Iron Mineral Beneficiation Services (Pty) Ltd

Transcription

1 Compiled in terms of Section 29 of the Regulations in terms of Chapter 5 of the National Environmental Management Act, APPLICANT: Iron Mineral Beneficiation Services (Pty) Ltd PROJECT TITLE: IMBS Fines Nigel LOCATION: The Remaining Extent of Erf 12, and Erf 53 of Pretoriusstad Township, Registration Division I.R., Gauteng Province. REPORT COMPILED BY: Andrew Nicholson Neil Robinson DATE: March 2008 GDACE REFERENCE: Gaut 002/07-08/N1138 UMHLABA ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTING cc CK Reg: 2004/002962/23 Tel: +27 (11) P.O. Box Fax: +27 (11) Fairland umhlaba@telkomsa.net 2030

2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: COPYRIGHT WARNING: Unless otherwise stated, the copyright in all text and other matter (including the manner of presentation) is the exclusive property of Umhlaba Environmental Consulting cc. It is a criminal offence to reproduce and / or use, any matter, technical procedure and / or technique contained in this document, without written consent.

3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This is the scoping report for an environmental authorisation process for a proposed plant that converts ironore fines into hot briquetted iron (HBI). In parallel at the same site, a process to make ferrochrome out of superfine chromite feedstock will be operated. The site is situated on a 3.5 hectare plot of land in the Pretoriusstad Township industrial zone, near Nigel, in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng. LEGISLATION, POLICIES AND GUIDELINE DOCUMENTS: The principle legislation governing this project is the National Environmental Management Act, Act 107 of 1998 (NEMA). This Scoping Report forms part of the Environmental Impact Assessment process to meet the requirements of the Regulations in terms of Chapter 5 of NEMA published in Government Notice (GN) 385. Other prominent legislation that requires the IMBS Fines Plant to obtain authorisations are the: Air Pollution Prevention Act, Act 45 of 1965 (APPA); Required the application of an air pollution prevention permit; National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act, Act 39 of 2004 (NEMAQA); Ekurhuleni has been defined as a high priority area in terms of emissions. This act is in the process of replacing APPA and requires specific air quality standards to be achieved; National Water Act, 1998 (Act 36 of 1998) (NWA); BASELINE ENVIRONMENT: The baseline environment is influenced by the fact that the site is zoned as Industrial 3 by the Nigel Town Planners, and as a result the area is dominated by heavy to medium industry. The identified plot of land is heavily disturbed, and holds no apparent aesthetic or conservation value, in terms of heritage aspects, fauna, and flora. The area can expect typical Highveld climatic conditions. Although undermined by historical gold mining activities, the risk of surface instability is very low. Atmospheric and noise level information for the site is lacking. Socio-economically, the area and surrounds is under serviced by basic amenities, and the unemployment rate is high, and wealth is extremely unevenly distributed amongst the population. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT There are two processes involved in this project. The first takes superfine iron-ore, passes it through an electrically powered reduction unit (with devolatised coal) and produces HBI. The second processes various grades of superfine chromite, via a DC arc furnace (without pelletising), to produce ferrochrome and slag granules. Raw materials are brought on to site via rail or road, and products leave via the same routes. HBI and ferrochrome will be used as raw materials for steel and other alloy manufacture. The slag from the ferrochrome process will be used as road construction material, or possibly as extender in cement. The plants will process 6500 tonnes of iron ore and 4100 tonnes of chromite per month, producing 4000 tonnes of HBI and 2000 tonnes of ferrochrome per month. It is expected that the project will directly provide work to 100 people, most of whom will be trained on the job. ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND POTENTIAL IMPACTS Surface water: The potential environmental issues identified so far are the quality of the surface water in the area. Although IMBS Fines will not discharge effluent into the water system, the baseline of water surface quality must be established prior to construction. Atmosphere: Gaseous emissions and fugitive dust are expected to impact occur as a result of the project Socio-economic: Direct employment of approximately 100 people, indirect employment via support services, reprocessing of waste dump material from the mining industry, and innovative use of waste streams from the process (slag) can be considered positive socio-economic impacts. High electricity consumption given the current energy crisis in South Africa and an increase of rail and road traffic to the area could be considered negatively in terms of socio-economic impacts. IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page ii

