ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT STUDY SUMMARY MORDOGAN WIND FARM, TURKEY

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1 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT STUDY SUMMARY MORDOGAN WIND FARM, TURKEY 1. Introduction An EIA Not Necessary decision was granted for the Mordogan Wind Farm Project by the General Directorate of Environmental Impact Evaluation, Approval and Audit of Ministry of Environment and Urbanization. However, an EIA Report was prepared considering that it may be needed by potential creditor banks and other institutions; it may be useful in the carbon emission reduction project development process; and within the scope of corporate social responsibility; although the project is exempt from an EIA study according the current regulations and the decision referred above. The EIA Study was conducted and the corresponding EIA Report was prepared by an accredited company according to the regulations. The results were described in the Mordogan Wind Power Plant Environmental Impact Assessment Report. This EIA study gave results indicating that both the project have no significant impacts on the environment. The potential negative effects in environmental, social and economic aspects are minimal and within accepted range described by the relevant legislation. The EIA Report was prepared both in Turkish and English languages. The contents of these two versions are exactly the same. More detailed summary of the report for this EIA study was given below. 2. Mordogan Wind Power Plant Environmental Impact Assessment Report The EIA Study of the project was conducted and the resulting report was prepared by Topcuoglu Mining, Industry and Trade Co. Ltd, a private entity accredited by the General Directorate of Environmental Impact Evaluation, Approval and Audit of Ministry of Environment and Urbanization. The report was published in February The report was divided into ten sections, and an annexes part at the end. The summary was done according to this divisions. SECTION I: DESCRIPTION AND GOAL OF THE PROJECT In this section, the project activity is described. Lifetime of the project is specified and importance of the project for the region and the country in economic and social aspects are discussed. The importance of the project as a wind power plant using a renewable energy source producing no emissions is emphasized giving statistical figures from Turkey and the world. Global warming caused by the emission of greenhouse gases and damage caused by other harmful gases and pollutants are explained. The benefits of wind energy in terms of reduction of greenhouse gases, other harmful gases 1

2 and pollutants are emphasized, giving the fossil-fuel dependent status of Turkish Energy Sector as an example. In the last part of this section, some brief information is given regarding the wind power technology. SECTION II: LOCATION OF THE PLACE SELECTED FOR THE PROJECT In this section, the location of the project area is described. The project is located in Bitiktepe Degirmendagi Kemerdagi Duzlendagi Mordogan Location, near Mordogan Town, in Karaburun District of Izmir Province, in the Aegean Geographical Region of Turkey. The nearest settlement to Mordoğan Wind Farm is Mordogan Town, which is located at 600 meters south-east. There is a residence belonging to Mordogan town at approximately 350 meters away from the project area. The area where the wind farm shall be established is a forest land and it is not suitable for agriculture. There is no private property right established on the land and necessary permissions shall be obtained according to development process of the project. The installed capacity of the power plant is MW. There are 15 wind turbines each having an output power of 2.05 MW. The coordinates of the wind turbines are also given. SECTION III: ECONOMICAL AND SOCIAL ASPECTS OF THE PROJECT Here, a short financial analysis of the project is given. It is stated that 25 % of the project investment is provided by equity capital, and 75 % by debt. Investment cost is given by items. Annual operational costs are also given. Annual incomes are also described, including carbon credit sales revenues. The carbon credit income period is accepted as 21 years, and the price is assumed as 7 Euro/ton. SECTION IV: DETERMINATION OF THE AREA THAT WOULD BE AFFECTED BY THE WIND POWER PLANT AND DESCRIPTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROPERTIES IN THIS AREA In this section the area that would be affected the project activity is described. Physical and biological properties of the project area and the utilization of the natural resources are explained in detail. Geological features of the wind power plant location like tectonic movements, topographic properties, mineral resources, landslide, unique formations, avalanche, flood, rock fall, 1/25,000 geological map etc. are explained. Earthquake risks of the area is evaluated. Hydrological, present and planned utilization of surface water is described. Soil properties and usage characteristics of the area are also examined. Agricultural usage characteristics of the project area are described. It is stated that the project area does not lie or is not near to a natural reserve or any other specific area under protection. Flora and fauna of the area are also examined in detail. 2

