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PROJECT BACKGROUND INFORMATION DOCUMENT
Botswana’s 11th National Development Plan for 2017-2023 highlights the importance of ensuring
security of electricity supply and any failure at Eskom during the next few years will have a
significant and negative impact on Botswana’s economy if Botswana is still dependant on Eskom for
electricity supply. As such, the Government of Botswana has approved an initiative to facilitate
holders of Coal Bed Methane (CBM) prospecting licenses to develop a well field and CBM power
plant at a production cap of 100 MW. The Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) is to procure the
power at sustainable, cost-reflective tariffs.
Sekaname (Pty) Ltd (a Botswana registered company and subsidiary of Kalahari Energy Limited)
therefore wishes to generate electricity by constructing up to a 100 MW gas engine power station
and a supporting gas well field network within a coal bed methane mineral concession area.
Sekaname has therefore appointed Ecosurv Environmental Consultants (Pty) Ltd to undertake the
Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) Study for the proposed gas abstraction and
power station.
The proposed 100 MW project would be located in the Mmashoro area of the Serowe/Palapye Sub-
District of the Central District, to the western side of the A14 highway which runs from Orapa to
Serowe. This area is located 22 km north-west of Paje. The area under study is 295 km² as indicated
in the Figure below (project location Map). The area is divided into northern and southern sections
for the well field development. The anticipated lifespan of the project is 30 years.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS
INTRODUCTION
PROJECT BACKGROUND INFORMATION DOCUMENT
The produced power would be evacuated to the Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) grid via a 220
kV transmission line to Serule which would be approximately 80 km long. It would connect to the
existing 220 kV infrastructure at this point. The well field would initially consist of approximately 260
wells, each serving a 16 hectare area (the wells would be 400 m apart) followed by approximately
350 wells, each serving a 32 hectare area (wells here would be 570 m apart). All the wells would be
drilled over the 30 year life of the facility. The total area to be included in the study that could
potentially be covered by wells is 295 km². The overall concept of the proposed development
showing the necessary infrastructural components is shown in the figure below.
PROJECT BACKGROUND INFORMATION DOCUMENT
Approximately 250 temporary construction workers would be required for the well drilling exercise,
300 - 500 workers for the midstream facilities and 500 to 700 for the power station and downstream
work (1000 - 1500 workers in total). These employees would be accommodated in a self-supporting
main camp on site. For safety reasons, no temporary (or permanent accommodation) would be
located inside the power station construction area. All ablutions would be plumbed into a central
septic tank. Sewage removal would be done by bowser and disposed of at the Serowe sewage
ponds. Geysers at the camp would be 250 litre solar. Water supply would be from water tanks
mounted on stands and pipe work would have a 25 mm hdpe supply. Five boreholes would be drilled
for domestic water use. The boreholes would also supply water for field operations, especially
during the initial drilling phase until the water treatment facility and water reticulation is in place.
Water emanating from the wells would be collected into a maximum of two storage tanks each with
a volume of approximately 2 000 m³. A reverse osmosis plant will be installed for cleaning the water
to Botswana’s potable drinking water standards (BOS32: 2015). The reverse osmosis plant would be
designed for an initial capacity of up to 10 000 m³ per day to cater for the high initial water
production rate. It is anticipated that at least 7800 m³/day of purified water and 2000 m³/day of
concentrated brine will be produced initially. The volume of water production will reduce over the
lifetime of the project. Clean water will be pumped to a new BPC Southern Wellfield Storage pump
station, as well as being used internally to the well field for drilling and other purposes. The brine
from the desalination plant will be collected to evaporate from two 840 m x 420 m evaporation
ponds (70 ha). The general layout of the water treatment plant is shown in the figure below and it
comprises of an area of 120 m x 70 m.
PROJECT BACKGROUND INFORMATION DOCUMENT
The existing land use in the area is ranching and four farms are located within the project area. The
proponent proposes to lease portions of these farms and to acquire one of the farms. With the
exception of the larger infrastructural requirements for the proposal (e.g. power plant area), the
land would continue to be used for agricultural activities and ranching. The displacement of people
or property is not anticipated.
The following are some of the project related activities or requirements:
Well field and related infrastructural components;
Water treatment plant;
Gas Engine Power Station;
220 kV Transmission Line Route To Serule;
Gas and Water Collection and Compressors’ Station;
Waste Storage Area and Recycling Yard;
Labour for Construction, Operations and Maintenance;
Temporary Construction Phase Housing and Office/Workshop Facilities;
Construction Phase Drillers’ Camps (Kalahari Gas Corporation);
Operations and Maintenance (O&M)/ Permanent Labour Housing and Facilities; and
Access off the A14 and Internal Roads.