4 PLAN OF STUDY FOR EIA Key concerns with respect to the IMBS Fines Plant have been identified, assisted by the public participation process. The Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIA) will describe the IMBS Fines process in detail, breaking it up into distinct unit processes or activities. The impact of the various aspects of those activities will be assessed using the EAP s impact assessment methodology. The methodology will provide an indication of the severity of each impact in terms of the consequence of the impact occurring, and the probability and frequency of the occurrence. In assessing the impacts, the EAP will be assisted by the findings of a number of specialist studies that have been or will be commissioned, namely a Specialist Air Quality Study, a Noise Impact Study, a Traffic Impact Assessment, and a Surface Water investigation. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PROCESS I&APs have been notified of the IMBS Fines Nigel project via newspaper advertisements, site notices posted at and near the proposed site, visits to all neighbours in Pretoriusstad providing them with a copy of the BID, telephonically, and via a public meeting held on 27 February I&APs main concerns have been with respect to air emissions, business opportunities, dust, noise, traffic, and water. All of the concerns will be fully addressed during the EIA phase of the environmental authorisation, assisted by the information gathered and expert opinions of specialists conducting specialist studies. IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page iii

5 CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY... II LEGISLATION, POLICIES AND GUIDELINE DOCUMENTS:...II BASELINE ENVIRONMENT:...II DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT...II ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND POTENTIAL IMPACTS...II PLAN OF STUDY FOR EIA...III PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PROCESS...III 1 INTRODUCTION DETAILS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT PRACTICTIONER (EAP) REG 29. 1(A) BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT LOCATION OF THE PROJECT LEGISLATION AND GUIDELINES CONSIDERED REG. 29 1(E) DESCRIPTION OF THE RECEIVING ENVIRONMENT REG 29. 1(D) CLIMATOLOGY GEOLOGY SURROUNDING LAND USE SURFACE WATER GROUNDWATER AIR QUALITY NOISE REGIONAL SOCIO-ECONOMIC STRUCTURES ENVIRONMENTAL PARAMETERS NOT CONSIDERED DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT REG 29(1)(B) DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND POTENTIAL IMPACTS REG. 29 1(F) POTENTIAL IMPACTS ENVIRONMENTAL PARAMETERS NOT CONSIDERED TO BE IMPACTED PLAN OF STUDY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT REG 29(1)(I) TASKS AND SPECIALIST STUDIES TO BE UNDERTAKEN REG 29(1)(I)(I) METHOD THAT WILL BE ADOPTED IN ASSESSING POTENTIAL IMPACTS REG 29(1)(G) AND REG 29(1)(I)(III) ONGOING PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PROCESS REG 29(1)(I)(IV) A PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PROCESS REG 28 (A) A.1 STEPS TAKEN TO NOTIFY INTERESTED AND AFFECTED PARTIES (I&APS) A.2 PROOF AND DETAILS OF NOTIFICATION A.3 SUMMARY OF ISSUES RAISED AND COMMENTS RECEIVED A.4 FULL LIST OFINTERESTED AND AFFECTED PARTIES B REFERENCES C APPENDICES... I APPENDIX A DETAILS OF EAP... II APPENDIX A.I APPENDIX A.II DETAILS OF COMPANY AND CV OF PROJECT LEAD... II CV OF TEAM MEMBER... III APPENDIX B ZONING CERTIFICATE...IV APPENDIX C INTERESTED AND AFFECTED PARTIES CONSULTATION SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS V APPENDIX C.I APPENDIX C.II APPENDIX C.III APPENDIX C.IV APPENDIX C.V APPENDIX C.VI BACKGROUND INFORMATION DOCUMENT...V SITE NOTICE...VI NEWSPAPER ADVERTISEMENTS...VII PROOF OF RECEIPT OF BID...IX PUBLIC MEETING ATTENDANCE REGISTER...X PRESENTATION BY UMHLABA ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTING...XI IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page iv

