contaminated stormwater in the event of spillage and rain.

Stormwater containing rainwater and/or process water enters the final storm water effluent sump from the west (containing storm water collected to the north and west of the coke ovens office block) and the east (containing stormwater collected to the south of the coke ovens office block and the rest of the plant except the area to the north and south of the battery).

6.3 Climate and Local Weather Conditions

6.3.1 Wind Meteorological data for the period January 2001 to December 2005 were obtained from the South African Weather Services (SAWS) meteorological station at UNISA. Meteorological data is being monitored on site and will be used in conjunction to the SAWS data for modelling purposes in the EIA study.



A period wind rose for the site is presented in Figure 6. Wind roses comprise of 16 spokes which represent the directions from which winds blew during the period. The colours reflect the different categories of wind speeds. The dotted circles provide information regarding the frequency of occurrence of wind speed and direction categories.

FIGURE 6: PERIOD WIND ROSE FOR UNISA (2001 - 2005)



FIGURE 7: WIND CLASS FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION AND ATMOSPHERIC STABILITY FOR UNISA (2001

2005)

Looking at Figure 6 and Figure 7 respectively, it can be seen that UNISA is not an area of high wind speeds on average. At UNISA, 29.53% of the time, calm conditions existed over the area. The highest frequency of wind speeds lie between 0.5 to 2.1 m/s which occurred for 41% of the time. The second highest wind class (2.1 – 3.6 m/s) occurs 15.1% of the time. Figure 6 shows that the winds dominate from the north and north-easterly sector.



6.3.2 Atmospheric Stability Atmospheric stability is commonly categorised into six stability classes. These are briefly described in Table 9. The atmospheric boundary layer is usually unstable during the day due to turbulence caused by the sun's heating effect on the earth's surface. The depth of this mixing layer depends mainly on the amount of solar radiation, increasing in size gradually from sunrise to reach a maximum at about 5-6 hours after sunrise. The degree of thermal turbulence is increased on clear warm days with light winds. During the night-time a stable layer, with limited vertical mixing, exists. During windy and/or cloudy conditions, the atmosphere is normally neutral.

TABLE 9: ATMOSPHERIC STABILITY CLASSES

A Very unstable Calm wind, clear skies, hot daytime conditions

B Moderately unstable Clear skies, daytime conditions

C Unstable Moderate wind, slightly overcast daytime conditions

D Neutral High winds or cloudy days and nights

E Stable Moderate wind, slightly overcast night-time conditions

F Very stable Low winds, clear skies, cold night-time conditions

Due to the high frequency of very stable atmospheric conditions (Category F) – see Figure 7, it is likely that an inversion layer will develop, particularly in the early hours of winter mornings. This phenomenon has the possibility of increasing ground level pollution concentrations.

6.3.3 Temperature and Humidity The long-term average monthly temperature for UNISA is depicted in Figure 8. Daily summer temperatures range between 25 °C and 32 °C. Winter temperatures range between 2 °C and 17 °C. From Figure 8 it is noted that the humidity is higher during the winter months, ranging between an average of 48% during November and 77% during June. These are however low relative humidity values. Monthly minimum and maximum temperatures for the period 2001 to 2005 for UNISA are given in Figure 9. Monthly maximum temperatures range between 26 °C during the winter months and 36 °C during the summer months. The minimum monthly temperatures at UNISA vary between 2 °C and 17 °C respectively.

Hourly average temperatures for UNISA are shown for a 2001 - 2005 in Figure 10. The average diurnal variations in temperature are clearly evident. The same is said for the relative humidity, which is indirectly proportional to the temperature.



0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Month

Rela

tive

Hum

idity

(%)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Tem

pera

ture

(°C)

Relative humidity Temperature

FIGURE 8: MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURE AND RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR UNISA (2001 – 2005)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Month

Tem

pera

ture

(°C)

Average Min Max

FIGURE 9: MONTHLY AVERAGE, MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES FOR UNISA (2001 – 2005)



0

5

10

15

20

25

30

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

Hour

Tem

pera

ture

(°C)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Rela

tive

Hum

idity

(%)

Temperature (°C) Humidity (%)

FIGURE 10: AVERAGE HOURLY TEMPERATURE AND RELATVIE HUMIDITY FOR UNISA (2001 – 2005)

6.4 Biodiversity (Fauna and Flora) The site is completely transformed and is characterised by numerous chemical and process plants, coke battery, pipelines, flares, stacks, roads, railway sidings and other associated infrastructure. The proposed site occurs within the ArcelorMittal South Africa Pretoria Works footprint. Access into the Pretoria Works and Coke and Chemicals is strictly controlled.