The following potential impacts could occur as a result of the development of the proposed project:
Drawdown of groundwater levels as a result of pumping water from coalbeds during the
CBM extraction;
Methane gas flaring would generate greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2);
Soil erosion of disturbed areas during construction and decommissioning/closure phases;
Contamination of soils due to seepage from brine ponds, construction equipment, vehicle
spillages, material storage, general waste and sewage effluent;
Disturbance to key habitats and species within the project area;
Noise impacts during construction and operation phases;
Loss or disturbance to archaeological, paleontological and cultural heritage resources;
Visual impact and visual quality of the project area and its sense of place;
Influx of workers to the area could have negative social impacts in the nearby towns,
including pressure on local social resources e.g. schools etc.;
Delivery of a well-priced and reliable supply of electricity to Botswana;
Increased (physical and financial) access to and availability of electricity in the country;
Botswana to obtain independence from external sources of electricity;
Creation of job opportunities during construction and operation phases;
Transfer of skills and skills development;
Community social responsibility benefits; and
Reduced greenhouse gases from the power plant when compared to the emissions from a
coal-fired power plant.
POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF THE PROJECT
PROJECT RELATED REQUIREMENTS/ACTIVITIES
PROJECT BACKGROUND INFORMATION DOCUMENT
A number of specialist studies will be carried out as part of the Environmental and Social Impact
Assessment (ESIA) process. Specialist studies will commence during the scoping phase and these will
include:
Social impact assessment studies;
Archaeological impact assessment studies;
Air and noise quality studies;
Hydrogeology risk assessment; and
Biodiversity studies.
The objective of the ESIA is to determine how the proposed project could impact on the
environment and on the livelihoods of people. The ESIA findings will influence the final project
design and form the basis for an environmental decision and possible approval of the project by the
authorities. The ESIA process will conform to the requirements of the EA Act of 2011 that prescribes
the following approach:
Scoping Phase: This phase involves the identification of concerns, issues and impacts of the project
and defines the scope of work to be considered in the ESIA. The study will focus on the potential
positive and negative impacts that may be caused by the project.
Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment Phase: This entails identification and assessment of
possible impacts (environmental and social) of the proposed activity, detailed specialist
investigations, recommendation for mitigation measures and the preparation of an Environmental
Management Plan (EMP). An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be submitted to the
Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) at the end of this Phase. The figure below depicts the
legislated EIA process.
SPECIALIST STUDIES
ESIA PROCESS
PROJECT BACKGROUND INFORMATION DOCUMENT
Anyone who is interested or affected by the proposed project has a right to participate in the ESIA
process. Please make use of the following opportunities:
Study the information made available in this Background Information Document;
Contact the consultations team to obtain further project information, and/or raise issues and concerns (contact details provided on the attached comment sheet);
Register as an Interested and Affected Party in order to receive future project information and/or formally record issues and concerns;
Complete the Comment Sheet (attached) and return by hand, mail, fax or e-mail; and
Attend the public stakeholder meeting to obtain further project information, interact with the Project Team, and/or raise issues and concerns. A public meeting will be held at the following place:
Place Date Time
Mmashoro Kgotla 12th November 2018 0800hrs
Majwanaadipitse Kgotla 13th November 2018 0800hrs
Paje Kgotla 14th November 2018 0800hrs
Tshimoyapula Kgotla 16th November 2018 0800hrs
The purpose of the meeting will be to formally announce the project, the ESIA process and provide
interested and affected parties (I&APs) with an opportunity to ask questions and raise concerns
related to the project and ESIA process and to record these questions and concerns. These concerns
will then be addressed during the ESIA process.
Parties involved in the process
The following parties have been identified as key stakeholders in the ESIA processes:
Stakeholder list* Reason for identification
Mmashoro, Paje, Majwanaadipitse, Tshimoyapula and Serule communities
Communities within the vicinity of the project area.
Serowe Sub-District Development Committee (Sub-DDC).
Main district planning structure that oversees implementation of Sub-district’s planning documents/tools.
Key government departments not represented at the Sub-district meeting such as;
The Department of Waste; Management and Pollution Control;
The Department of Water Affairs;
Botswana Geo-science Institute;
Positioned to advise on the national planning implications of the proposed project.
Botswana Power Corporation Positioned to advise on the planning implications of the proposed project.
Directly affected parties e.g. farmers The proposed project lies within a number of leasehold ranches.
INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE
PROJECT BACKGROUND INFORMATION DOCUMENT
*Preliminary stakeholder list
If you would like to participate in the ESIA process of this project, kindly fill in your personal details,
make your comments in the sheet below and return to: Miss Carol Sethunya Pansiri
Postal address: P. O. Box 201306 Gaborone
Telephone number: 3161533
Fax number: 3161878
E-mail: [email protected]
Please fill in your personal details below:
TITLE NAME
ORGANISATION
ADDRESS
TEL NO
FAX NO
CELL NO
COMMENTS (Please use additional sheets if you wish)
Highlight issues that you feel should be addressed as part of the Environmental and Social Impact
Assessment (ESIA):
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Non-Governmental Organizations such as Khama Rhino Sanctuary.
Positioned to advocate and lobby for environmental related issues.
COMMENT SHEET
PROJECT BACKGROUND INFORMATION DOCUMENT
Provide any additional comment(s) or issues if any:
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Kindly highlight names and contact details of neighbours/interested or affected parties who you
believe should be added to the mailing list:
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Your participation was highly appreciated.