6 APPENDIX C.VII APPENDIX C.VIII PRESENTATION BY IMBS...XII MINUTES OF PUBLIC MEETING HELD ON XIII LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.1: Location of proposed project, in Pretoriusstad Township, near Nigel... 3 Figure 1.2: Close-up of Pretoriusstad Township, indicating approximate position of IMBS Fines - Nigel site (Image from Google Earth (2008))... 3 Figure 2.1: Summary of the NEMA EIA process... 5 Figure 3.1: The long-term ( ) and more recent ( ) average rainfall and average number of rain-days recorded for the SAWS station at O.R. Tambo... 2 Figure 3.2: Mean monthly evaporation recorded, for the period 1957 to Figure 3.3: Long-term monthly maximum, minimum and mean temperatures recorded for the SAWS station at O.R. Tambo, between 1961 and Figure 3.4: Annual average wind rose recorded for the SAWS station at O.R. Tambo, for the period 1989 to Figure 3.5: Monthly average wind rose recorded for the SAWS station at O.R. Tambo, for the period 1989 to Figure 3.6: Geological Lithology representative of the Nigel Area (Biljon, 2007)... 9 Figure 3.7: Surrounding landuse Figure 3.8: Surface water features and topography Figure 3.9: Boreholes in the vicinity of Pretoriusstad Figure 3.10: Groundwater flow Figure 3.11: Location of solid waste sites in Ekurhuleni. Source Air Quality Management Plan Figure 3.12: Energy source for heating with Ekurhuleni Figure 3.13: The population density within the Ekurhuleni Municipality (STATS SA, 2004) Figure 3.14: Current flora on the IMBS Fines Plant site Figure 4.1: Simplified process flow diagram, illustrating both the iron and ferrochrome processes Figure 6.1: An example of an Impact Significance Chart with Consequence plotted as a function of Probable Frequency, with regions of high, medium, and low Significance Figure 1.1: Advert published in Nigel Heraut on 23 January, Figure 1.2: Advert published in The Star on 23 January, Figure 1.3: Notice board No.1 -- Affixed to fence surrounding proposed site Figure 1.4: Notice board No.2 -- Affixed to board at intersection coming into Pretoriusstad township Figure 1.5: Notice board No.3 -- Affixed to the Nigel municipal office notice board Figure 1.6: Map indicating sites visited and provided with BID. Yellow stars indicate position of notice boards IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page v

7 LIST OF TABLES Table 1.1: Details of EAP... 2 Table 1.2: Details of EAP Personnel... 2 Table 3.1: Long-term 24-hour maximum, monthly maximum and monthly minimum rainfalls recorded for the SAWS station O.R. Tambo, between 1961 and Table 3.2: Maximum rainfall intensities recorded for the SAWS station at O.R. Tambo, between 1972 and Table 3.3: Comparison of rainfall and evaporation data recorded for the SAWS station at O.R. Tambo, for the period 1957 to Table 3.4: Incidents of extreme weather conditions recorded for the SAWS station at O.R. Tambo, for the period 1961 to Table 3.5: Characteristics of quaternary catchment C21E Table 3.6: Surface water quality monitoring results Table 3.7: The ecological status of the Blesbokspruit (GDACE, 2004) Table 3.8: Hydro Census Boreholes - Measured Groundwater Levels Table 3.9: Water quality analysis Table 3.10: Population of ward Table 3.11: Employment figures for Wards Table 3.12: Highest education levels attained by over 20 year olds, for Ward Table 3.13: The number of people utilising each dwelling type within Wards 38, 39, 40 and Table 4.1: Raw material inputs and product outputs for both processes Table 6.1: Summary of environment impact assessment indicators Table 1.1: Interested and affected parties APPA BID CEO CFO DME DRI DWAF EAP EIA GDACE HBI I&AP IMBS NEMAQA tpm NWA SAWS ABBREVIATIONS: Air Pollution Prevention Act Background Information Document Chief Executive Officer Chief Financial Officer Department of Minerals and Energy Direct Reduced Iron Department of Water Affairs and Forestry Environmental Assessment Practitioner Environmental Impact Assessment Gauteng Department of Agriculture Conservation and the Environment Hot Briquetted Iron Interested and Affected Parties Iron Mineral Beneficiation Services (Pty) Ltd National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act tonnes per month National Water Act South African Weather Service IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page vi

8 1 INTRODUCTION Iron Mineral Beneficiation Services Proprietary Limited (IMBS) has commissioned Umhlaba Environmental Consulting cc to undertake the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for their proposed project in Pretoriusstad Township, near Nigel, in Ekurhuleni Municipality of the Gauteng Province. An application for the scoping procedure in terms of the Regulations of Chapter 5 of the National Environmental Management Act, 1998 (Act No. 107 of 1998) was submitted to GDACE on 18th December 2007, and instruction to proceed with the application was provided on 19th December 2007 under reference number Gaut002/07-08/N1138. This document is the scoping report for the above-referenced environmental authorisation. Its intention is to facilitate a better understanding of the nature of the legal, social and environmental issues applicable to this particular project. Its intention is also to provide a more detailed description of the proposed industrial process. Further, it lays out the process that has been followed, and will continue to be followed, in consulting parties who are interested in and affected by the project. This scoping report will first describe the legal climate governing the environmental authorisation in Section 2. This section lists and describes all legislation and guidelines that are applicable to the IMBS Fines Nigel project. Section 1 follows this by providing a description of the receiving environment into which the IMBS Fines project will enter. It elaborates on the environmental and social conditions present in Pretoriusstad, and identifies possible information gaps that must be addressed in the future. The industrial process that all of this document revolves around is described in some detail in Section 4, and explains, in broad terms, how IMBS intend to manufacture iron briquettes and ferrochrome from superfine, powder-like ore. Section 5 describes the environment issues related to the process that are believed to be of potential concern, and Section 6 shows how the Environmental Assessment Practitioner (EAP) intends to go about deciding how serious those impacts really are, and possibly identifying others, during the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Section A is a little different to the other sections. While the other sections describe actions that are planned to occur, section A describes events that have already occurred the public participation process so far. This is why it is not numbered Section 7. Section A shows the efforts that the EAP has gone to so far in identifying, notifying, and consulting with I&APs. The public participation phase is not yet over, and the manner in which public participation is planned to proceed is described in Section 6.3 The rest of this section provides the details of the EAP and a brief description of the project. IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 1