6.5 Air Quality

6.5.1 Polluting Sources in Area A detailed emissions inventory for Pretoria was carried out as part of the Air Quality Management Plan3

Table 10 with the

pollutants and sources identified being shown in below.

TABLE 10: SUMMARY OF PRIORITY POLLUTANTS, SOURCES AND AREAS

POLLUTANTS MAIN CONTRIBUTING SOURCES KEY AREAS AFFECTED

Particulate matter with a particle size less than 10 or 2.5

microns (PM10, PM 2.5)

- Power generation (Rooiwal and Pretoria West power stations)

- Industrial processes (e.g. ceramic, cement, iron and steel)

- Household fuel combustion - Other (vehicle entrainment of road

dust, veld fires, tyre burning – significant when episodes occur)

- Transport (diesel vehicle

Elevated concentrations over much of Tshwane resulting in widespread health risks, and significant health effects anticipated in fuel-burning residential areas

3 City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality (2006). Air Quality Management Plan for the City of Tshwane Metropolitan

Municipality 2006 – 2008.



POLLUTANTS MAIN CONTRIBUTING SOURCES KEY AREAS AFFECTED

emissions) Nitrogen dioxide

(NO2) Nitrogen oxides

(NOx)

- Transport (petrol and diesel vehicles)


- Industrial processes (e.g. ceramic, cement, iron and steel)

- Household fuel combustion - Other (veld fires, tyre burning, etc

are minor sources)

Elevated concentrations expected close to busy roadways (i.e. N1, N4, N14, R80) Pretoria West and Moot areas because of power station and industries

Ozone (O3) - Secondary pollutant associated with NOx and other precursor releases

- Transport (petrol and diesel vehicles are key contributors)

- Household fuel combustion - Industrial processes - Veld fires

Monitoring is required to confirm ozone levels

Sulphur dioxide (SO2)


- Industrial and non-domestic fuel burning (e.g. cement, iron and steel industries)

- Transport - Household fuel combustion - Veld fires, tyre burning

Elevated concentrations over much of Tshwane (Pretoria West and Moot areas) Informal settlements during winter months

Volatile organic compounds

(VOC)

- Transport (petrol and diesel vehicles are key contributors)

- Household fuel combustion - Industrial processes (e.g. ceramic,

cement, iron and steel) - Veld fires

Zones in areas that are affected severely must be established through monitoring and modelling

Carbon monoxide (CO)

- Transport - Household fuel combustion - Power generation (Rooiwal and

Pretoria West power stations) - Industrial processes (e.g. ceramic,

cement, iron and steel) - Veld fires, tyre burning

Markedly elevated concentrations near busy roadways Pretoria West and Moot areas

Air toxins - Incinerators, specific industries (printers, dyers, spray painters, etc)

Close to sources

6.6 Noise The regulation of noise at AMCC is governed by the Occupational Health and Safety Act No. 85 of 2003: Noise Induced Hearing Loss Regulation No. R. 307. The maximum noise level that can be exposed to employees is 85 dB and thus AMCC has taken various steps to ensure that this is adhered to. These steps include:

Usage of hearing protectors by all persons entering the noise zones;

Training of employees on hazards of noise exposure, personal hygiene, proper use of noise hearing protectors and employee responsibilities as directed in the noise regulations;

Acoustic treatment of noise emitting surfaces;

Replacement of noisy equipment with less noisy ones;



New equipment ordered has to adhere to specific noise standards;

Fencing of noise sources with acoustic enclosures; and

Shifting of operations that are a source of noise away from areas with high human traffic.

6.7 Social The AMCC is located within the Pretoria Works - an industrial area in Pretoria West. The plant is surrounded by light industrial companies involved in brick-making, pipe and steel making and electrical services. Approximately 500 m south east of the plant is the Pretoria Police College used for the training of members of the South African Police Service. The college has approximately 2050 trainees, 500 personnel, and a crèche with approximately 65 babies. The nearest suburbs are Proclamation Hill, Wespark and Kwaggasrand. The socio-economic activities of the surrounding areas are primarily industrial.

