| Abstract: | Background
This Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report is prepared in accordance with the
Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation 2012 to assess the impacts of proposed Wind
Energy Project in K Himmafushi. This project is proposed by State Electric Company
(STELCO), which is the utility company operating in the Island. STELCO will implement the
project in association with the Japanese group Komaihaltec Inc, which provides all the technical
input for the project in addition to the wind turbine. The project is administered by the Ministry
of Environment and Energy as part of the Joint Credit Mechanism (JCM) program by the
Japanese government. This environmental impact assessment was carried out by lead consultant
Amir Musthafa, and his team. The construction stage of the project will be undertaken by
STELCO. This is a pilot project formulated in the interest of gaining experience of wind energy
production in the Maldives.
This impact assessment will identify and determine the significance of potential impact of each
major component of the proposed project. Any activity that has a significant impact will be
analyzed in depth and alternatives will be proposed in terms of location and design to mitigate
any adverse impact.
The project is based on the installation and operation of Wind Turbine as a source of renewable
energy in the island of Himmafushi. There are 2 phases to the project; the construction phase
and the operational phase. The impacts are also analyzed based on the 2 phases.
Existing Environment and Project Specifications
The project is proposed to be undertaken in Himmafushi.
The specifications of the wind turbine physical structure are as follows:
o Tower height: 41.5m or 136.15 ft.
o Blade length: 16m, or 52.5 ft
o Nacelle weight: under 18 tonnes
o Tower is divided into 4 blocks of the following weights: 11.6t, 7.1t, 5.8t, 4.9t.
It is proposed to install 1 300kW capacity turbine in Himmafushi. The turbine is expected to
generate 512.1 MWh annually and considering current rates. It is expected that the powerhouse
in Himmafushi can save approximately 120,000 USD annually from the local powerhouse
expenses.
The turbine will be installed at the existing powerhouse facility area in Himmafushi. Thus, there
will not be any necessity to get separate location approval. Soil investigation tests, with
boreholes at over 15m depth show that coral rock was found at the required depths. Therefore,
standard pile foundation is applicable. The pile will be at 13-15m depth from ground level.
Eight such piles will be driven to the ground as the foundation of the tall structure.
Environmental Impacts
Himmafushi has undergone significant developments recently. There has been a major
reclamation project along with shore protection which was completed early this year. Therefore
the island has endured impacts from heavy machineries. Regarding impacts, moderate impacts
are expected at the commencement of the project during mobilization and use of heavy
machinery and setting up site for the proposed project. Transportation of heavy vehicle and
equipment would need to be undertaken with care. There will be moderate impacts during the
piling works, mostly associated with noise and vibrations to a smaller extent. There are no high
rise structures in the area that could be vulnerable due to the piling works. There will also not
be any need for significant vegetation removal. Coconut palms at the project area will however
need to be removed. Two coconut palms would need to be replanted for each palm removed.
During operation stage, there are more prominent impacts. These cannot be fully established at
this stage of the project, and there is a great need to carry out consistent environmental
monitoring. Impacts include those from low frequency sound produced by the turbines,
aesthetic or psychological impacts due to the presence of a tall structure in the island
environment, and more importantly such impacts due to shadow flicker. Additionally, potential
hazards due to the tall structure is also a factor to be considered. However, the turbine has been
designed to withstand strong winds exceeding 70 m/s, which is well in excess of the strongest
recorded in the Maldives.
Mitigation Measures
With regards to mitigation measures during construction stage, most are based on proper project
planning before commencing construction. These include providing training to staff on
behavioral conduct in an island environment, following health and safety guidelines, proper
waste management. Furthemore, care must be taken while unloading heavy machinery and
equipment at the harbor area, and transporting along island roads to the project site. Use of drop
hammer is discouraged for piling works due to the high noise and vibration effects. Operational
stage mitigation measures include those mostly related to monitoring and management. At a
worse case scenario, due to noise in residential areas during night time, operations of the turbine
at night may need to be restricted or the operator may need to provide additional insulation to
residences depending on the outcomes of the monitoring program. This cannot be determined
at this stage. There needs to be a convenient grievance system setup for the local community to
give their feedback to the operator. This is important to keep a well-maintained record of
complaints from the local community regarding any perceived impacts due to the presence of
the turbine.