9 1.1 DETAILS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT PRACTICTIONER (EAP) REG 29. 1(A) The details of the EAP for this environmental authorisation process are: Table 1.1: Details of EAP COMPANY: Umhlaba Environmental Consulting cc PHYSICAL ADDRESS: No.9 Geonett House Gardens Business Park Ateljee Street Randpark Ridge POSTAL ADDRESS: P.O. Box Fairland 2030 TELEPHONE: (011) FAX: (011) The personnel from Umhlaba conducting the Scoping and Environmental Impact Assessments are: Table 1.2: Details of EAP Personnel PROJECT LEAD: Andrew Nicholson TEAM MEMBER Neil Robinson Additional information on the EAP company and personnel involved in the project is attached in Appendix A. 1.2 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT The IMBS Fines Nigel project is a proof of concept process used to manufacture Hot Briquetted Iron from superfine iron-ore feed material, without the need to agglomerate the fine powered ore. This novel approach to iron manufacture has been proven on the laboratory and pilot plant scale. This plant will be the first commercial scale installation of the new technology that will operate for profit. Included on the site will be a ferrochrome plant that will take chromite feedstock and produce ferrochrome via smelting in a DC arc furnace. As with the iron-ore, the feed material will be extremely fine. The project is expected to directly employ around 100 people, most of whom will be trained on the job, including temporary employment during the construction phase. The project is undergoing an environmental authorisation process (in particular the scoping and EIA process) due to the fact that smelting and reduction materials produces off-gases that require an Air Pollution Prevention Act (APPA) permit. IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 2

10 1.3 LOCATION OF THE PROJECT Figure 1.1: Location of proposed project, in Pretoriusstad Township, near Nigel Figure 1.2: Close-up of Pretoriusstad Township, indicating approximate position of IMBS Fines - Nigel site (Image from Google Earth (2008)) IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 3

11 2 LEGISLATION AND GUIDELINES CONSIDERED REG. 29 1(E) An identification of all the legislation and guidelines that have been considers in the preparation of the scoping report. The overarching legal framework for which guides the requirements of this project are derived from the Constitution of South Africa, 1996 (Act 108 of 1996) and the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act, 2000 (Act 3 of 2000). The following section only identifies and explains the applicable environmental legislation for the IMBS Fines project which has been considered for the preparation of the Scoping Report Overarching applicable legislation National Environmental Management Act, Act 107 of 1998 (NEMA) NEMA is the overarching legislation applicable to this project. The principles documented within Chapter 1, Section 2 of NEMA provide overall environmental guidance. This Scoping Report forms part of the EIA process to meet the requirements of the Regulations in terms of Chapter 5 of NEMA published in Government Notice (GN) 385 which were promulgated on 21 April The activities which trigger a requirement for an EIA are documented within GN 386 and GN 387. GN 386 list the activities that would require a basic assessment and GN 387 list the activities that would require a scoping report route to be followed. The IMBS Fines project triggers the following activities within GN 386: ACTIVITY NUMBER ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION 1 (b) The construction of facilities or infrastructure, including associated structures or infrastructure, for The above ground storage of 1000 tons or more but less that tons of ore 1 (c) The construction of facilities or infrastructure, including associated structures or infrastructure, for The storage of 250 tons or more but less than tons of coal 16 (b) The transformation of undeveloped, vacant or derelict land to Residential, mixed, retail, commercial, industrial or institutional use where such development does not constitute infill and where the total area to be transformed is bigger than 1 hectare The IMBS Fines Nigel project triggers the following activities within GN 387: ACTIVITY NUMBER ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION 1 (e) The construction of facilities or infrastructure, including associated structures or infrastructure, for any process or activity which requires a permit or license in terms of legislation governing the generation or release of emissions, pollution, effluent or waste and which is not identified in Government Notice No. R. 386 of The competent authority for this application is the Gauteng Department of Agriculture Conservation and Environment (GDACE). GDACE were consulted in terms of Regulation 5 of GN 385 for advice on the process to be followed. Confirmation of the requirement to follow the Scoping and EIA process due to Activity 1(e) in GN 387 was received in a letter dated 22/11/2006. The EIA process is regulated according to GN 385 of 2006 which was promulgated in terms of Section 24 of NEMA. Figure 2.1 below is a flow diagram of depicting a summary of the Scoping and EIA process to be followed. IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 4