6.8 Land-use The proposed site is already occupied by various AMCC infrastructure such as the coke battery, pipelines, flares, stacks, roads and railway sidings. AMCC is surrounded by predominantly light industries involved in the production of steel pipes, bricks, building stones, electrical machinery and glass.

6.9 Health and Safety Ensuring the safety of employees and contractors is a priority in the operation of the AMCC. Subsequently, emphasis has been placed on health and safety at each rank of the company. This is further supported by the Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) policy which has been implemented at all levels of the company ranging from the board to shift workers.

The SHE committee governs the SHE policy and meets quarterly in order to review the safety performance and execution of the safety strategy. A key goal of the SHE policy is to ensure AMCC attains zero fatalities and injuries in its operations.

AMCC strives to protect the health of its employees and the community at large since it is the organization’s legal and moral responsibility. This is achieved thorough the identification, management and elimination of unpleasant impacts resulting from the organization’s operations and which have an effect on employees, contractors, surrounding communities and other stakeholders.

6.10 Spatial Planning AMCC is located in the Pretoria Industrial area which is an important business node for the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality and the greater Pretoria West area which is one of the oldest townships in Tshwane. AMCC falls under the Central Western Region as classified under the Tshwane Regional Spatial Development Framework.

According to the Tshwane Open Space Framework the proposed development forms part of the following Open Space Typologies:

• A Green Node: namely, Langeberg Mountain Range, (Ecological Representative Open Space element) of Metropolitan significance. Green Nodes are essential in the provisioning of environmental goods and services, the protection of biodiversity, endangered species and ecological systems, as well as eco-based activity. Green Nodes must be protected for conservation purposes.



• A Grey Node, namely Iscor Works (ArcelorMittal Pretoria Works). The value of Grey Nodes lies in their socio-economic functioning: the rendering of and support to primary service delivery, as well as their potential to supplement ecological (as linkages) and recreational functioning (once closed and developed as such).



7 POTENTIAL IMPACTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PROJECT This Environmental Scoping Study (ESS) aims to identify the potential positive and negative impacts (both biophysical and social) associated with the proposed gas plant upgrade project. The following potential environmental impacts have been considered for the proposed project:

7.1 Construction Phase

TABLE 11: POTENTIAL CONSTRUCTION PHASE IMPACTS

AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT ANTICIPATED IMPACT

Geology ∗ Disturbance of surface geology for the development of foundations.

Topography ∗ Alteration of topography due to stockpiling of soil, building material, debris and waste material on site.

∗ Erosion potential is anticipated to increase during the site clearance and construction activities for proposed project.

Soils ∗ Removal and compaction of soil during construction activities.

∗ Erosion, degradation and loss of topsoil due to construction activities as well as surface and stormwater runoff.

∗ Contamination of soils due to spillage, leakage, incorrect storage and handling of chemicals, oils, lubricants, fuel and other hazardous material.

Geohydrology (groundwater) and Hydrology (surface water)

∗ Contamination of surface and groundwater due to spillage, leakage, incorrect storage and handling of chemicals, oils, lubricants, fuel and other hazardous material.

Biodiversity (fauna and flora) ∗ The site is highly transformed with existing infrastructure. Impact on biodiversity is therefore negligible.

Air Quality ∗ During the construction assessment phase it is expected that, the main sources of impact will result due to vehicle movement within the plant area. These predicted impacts cannot be quantified, primarily due to the lack of detailed information related to scheduling and positioning of construction related activities. Instead, a qualitative description of the impacts will be provided in the EIA study. This will involve the identification of possible sources of emissions and the provision of details related to their impacts.

∗ Construction usually consists of a series of different operations, each with its own duration and potential for dust generation. Dust emission will vary from day to day




depending on the phase of construction, the level of activity, and the prevailing meteorological conditions4

.

The following possible sources of fugitive dust have been identified as activities which could potentially generate dust during construction operations at the site:

- Scraping; - Debris handling; - Emergency venting; and - Truck transport and dumping of debris.

Noise ∗ Noise will be generated during the construction; however

with the appropriate mitigation measures in place the impact will be minimal.

Waste ∗ The potential waste streams for the project include general, hazardous and sewage waste.

∗ General waste generated on site includes domestic waste and building rubble. General waste will not have a significant impact on the environment provided that the correct waste streams are used for the disposal of the waste.