3 Figure 1. Earthquake Map of Izmir Province 3

4 Figure 2. Phytogeographical Regions of Turkey (Map prepared by P.H. Davis) ( It is also stated that The Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern Convention) will be obeyed regarding the related fauna species. Information about the climate of the region is given. Wind speed characteristics of the region is also explained in detail. Figure 3. Wind Rose of Izmir Province for Winter Months 4

5 Figure 4. Wind Rose of Izmir Province for Summer Months Social and Economical Characteristics of the region are also mentioned in this section including the status of education, health, culture, tourism, industry and trade. SECTION V: THE IMPACTS OF THE PROJECT ON THE REGION DEFINED IN SECTION IV AND THE PRECAUTIONS THAT WILL BE TAKEN In this section, the impacts of the project on the physical and biological environment are defined. Legal, administrative, and technical precautions that will be taken to mitigate and alleviate these impacts are explained for both the preparation, construction and installation phase and the operational phase separately and in detail. First, the activities during the land preparation, construction and instalment phase, the impacts on the physical and biological environment and the precautions that will be taken are explained. Information is given regarding where the excavations and how much excavation will be done within the scope of works to be done to prepare the land; and the usage, transport and storage of inflammable, explosive, dangerous and toxic materials to be used during excavation. It is calculated that the total amount of excavated material during the construction phase will be 11,817 m 3. This excavated material will not be transported somewhere else; but will be used in the environmental and landscape design, and in the correction of degraded lands in the region, depending on the inclination. The total dust emission is calculated as kg/hour. This is below the legal threshold of 1 kg/hour; and so an acceptable value. The solid domestic waste amount is calculated as 26.8 kg/day for the construction phase; and 6.7 kg/day for the operational phase. The total wastewater amount is calculated as 4 m 3 /day for the construction phase; and 1 m 3 /day for the operational phase. 5

6 The grounding works and lightning rod instalment are mentioned. The effect of noise for the land preparation, construction and instalment phase is evaluated using noise models. The nearest settlement to Mordoğan Wind Energy Plant is Mordoğan Town, which is located at 600 meters south-east. There is a residence belonging to Mordoğan town at approximately 350 meters away from the project area. According to the calculations, the noise level remains below the limit value set out in the Regulation on Assessment and Management of Environmental Noise as of 100 meters. Since duty machines shall not be operated simultaneously and since the noise sources are not fixed tools, the noise level shall remain below the calculated value. Therefore, the noise to come into existence during the activity shall have no adverse effect on the residential units. Other activities that will done during the land preparation, construction and instalment are also evaluated in terms of their effects on the physical and biological environment. No significant potential negative impacts could be found. All the potential impacts that could be specified are within the acceptable range defined by the legislation. The potential impacts of the project for the operational phase are also evaluated in the EIA Study and mentioned in the report. The maintenance affairs of the wind farm is discussed. The main issue regarding the maintenance of the wind turbines is the annual periodic change of the gearbox lubricant oil. The waste oil will not be stored and will be taken away according to the regulations. Waste oil treatment will be done strictly in line with the corresponding legislation. All the necessary precautions will be taken to prevent any potential oil leakage. Electromagnetic impacts of the wind turbines are also examined. Electric and magnetic fields that will be produced by the wind turbines are evaluated. With reference to the up-to-date and the most recent scientific research findings related to this field, it is concluded that the electromagnetic effects of the project can only be considered significant only for the locations very near to the turbines; and in general and for normal distances, the overall electromagnetic impacts are minimal and within acceptable range. Light reflection and shadow flicker effects are also discussed. To minimize light reflection, the turbines are dyed with light dull grey colour in line with the international standards. No shadow flicker effects could be found. The impacts on the bird life is examined in an ornithological study contained in the EIA and found to be minimal and acceptable. The effect of the project on the communicational facilities like telephone lines, radio and TV transmitters are also evaluated and found to be significant only for places very near to the turbines. No potential negative impacts of the project on the forest land could be found. The procedures related with the firefighting will be done according to the relevant legislation. The noise impact of the project activity during the operation is also evaluated by using models. The nearest settlement to Mordogan Wind Farm is Mordogan Town, which is located at 600 meters southeast. There is a residence belonging to Mordogan town at approximately 350 meters away from the project area. The noise level remains below the limit value set out in the Regulation on Assessment and Management of Environmental Noise as of 500 meters. Therefore, the noise to come into existence during operation shall have no adverse effect on the residential units. Provisions of the "Regulation on Assessment and Management of Environmental Noise" of No shall 6