12 Figure 2.1: Summary of the NEMA EIA process Emissions The following legislation is applicable to the potential emissions associated with the proposed project; Air Pollution Prevention Act, Act 45 of 1965 (APPA) The IMBS Fines plant will result in emissions into the atmosphere. According to the second schedule of APPA, the process can be categorised as: 30.Iron and steel processes: That is to say, processes in which iron, iron ores, steel or ferro-alloys are produced or processed so as to give rise to noxious or offensive gases; or involving the cleaning of castings and handling of casting mould materials. IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 5

13 As a result of the emissions that can be expected from the process, a permit application must be submitted to the Chief Air Pollution Control Officer. It is a result of this permit requirements which categorises the IMBS fines plant under Activity 1(e) in GN 387. It must be noted that the APPA is scheduled to be entirely repealed by the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act, Act 39 of 2004 (NEMAQA) NEMQA was promulgated in February 2005, but to date has not come into full effect. It is the intention of this Act to reform the current air quality legislation and to provide national standards regulating the monitoring, management and control of air quality. Ekurhuleni has been designated a priority area in terms of section 18 of NEMAQA. The specialist study which will be completed for the IMBS Fines project will focus on the requirements of NEMAQA. While still in the transitional period between APPA and NEMAQA, a permit in terms of APPA will be applied for Water National Water Act, 1998 (Act 36 of 1998) (NWA) The objectives of the NWA is to regulate and protect the water resources of South Africa. It is uncertain if the IMBS Fines activity will trigger any requirements for licensing under the NWA. No water will be taken from a water resources as all water requirements will be sourced from an existing service provider. There is no water courses on the site or within 100m of the site. The IMBS Fines plant will construct a small catchment dam (less than m 3 ) to trap any rain water falling onto the site. After consultation with the relevant official from Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF), it was indicated that after reviewing the scoping report, DWAF would determine if a water license, general authorisation or no license would be required for the proposed plant Noise The acceptable noise levels are legislated through The Gauteng Noise Control Regulations (GN 5479), promulgated under the Environment Conservation Act, 1989 (Act No, 73 of 1989), Provincial Gazette Extraordinary Gauteng, 20 August 1999 are applicable. Regulation 8 prohibits the production or cause of a disturbing noise. Disturbing noise is defined as; a noise level that causes the ambient noise level to rise above the designated zone level, or if no zone level has been designated, the typical rating levels for the ambient noise in the district indicated in table 2 of SANS The IMBS Fines Plant will be located within an area designated for industrial activities which has acceptable rating levels for noise (outdoors) set at 70 dba during the day and 60 dba at night Waste management: The following legislation, policies and guidelines are deemed applicable for future waste management requirements of the project; Environmental Conservation Act, 1989 (Act 73 of 1989) Gauteng Provincial Waste Management Policy Minimum requirements for the Handling, Classification and Disposal of Hazardous Waste, 2 nd Edition (DWAF 2004) Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality: Solid waste by-laws By-laws: The following Nigel Town Council by law is applicable; Town council of Nigel, Public health by laws and regulations: 1/4/1/ Guideline documents The GDACE website was consulted for guideline documents and the following were reviewed for this scoping report; GDACE Red Data Sensitivity shape files GDACE Conservation plan version 2. IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 6

14 2.1.8 Other legislation considered but not deemed applicable National Heritage Resources Act, 1999 (Act 25 of 1999) There is no potential for any heritage resources on the property. Currently there is no building or structure on the property. Historically the property has been used for testing ploughing equipment and hence has been ploughed many times. No graves or buried objects have been unearthed through historic ploughing. It is for these reasons that the applicability of this Act is deemed irrelevant. Minerals and Petroleum Resources Development Act, Act 28 of 2002 (MPRDA) The IMBS Fines Plant will be located in the middle of an existing industrial area. There is no possibility of any open cast mining taking place on the site. IMBS are aware that Aflease Gold Limited have a mining right which intersects Pretoriusstad for exploiting gold from existing underground workings which are at depths greater than 300m. According to specialist studies completed for the Aflease Gold Limited mining right application the chance or any surface subsidence as a result of future mining activities is insignificant. Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act, 1983 (Act 43 of 1983) CARA The IMBS Fines Plant will be located in the middle of an existing industrial area. Due to the surround land use the site is not suitable for agricultural activities. There are currently no declared weeds or invader plants located on the site. IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 7