∗ Hazardous waste will be generated through the spillage of raw material. All material cleared after a spillage must be treated as hazardous waste and disposed off at a hazardous waste disposal site.

∗ Generation and disposal of sewage waste of temporary construction toilets.

Health and Safety ∗ The safety of the construction staff could be compromised unless adequate safety measures are implemented.

∗ The safety measures outlined in the draft Environmental Management Programme (EMPr) must be adhered to during construction.

Employment ∗ Contractors sourced locally will as far as possible be used during construction.

4 U.S Environmental Protection Agency, (1996). Compilation of Air Pollution Emission Factors (AP-42), 6th Edition, Volume

1, as contained in the AirCHIEF (AIR Clearinghouse for Inventories and Emission Factors) CD-ROM (compact disk read only memory), US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Also available at URL: http://www.epa.gov/ttn/chief/ap42/.

http://www.epa.gov/ttn/chief/ap42/�



7.2 Operational Phase

TABLE 12: POTENTIAL OPERATION PHASE IMPACTS


Soils ∗ Contamination of soils due to spillage, leakage, incorrect storage and handling of chemicals, oils, lubricants, fuel and other hazardous material.

∗ Effluent from draining after cleaning of the vessels or purging during shutdowns could potentially contaminate soils.

Geohydrology (groundwater) and Hydrology (surface water)

∗ Contamination of surface and groundwater due to spillage, leakage, incorrect storage and handling of chemicals, oils, lubricants, fuel and other hazardous material.

∗ Contamination of surface and groundwater due to spillage/seepage of by-products from pipelines.

∗ Effluent from draining after cleaning of the vessels or purging during shutdowns could potentially contaminate surface water and groundwater resources.

Air Quality ∗ Details regarding the source characteristics will be obtained from site layout plans and process specific information provided and a questionnaire filled in by the client. The sources to be included in this assessment can be categorised as follows:

- Quenching Plant;

- Flare; and

- Boiler stack.

Waste ∗ Generation of general and hazardous waste during operation and maintenance activities.

Health and Safety ∗ Hazards associated with gas plant may include a fire hazard, an explosion hazard or the release of toxic fumes, which may affect personnel, equipment and/or property.

Employment ∗ Approximately 12 permanent jobs will be created in the operational phase of the project.

Visual ∗ The visual impact is already established with the numerous chemical and process plants, pipelines, flares, stacks, roads, railway sidings, buildings and other associated infrastructure.



7.3 Decommissioning Phase At this point of the project planning process, the necessity for and timing of decommissioning of the proposed project is not known. However, like construction impacts, de-commissioning impacts are inherently temporary in duration. Impacts relating to de-commissioning and rehabilitation activities (demolition, landscaping, compaction etc.) will be addressed within the EIA phase and in the Environmental Management Programme.

7.4 Cumulative Impacts Cumulative impacts associated with the project will be further investigated in detail during the EIA study. At this stage, it is anticipated that the proposed project will improve the air quality and promote a healthier working environment for AMCC employees and the surrounding landowners and communities.



8 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS This Environmental Scoping Study (ESS) for the gas plant upgrade at the AMCC has been undertaken in accordance with the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations (2010) published in Government Notices R. 543 of 18 June 2010 read with Section 44, of the National Environmental Management Act, 1998 (Act No. 107 of 1998).

In line with Regulation 28 (Part 3) of the EIA Regulations, this issues-based ESS aimed to identify and provide:

A description of the proposed activity;

A description of the environment that may be affected by the activity and the manner in which the physical, biological, social, and economic aspects of the environment may be affected by the proposed activity;

The identification of all legislation and guidelines applicable to the development;

A description of environmental issues and potential impacts, including cumulative impacts, that have been identified;

Details of the public participation process conducted to date; and

A Plan of Study for Environmental Impact Assessment (refer to Chapter 9) including the methodology that will be adopted in assessing the potential impacts that have been identified, including specialist studies or specialised processes that will be undertaken.

Based on the Environmental Scoping Study (ESS) undertaken, it can be concluded that there are no fatal flaws associated with the project. Potential environmental impacts have been highlighted and will be further investigated in the EIA phase. The methodology that will be used for assessment of potential significant impacts is contained in Chapter 9 (Plan of Study for EIA).