Positive Impacts
The project will have several positive impacts to the community and more so at a national level.
Benefits to the community include increased awareness in renewable energy technologies, first
hand experience and training in the field, ability to promote the island to tourists as an
environment friendly island, etc. At a national level, the benefits are bigger and is more tangible.
As noted in the Energy Policy and Strategy 2016, “reducing the dependency on imported fossil
fuel and at the same time meeting the ever increasing demand for electricity are the major
challenges the country has” and this project will lay a foundation in achieving this target. The
document states that the short term objective of the Maldives government on this front is to
produce a minimum of 30% of day time peak load of electricity in all inhabited islands from
renewable energy sources by 2018. As this is a pilot project, the groundworks laid by this
project, the experience and analysis will help the government to achieve this.
Consultations
Generally the community expressed both positive and negative perceptions towards the project.
Himmafushi community have had a recent bad experience with tariff charges and electricity
bill payments. As such, the main concern of the community can be concluded as household and
commercial electricity charges per unit and direct community benefits for the community. Some
expressed that they do not desire the project to proceed if the said concerns are not addressed.
Regarding this concernt, the utility company STELCO had informed that setting the tariff is
administered by the central government ministry, the Ministry of Environment and Energy, and
they have no power with regards to this. The Ministry had subsequently informed during
consultations with them, that setting different tarrifs to different islands based on the projects
implemented on the islands is not practiced and will cause additional issues. The Ministry
officials informed that once large scale renewable energy projects are implemented throughout
the country, there is possibility of reducing the tarrif for all the citizens in the future. They also
informed that such large scale projects can only be implemented after pilot projects as proposed
are completed and deemed successful. There were those among the community that accept the
project itself to be of significance to the community and look forward for the implementation
of the project and appreciates the opportunity for Himmafushi to become a cleaner and
exemplary island.
Alternatives
Alternatives for the project including the no project option were also considered. However, it
was recommended the project proceeds as proposed based on the feasibility of implementation
and the small change to environmental impact that the alternatives will bring. Alternative
locations were not really possible at this stage, as the locations has been more or less finalized.
Nevertheless, even if there was opportunity to change location, there would not have been
necessarily better locations to site the turbines in the chosen islands for the pilot project. A
recommended alternative is to incorporate more community benefits during the operation stage
of the project, which would help to offset negative perceptions of the turbine in the long term.
Monitoring plan
A monitoring plan has been formulated for construction phase and operation phase and will be
used to assess the impacts of the proposed system. Monitoring plan is crucial to this project,
more so than other projects that are usually carried out in the Maldives. Due to the experimental
nature of this project, it is vital to get all data related to the project well monitored and recorded
including perceptions of the community towards wind turbines. It is very important to
understand the dynamics between the residential areas and the turbine. Findings from the
monitoring program will be used to re-evaluate the mitigation measures to reduce any
significant negative impact on the environment. The findings will also assist to better plan for
future similar projects, and especially those at a larger scale.
Conclusion
The overall environmental impacts of the project have been assessed using peer reviewed
methodology and the results indicated that the proposed project has generally positive impact.
Given that the project has major socio-economic benefits especially at a national scale, and
since minor to moderate impacts at a local level can be mitigated the project is not regarded as
a highly sensitive project to the environment. Long term impacts on the human environment
due to noise and visual aesthetics is not very conclusive, especially in this environment. Given
the stated facts, it is recommended to allow the project to proceed as proposed with the
mitigation measures and monitoring plan in place. |