15 3 DESCRIPTION OF THE RECEIVING ENVIRONMENT REG 29. 1(D) A description of the environment that may be affected by the activity and the manner in which the physical, biological, social, economic and cultural aspects may be affected by the proposed activity. Only those aspects of the environmental which may be effected by the proposed IMBS Fines Plant have been described in detail within this section. Where there are shortfalls of information in determining potential impacts by the proposed activity, the appropriate specialist study has been recommended to mitigate the shortfall in baseline information. Environmental parameters that will not be affected have been briefly presented, and a motivation on why these parameter will not be effected has been documented at the end of this section. 3.1 CLIMATOLOGY The regional climatology is included in the description of the receiving environment to provide the reader with an understanding of the climatic conditions anticipated for the IMBS Fines Plant located in Nigel. This information will be used in the future assessment of impacts that are influenced by climatic factors, such as prevailing wind influencing dust fallout, and rainfall patterns influencing storm water run-off. The hydrological cycle in South Africa runs from October to September. Therefore, all climatic information illustrated in the tables and graphs presented in this section of the report are presented from October to September. The nearest South African Weather Services (SAWS) monitoring station with complete and detailed information to the proposed IMBS Fines Plant is O.R. Tambo International Airport ( O.R. Tambo ), located approximately 30km north-northwest of the site. There is a weather station located at Springs (16km north of the site). However the information recorded at this weather station is not as detailed or as long term as that recorded at O.R. Tambo. Upon consulting with SAWS, it was recommended that the weather data from O.R. Tambo should be utilised. The IMBS Fines Plant will be situated at an altitude of mamsl and the weather station is located at approximately mamsl. As there are no topographical barriers between the IMBS Fines Plant and the weather station, it is fair to presume that the long-term weather data recorded at the airport will be representative of the climatic conditions experienced at Pretoriusstad. The SAWS recommends using a minimum of a 30 year period to generate what is known as the normal climatic conditions. This is to allow for the fluctuation in climatic conditions, particularly when considering rainfall. For the purposes of this report, the long-term average data obtained from the SWAS generally includes a 30 year period. However, the averaging period for rainfall may not be the same as the averaging period for wind field data Regional Climate South Africa is characterised by distinct seasonal variation in temperature and rainfall. This is particularly evident on the Highveld where average maximum and minimum temperatures vary between 25.6 C and 4.1 C respectively. Rain occurs predominantly duri ng the summer months, from October to March. Details of the climatic conditions recorded at the SAWS station at O.R. Tambo are presented below Mean Monthly and Annual Rainfall As explained earlier, a 30 year average is considered to be an indication of normal meteorological conditions. However, to provide an indication of more recent trends in rainfall, the rainfall average for the period 1990 to 2003 has also been included for comparative purposes. Based on the long-term average rainfall data ( ), the region is characterised by summer rainfall, with 84% of the annual rainfall occurring between October and March (Figure 3.1). During these months, rain falls over a period of more than ten days in a month (potential for rain every three days). During the drier months, on average rainfall is recorded for three days in a month (potential for rain every ten days). During the 1990 to 2003 period, the rainfall pattern is similar to the long-term average (Figure 3.1). The summer months during this period experience a slight increase in rainfall, while slightly less rainfall was recorded during winter. IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 1

16 Rainfall (mm) No. Rain days Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Long-term rainfall ave ( ) Rainfall ave ( ) Long-term rain-day ave ( ) Rain-day ave ( ) Figure 3.1: The long-term ( ) and more recent ( ) average rainfall and average number of rain-days recorded for the SAWS station at O.R. Tambo Maximum Rainfall Intensities per Month The long-term 24-hour maximum, monthly maximum and monthly minimum rainfalls recorded for the SAWS station at O.R. Tambo, between 1961 and 1990, are given in Table 3.1. Table 3.1: Long-term 24-hour maximum, monthly maximum and monthly minimum rainfalls recorded for the SAWS station O.R. Tambo, between 1961 and HOUR MAXIMUM MONTHLY MAXIMUM MONTHLY MINIMUM MONTH Rainfall Year of Rainfall Year of Rainfall Year of (mm) occurrence (mm) occurrence (mm) occurrence January February March April May June July August September October November December Annual total IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 2