9 PLAN OF STUDY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT Potential environmental impacts (biophysical and social) associated with the proposed gas plant upgrade, have been identified in the Environmental Scoping Study (ESS). No fatal flaws or highly significant impacts have been identified to date. All potentially significant and cumulative impacts will be further investigated and assessed within the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) phase of the project. Mitigation measures will be contained in the Environmental Management Programme (EMPr) to be compiled during the EIA phase. Mitigation measures recommended in the ESS will also be included in the EMPr.

The EIA phase will aim to adequately assess and address all potentially significant environmental issues in order to provide the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (GDA&RD) with sufficient information to make an informed decision regarding the proposed project.

9.1 Approach to undertaking the EIA Phase of the Project The following points below outline the proposed approach to undertaking the EIA phase of the project. It is believed that the proposed approach will adequately fulfil the competent authority’s (GDA&RD) requirements, the requirements of the EIA Regulations (2010) and the objectives of environmental best practice, so as to ensure transparency and to allow an informed decision regarding the project to be made.

9.1.1 Authority Consultation Ongoing consultation with GDA&RD, the Municipality (City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality), Ward Councillor, and all other authorities identified during the Environmental Scoping Study (ESS) phase of the project (and further ones that may be identified during the EIA phase) will continue throughout the duration of the project. Authority consultation is therefore seen as a continuous process that takes place until completion of the environmental investigations.

9.1.2 Aims of the Environmental Impact Assessment The EIA will aim to achieve the following:

to supplement, where necessary, the assessment of the social and biophysical environments affected by the development during the Scoping study;

to assess impacts on the study area in terms of environmental criteria;

to identify and recommend appropriate mitigation measures for potentially significant environmental impacts;

to complete an Environmental Management Programme (EMPr) for the inclusion of proposed mitigation measures; and

to undertake a fully inclusive public participation process to ensure that I&AP issues and concerns are recorded and addressed.

9.1.3 Detailed Studies to be undertaken in the EIA Phase – Air Quality Impact Assessment A detailed air quality assessment will be conducted in the EIA phase in order to provide a better indication of the extent of the impacts expected from the proposed construction and operational phases of this development, dispersion simulations will need to be undertaken. During the impact assessment phase:

Information gaps in the data provided will be identified;



A qualitative assessment of the construction phase of the proposed operations will be included as part of the air quality impact assessment study, the detail of which will be based on the information provided by AMCC and from information sources from available literature on the subject.

An assessment of the operational phase of the proposed project will be undertaken by evaluating (where possible) both fugitive and point source emissions. Emission rates and source characteristics obtained from the client will be input into the ISC-AERMOD View dispersion model to predict the off-site air quality impacts. Releases of emissions from storage tanks can be estimated using the Tank 3 programme provided sufficient source specific information is provided by the client. Meteorological input data for the model will be sourced from the closest monitoring station(s) able to provide hourly average meteorological readings. An assessment of compliance will be conducted using available health risk screening levels obtained for the pollutants identified. Comparison will be made to both locally and internationally available health risk levels for these pollutants.

A qualitative assessment of the decommissioning phase of the proposed operations will be included as part of the air quality impact assessment study, the detail of which will be based on the information provided by the client and from information sources from available literature on the subject.

Once impacts have been identified an Environmental Management Plan will be developed which aims to highlight the methods available to be implemented to limit these impacts.

The sources proposed to be investigated include the current plant, quenching plant, boiler and stack emissions as well as fugitive sources such as storage tanks.

9.1.4 Impact Assessment Methodology The potential environmental impacts associated with the project will be evaluated according to it nature, extent, duration, intensity, probability and significance of the impacts, whereby:

Nature: A brief written statement of the environmental aspect being impacted upon by a particular action or activity.

Extent: The area over which the impact will be expressed. Typically, the severity and significance of an impact have different scales and as such bracketing ranges are often required. This is often useful during the detailed assessment phase of a project in terms of further defining the determined significance or intensity of an impact. For example, high at a local scale, but low at a regional scale;

Duration: Indicates what the lifetime of the impact will be;

Intensity: Describes whether an impact is destructive or benign;

Probability: Describes the likelihood of an impact actually occurring; and

Cumulative: In relation to an activity, means the impact of an activity that in itself may not be significant but may become significant when added to the existing and potential impacts eventuating from similar or diverse activities or undertakings in the area.