7 be obeyed at the operation stage of the project. Therefore, the noise to come into existence during operation shall have no adverse effect on the residential units. Hence, the noise level is within the acceptable range. A short cost-benefit analysis is done for the wind turbines in general, and wind power plants are found to be favourable. SECTION VI: THE IMPACTS THAT MAY HAPPEN AFTER THE OPERATION HAS STOPPED AND THE CONTINUING IMPACTS, AND PRECAUTIONS THAT WILL BE TAKEN AGAINST THESE The lifetime of the project activity is specified as 25 years in the EIA Study. The equipment having completed their lives will be renewed and put into operation. When the project activity has been terminated, all the turbines and towers will be dismantled and area that has been covered by the turbine towers will be converted to its natural state. SECTION VII: PROJECT ALTERNATIVES In this section, the possible alternatives of the project are compared with reference to location selection, technology, and the precautions that will be taken. An order of preference is made for these alternatives. The dependence of Turkey on fossil fuels in electricity generation, and inadequacy of hydroelectric power to compensate this is emphasized. The pros and cons of the wind power technology are discussed and it is concluded that wind power is the best alternative among the electricity generation technologies available in the region. SECTION VIII: MONITORING (FOLLOW-UP) PROGRAMME In this section, the monitoring programmes proposed for the constructional, operational, and postoperational phases are introduced. The bylaws related with the electrical installations, noise, solid wastes, water pollution, air pollution, and occupational health and safety are mentioned. The precautions and measures stated in the previous chapters for environmental, economic and social aspects are summarized. Emergency Response Plans for Occupational Accident, Fire and Earthquake are shown in in detail in figures. In brief, it is stated in this chapter that all the necessary precautions and measures shall be taken to eliminate or minimize all the potential negative effects of the project within the scope of the relevant legislation. SECTION IX: PUBLIC PARTICIPATION In this section, it is stated that a public participation meeting has been held in order to inform the local people in the project area region and to receive feedbacks. It is mentioned that no negative feedback has been taken. 7

8 SECTION X: CONCLUSIONS In this section, all the explanations given are summarized. A general evaluation is made in which important environmental impacts of the project are listed and the extent to which the potential negative environmental impacts can be mitigated in case the project is realized is specified. The preferences among the alternatives within the scope of the project and the reasons of these preferences are explained. The legislation that will be obeyed during all the phases of project development is explained and listed. ANNEXES In this last part, there are critical documents about the project like reports and maps. These include generation licence, 1/25, 000 scale topographic and geological maps, Turkey Wind Atlas, photographs of the project area, Ornithology Report, etc. Some examples of these are presented below: 8

9 Figure 5. 1/25,000 Topographical Map of the Project Area with Wind Turbine Locations (Blue Circles) 9

10 Figure 6. Land Asset Map of the Project Area Showing Soil Types and Wind Turbine Locations (Blue Dots) 10