17 Maximum rainfall intensities recorded for the SAWS station at O.R. Tambo, between 1972 and 2001, are given in Table 3.2. Table 3.2: Maximum rainfall intensities recorded for the SAWS station at O.R. Tambo, between 1972 and MIN 30 MIN 45 MIN 1 HOUR 24 HOURS 38.0 mm 58.0 mm 73.6 mm 85.6 mm mm Mean Monthly Evaporation Monthly evaporation figures were obtained from the SAWS evaporation station at the O.R. Tambo, for the period 1957 to The annual average evaporation for this weather station is 2160mm. Based on long-term averages, the highest monthly evaporation is recorded during October (Figure 3.2), despite the fact that the highest average temperatures are recorded between December and February. Figure 3.2: Mean monthly evaporation recorded, for the period 1957 to During all months of the year, the evaporation exceeds rainfall (Table 3.3). The greatest deficit (191mm) is evident during September. For the remainder of the year, the deficit varies between 81mm and 174mm. Table 3.3: Comparison of rainfall and evaporation data recorded for the SAWS station at O.R. Tambo, for the period 1957 to Rainfall ( ) OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP Evaporation ( ) Deficit IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 3

18 3.1.5 Mean Monthly, Maximum and Minimum Temperatures The monthly average of daily temperatures, illustrating the long-term monthly mean, minimum and maximum temperatures are presented in Figure 3.3. As is typical throughout South Africa, there is a distinct seasonal variation in temperature. The mean monthly temperatures are highest (>25 C) between December and February which are typically summer months. Temperatures gradually drop with the lowest temperatures being recorded during June and July (minimum temperatures of 4 C), which are typically winter months in South Africa. Figure 3.3: Long-term monthly maximum, minimum and mean temperatures recorded for the SAWS station at O.R. Tambo, between 1961 and Incidence of Extreme Weather Conditions Incidents of extreme weather conditions are presented in Table 3.4. Thunderstorms: Hail: Fog: Snow: Minimum Rainfall: Maximum Temperatures: The frequency of thunderstorms follows the same seasonal variation as rainfall, with thunderstorms being most frequent during the summer months (October to March). Similarly, hail is most prevalent during the summer months, but has been recorded during the remainder of the year. Incidents of fog occur throughout the year, but are most common between March and July. Snow has only been recorded during winter and early spring. The lowest monthly rainfall recorded during the rainy season (October to March) is between 14% and 44% less than the long-term average. Although not much rain is anticipated between May and September, it is not common to record no rainfall. When comparing the highest maximum temperatures with the average maximum temperatures, the maximum monthly temperatures are 9.8 C to 6.8 C higher than the long-term monthly average. IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 4

19 Table 3.4: Incidents of extreme weather conditions recorded for the SAWS station at O.R. Tambo, for the period 1961 to AVERAGE NO. DAYS WITH MIN HIGHEST MONTH RAINFALL MAX TEMP Thunder Hail Fog Snow (MM) ( C) January February March April May June July August September October November December Annual total Monthly Mean Wind Direction and Speed Annual average and monthly average wind roses have been generated using hourly wind speeds recorded at the SAWS station at O.R. Tambo, between 1989 and 2003 (Figure 3.4 and Figure 3.5, respectively). The wind roses represented below indicate the wind frequencies for the 16 cardinal wind directions. The frequency of occurrence of winds within each direction is indicated by the length of the shaft compared with the dotted circles, representing a 5% frequency of occurrence. At the bottom of each wind rose are wind speed classes. These illustrate the frequencies of occurrence of winds in each category, for each wind direction. The frequency of calm periods, wind speeds are below 1 m/s, are indicated as a percentage value in the centre of each wind rose The predominant wind direction for this region, occurring for ±35% of the year, arises from a northwesterly to northerly direction. Secondary less frequent components arise from the south-westerly and easterly sectors, recording winds for more than 5% of the year (from each sector). The strong gusts (>8.7m/s) recorded for this station are most frequently associated with winds from these prominent sectors. On average, calm periods are recorded as occurring 2.2% of the year. The monthly average wind roses recorded at O.R. Tambo weather station are presented in Figure 3.5. During a year, the frequency of northerly winds remains prominent, with an increase in frequency of occurrence (>20% in a single month) and strength from August to December. It is during these periods that any dust generated from the IMBS Fines Plant would impact on Nigel. However, with the start of the summer rains in October, the generation and transportation of dust between October and December will be reduced. It is important to note that the frequency of winds from other sectors decreases during these months. The decrease in the frequency of occurrence of northerly winds in January is coupled with an increase in occurrence of easterly winds, until March. Thereafter, the prominent wind direction is from the southwestern and north-western quadrants, between May and July. Gusts of wind are recorded between June and December, predominantly arising from the south south-western and northern sectors. IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 5

20 Annual Average Wind speed classification (m/s) > 10.7 Figure 3.4: Annual average wind rose recorded for the SAWS station at O.R. Tambo, for the period 1989 to IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 6

21 January February March April May June Wind speed classification (m/s) m/s m/s m/s m/s m/s > 10.7 m/s IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 7