TABLE 13: CRITERIA TO BE USED FOR THE RATING OF IMPACTS

CRITERIA DESCRIPTION

EXTENT National

The whole of South Africa

Regional

Provincial and parts of neighbouring provinces

Local

Within a radius of 2 km of the construction site

Site

Within the construction site

DURATION

Permanent

Mitigation either by man or natural process will not occur in

such a way or in such a time span that the impact can be

considered transient

Long-term

The impact will continue or last for the entire operational life of

the development, but will be mitigated by direct human

action or by natural processes thereafter. The only class of

impact which will be non-transitory

Medium-term

The impact will last for the period of the construction

phase, where after it will be entirely negated

Short-term

The impact will either disappear with mitigation or will

be mitigated through natural process in a span shorter than

the construction phase

INTENSITY

Very High

Natural, cultural and social functions and processes are

altered to extent that they permanently cease

High

Natural, cultural and social functions and processes are

altered to extent that they temporarily cease

Moderate

Affected environment is altered, but natural, cultural

and social functions and processes continue albeit in a

modified way

Low

Impact affects the environment in such a way that natural,

cultural and social functions and processes are not affected

PROBABILTY OF

OCCURANCE

Definite

Impact will certainly occur

Highly Probable

Most likely that the impact will occur

Possible

The impact may occur

Improbable

Likelihood of the impact materialising is very low



Significance is determined through a synthesis of impact characteristics. Significance is an indication of the importance of the impact in terms of both physical extent and time scale, and therefore indicates the level of mitigation required. The total number of points scored for each impact indicates the level of significance of the impact.

TABLE 14: SIGNIFICANCE RATING OF CLASSIFIED IMPACTS

Very Low impact

(1 - 3 points) Impact is negligible.

Low impact

(4 - 6 points)

A low impact has no permanent impact of significance. Mitigation measures are feasible and are readily instituted as part of a standing design, construction or operating procedure.

Medium impact

(7 - 9 points) Mitigation is possible with additional design and construction inputs.

High impact

(10 - 12 points)

The design of the site may be affected. Mitigation and possible remediation are needed during the construction and/or operational phases. The effects of the impact may affect the broader environment.

Very high impact

(12 - 14 points)

Permanent and important impacts. The design of the site may be affected. Intensive remediation is needed during construction and/or operational phases. Any activity which results in a “very high impact” is likely to be a fatal flaw.

Status Denotes the perceived effect of the impact on the affected area.

Positive (+) Beneficial impact.

Negative (-) Deleterious or adverse impact.

Neutral (/) Impact is neither beneficial nor adverse.

The suitability and feasibility of all proposed mitigation measures will be included in the assessment of significant impacts. This will be achieved through the comparison of the significance of the impact before and after the proposed mitigation measure is implemented. Mitigation measures identified as necessary will be included in an EMPr. The EMPr will form part of the EIA Report.

9.1.5 EIA Report The EIA Report (EIAR) will contain the following:

Details of the EAP who compiled the report and their expertise to carry out an EIA;

Detailed description of the activity/ies;

A description of the environment that might be affected by the activity and the manner in which the physical, biological, social, economic and cultural aspects of the environment may be affected by the proposed activity;

Details of the public participation process conducted during the Scoping Phase and the ongoing consultation during the EIA phase;

Description of the need and desirability of the activity including advantages and disadvantages that the activity may have on the environment and the community that may be affected by the activity;

An indication of the methodology used in determining the significance of potential environmental impacts;

A summary of the findings and recommendations of any specialist report or report on a specialised process;



A description of all environmental issues that were identified during the environmental impact assessment process, an assessment of the significance of each issue and an indication of the extent to which the issue could be addressed by the adoption of mitigation measures;

An assessment of each identified potentially significant impact, including cumulative impacts, the nature of the impact, the extent and duration of the impact, the probability of the impact occurring, the degree to which the impact can be reversed, the degree to which the impact may cause irreplaceable loss of resources and the degree to which the impact can be mitigated;

A description of any assumptions, uncertainties and gaps in knowledge;

An opinion as to whether the activity should or should not be authorised, and if the opinion is that it should be authorised, any conditions that should be made in respect of that authorisation;

An environmental impact statement which contains a summary of the key findings of the environmental impact assessment; and a comparative assessment of the positive and negative implications of the activity.

A draft Environmental Management Programme (EMPr) and

Copies of any specialist reports and reports on specialised processes.

9.1.6 Draft Environmental Management Programme (EMPr) During the compilation of the EIA, a draft EMPr will be compiled in accordance with the EIA Regulations (2010). The draft EMPr will provide the actions for the management of identified environmental impacts emanating from the project and a detailed outline of the implementation programme to minimise and/or eliminate the anticipated negative environmental impacts. The draft EMPr will provide strategies to be used to address the roles and responsibilities of environmental management personnel on site, and a framework for environmental compliance and monitoring.

The EMPr will include the following:

Details of the person who prepared the EMPr and the expertise of the person to prepare an EMPr;

Information on any proposed management or mitigation measures that will be taken to address the environmental impacts that have been identified in the EIA Report, including environmental impacts or objectives in respect of operation or undertaking of the activities, rehabilitation of the environment and closure where relevant;

A detailed description of the aspects of the activity that are covered by the draft EMPr;

An identification of the persons who will be responsible for the implementation of the measures;

Where appropriate, time periods within which the measures contemplated in the draft EMPr must be implemented;

Proposed mechanisms for monitoring compliance with the EMPr and reporting thereon;

An environmental awareness plan; and

Procedures for managing incidents which have occurred as a result of undertaking the activity and rehabilitation measures.

9.2 Public Participation Process The primary aims for the public participation process include the following:

meaningful and timeous participation of I&APs;

promoting transparency and an understanding of the proposed project and its potential environmental (social and biophysical) impacts;

accountability for information used for decision-making;



serving as a structure for liaison and communication with I&APs;

assisting in identifying potential environmental (social and biophysical) impacts associated with the development; and

the needs, interests and values of I&APs must be considered in the decision-making process.

9.2.1 Advertising The primary aim of adverts in the EIA phase is to provide information regarding the availability of reports for public review, as well as, if necessary, the advertisement of dates of public meetings.

9.2.2 Identification of and Consultation with Key Stakeholders The identification of I&APs and key stakeholders will continue into the EIA phase of the project as the public participation process is a continuous process that runs throughout the duration of an environmental study.

9.2.3 I&AP Database All I&AP information (including contact details), together with dates and details of consultations and a record of all issues raised is recorded within a comprehensive database of I&APs. This database will be updated on an on-going basis throughout the project, and will act as a record of the communication/involvement process.

9.2.4 Consultation and Public Involvement Consultation with I&APs is considered to be critical to the success of any EIA process. Therefore, one-on-one consultation (via telephone calls, fax and emails) and a public meeting (if necessary) during the EIA phase will be undertaken. The aim of this process will be to provide I&APs with details regarding the process and to obtain further comments regarding the project. Minutes of all meetings held will be compiled and forwarded to all attendees. These minutes will also be included in the EIA Report.

9.2.5 Issues Trail All issues, comments and concerns raised during the public participation process of the EIA study will be compiled into an Issues Trail. This Issues Trail will be incorporated as part of the EIA Report.

9.2.6 Public Review of the Draft Environmental Impact Report The draft EIA Report will be made available at public places for public review and comment. A 40 day period will be allowed for this review process. An advertisement indicating the availability of this report for public scrutiny will be placed in the local newspaper (Rekord West). I&APs registered on the project database will be notified of the availability of this report by correspondence.

9.2.7 Authority Review of the Environmental Impact Report After the public review period, all relevant comments received from the public will be considered and included into a final EIA report. This final document will be submitted to GDA&RD for final review and decision-making.

9.2.8 Environmental Authorisation On receipt of the environmental authorisation for the project, I&APs registered on the project database will be informed and its associated terms and conditions by correspondence.

APPENDIX A

LOCALITY MAP

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��!"�

��#�$�

�%

&��&��'��

(��)��*

$+,$

"��,��

-��

.�/��

,��

.��

,��#��

)��

0'��

1��

��

$��

2��

��

��/��/��/��'3��,��#��

+�#��$��+��#�,��.��

($#��4��*

��

��#��

/��/��3��,��

,��/��#��

��3��,��

+�#��$��+��#�

,��.��

$��$/��

��&��5 ��

Existing gas plant

Proposed additional / alternative gas plant

area

APPENDIX B

APPROVAL OF APPLICATION

APPENDIX C

PUBLIC NOTIFICATIONS

BACKGROUND INFORMATION DOCUMENT

~ 1 ~

1. WHAT DOES THIS DOCUMENT TELL YOU? This document aims to provide you, as an Interested and/or Affected Party (I&AP), with background information regarding the application for environmental authorisation for the proposed gas plant upgrade at the coke battery within the ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) Pretoria Works, as well as the required environmental studies to be undertaken. It further indicates how you can become involved in the project, receive information, or raise issues which may concern and/or interest you. The sharing of information forms the basis of the public participation process and offers you the opportunity to become actively involved in the project from the outset. Input from I&APs ensures that all potential environmental issues are considered within the study. 2. AIM OF THE PROJECT The intent of the project is to obtain environmental authorisation for the proposed project in terms of the National Environmental Management Act (No 107 of 1998) as amended and the Environmental Impact Regulations (EIA) which came into effect on 02 August 2010. 3. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AMSA Pretoria Works was an integrated steel works that is in the process of scaling down, with only selected business units set to continue operation. Business units still in operation and of interest is a single 4 m coke battery with 51 ovens (see Figure 1) and associated coal handling plant as well as gas cleaning plant. Coke is produced by the pyrolysis (heating in the absence of air) of suitable grades of coal. Coke is used as a fuel and reducing agent (removes oxygen) in smelting iron ore in the blast furnace and in ferrochrome furnaces. The coke oven battery in Pretoria is currently only producing coke for the ferrochrome industry. As part of the coke manufacturing process, a gas cleaning plant also operates to clean the coke oven gas that is created during the coking process so that the gas can be re-

used as an energy source at the batteries or at the small mill. Some of the excess gas is flared. The new National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act (NEM:AQA) No 39 of 2004 that came into effect on 01 April 2010, grants a five year period during which steps are to be taken by existing plants to ensure compliance with the new standards, as stipulated in the Act.

Figure 1: Coke oven battery In order to comply with strict air quality standards by 2015, AMSA intends upgrading the old gas plant. (See Figure 2) This process will include the replacement of existing units as well as the construction of additional new units, technology and standards.

Figure 2: Current gas plant

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT FOR THE PROPOSED GAS PLANT UPGRADE AT THE COKE

BATTERY WITHIN THE ARCELORMITTAL SOUTH AFRICA PRETORIA WORKS, CITY OF TSHWANE

METROPOLITAN MUNICIPALITY

REF NO: GAUT 002/10-11/E0110

BACKGROUND INFORMATION DOCUMENT

JANUARY 2011

~ 2 ~

The major advantages of the proposed project will include:

• Preservation of approximately 230 jobs.

• Creation of approximately 12 permanent jobs during the operational phase.

• Complying with the NEM: AQA will provide a cleaner and healthier working environment for the AMSA employees and for the surrounding communities.

4. ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES In order to obtain the necessary environmental approval from the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (GDA&RD), a Scoping and Environmental Impact Assessment study will be undertaken in terms of Government Notice No. R. 543, R.544 and R.545 of the EIA Regulations (2010). The following activities are triggered:

Government Notice Listed Activity

R.544 28 and 48 R.545 3; 4; and 5

The draft Environmental Scoping Report (ESR) will, in due course, be made available for public comment for a period of 40 days and registered I&APs will be notified of the availability of the report. Following the public and competent authority (GDA&RD) comment period, the draft ESR will be finalised and submitted to GDA&RD for review together with all comments received from I&APs during this period. 5. WHAT IS YOUR ROLE? If you consider yourself an I&AP for the proposed project, we encourage you to make use of the opportunities created by the public participation process to become involved in the process and raise the issues and concerns which affect and/or interest you, and about which you require more information. By completing and submitting the accompanying registration form, we will ensure that you are registered as an I&AP for the project, and that your concerns or queries regarding the project will be noted. We will also ensure that you are provided with future information pertaining to the project as well as the availability of the draft Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) for comment.

6. COMMENTS AND QUERIES

Please direct all comments, queries or issues to Phyllis Kalele at SSI Engineers and Environmental Consultants. PO Box 25302 Monument Park 0105, Pretoria �: 012 367 5196 �: 012 367 5878 �: [email protected]

~ 3 ~

Figure 3a: Google image of gas plant area within the AMSA Pretoria Works (Courtesy: Google Earth 2010)

Figure 3b: Enlarged detail of gas plant area and new plant relocation area

See enlarged

detail of gas

plant below

Documents

Final Environmental Scoping Report for the proposed gas ...rhdhv.co.za/media/21 april/Final ESR for Authority Review Part 1.pdf · Coke is used as a fuel and reducing agent (removes