22 July August September October November December Wind speed classification (m/s) m/s m/s m/s m/s m/s > 10.7 m/s Figure 3.5: Monthly average wind rose recorded for the SAWS station at O.R. Tambo, for the period 1989 to IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 8

23 3.2 GEOLOGY The general geographical stratigraphy is visually represented in Figure 3.6 below. The overlying geology is the Karoo Supergroup. There are no known Dolomites in the local region that could result in instable surface conditions, which could influence the construction of the plant. The main reason for presenting a brief geological description within the scoping report is to highlight the significance of the gold mining in the area. The Main reef is the principal gold bearing reef of the region. Also recognised as a potential high gold bearing reef in the region are the Kimberly Reefs. The majority of the historic mining activities took place on the Nigel Reef. Aflease Gold Limited have a mining right for the reopening of the old Sub Nigel Mine, which could result in mining occurring underneath the IMBS Fines Plant. According to a specialist report completed for Aflease, due to the geological stability of the underground workings and the fact that mining is occurring at depths greater than 300m, the risk of surface subsidence is regarded as insignificant. (Biljon, 2007) Figure 3.6: Geological Lithology representative of the Nigel Area (Biljon, 2007) 3.3 SURROUNDING LAND USE IMBS Fines Nigel plant will be located in the middle of the industrial area known as Pretoriusstad Industrial Township (See Figure 3.7). IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 9

24 Figure 3.7: Surrounding landuse The following description of the surrounding area is applicable for Pretoriusstad Industrial Township; North, South and West: Agricultural land East: Approximately 2km east of Pretoriusstad is the town of Nigel. 3.4 SURFACE WATER The proposed IMBS Fines Plant falls within the quaternary catchments of C21E which forms part of the primary drainage region of the Vaal Catchment area (Midgley et al., 1994). The characteristic of the catchment is provided in Table 3.5. Table 3.5: Characteristics of quaternary catchment C21E. SURFACE AREA (KM 2 ) MAR (MM) MAR (M 3 / A) Quaternary catchment C21E km 2 35 mm m 3 /a Surface Area of IMBS Fines plant (+/- 3.5 hectares) ~ km 2 35 mm 7.00 m 3 /a There are no surface water features on the site or within close proximity to the site (<100m). See Figure 3.8 for an indication of the surrounding surface water features and an indication of the topography of the area. The closest water feature is a dry pan approximately 500m to the east of Pretoriusstad. A storm water channel that runs through Nigel and then into the Blesbokspruit is approximately 1.5 km east of Pretoriusstad. IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 10

25 IMBS Fines Plant 1580 m 1560 m 1540 m Figure 3.8: Surface water features and topography. IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 11

26 The intention for the plant is to ensure that no surface water will run-off the site. The only surface water generated will be from rain events and from water within the raw material brought to site. The small amount of surface water which could be generated on the site will be directed to a catchment dam from where it can evaporate. Should for unforeseen circumstances surface water run off the site, it will flow into a storm water channel next to the site that follows the railway line. Eventually the water would end up in the Klein Blesbokspruit downstream of Nigel Dam, (Nigel storm water drainage system) which subsequently feeds into the Blesbokspruit Surface Water Quality If IMBS Fines Plant were to impact on a surface water body, it would be the Klein Blesbokspruit. Highlighting the current status of the surface water is important as it provides a baseline historic indication of the current quality of the water. The water quality of Nigel Dam which is representative of the Klein Blesbokspruit was tested in September 2005 and again in September The results of the samples (Table 3.6) are compared to the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) guideline limits. Those presented in red exceed DWAF guidelines (DWAF, 1996). Table 3.6: Surface water quality monitoring results. SAMPLE ID UNITS DWAF GUIDELINE NIGEL DAM LIMIT Conductivity Total Dissolved Solids Total Alkalinity mg/l CaCO Calcium mg/l Magnesium mg/l Total Hardness mg/l CaCO Sulphate mg/l Sodium mg/l Iron mg/l 0.1 < Fluoride mg/l Nitrate mg/l N 6 N/A <0.5 Ortho-Phosphate mg/l - <0.1 <0.08 Chloride mg/l Potassium mg/l Manganese mg/l Ammonium mg/l N Aluminium mg/l Lithium ug/l Beryllium ug/l Boron ug/l Titanium ug/l 100 < Vanadium ug/l Chromium ug/l Cobalt ug/l Nickel ug/l Copper ug/l Zinc ug/l Arsenic ug/l Selenium ug/l <0.1 Rubidium ug/l Strontium ug/l Molybdenum ug/l Cadmium ug/l 10 < Tin ug/l 100 < Antimony ug/l Tellurium ug/l 2 < Caesium ug/l Barium ug/l Lanthanum ug/l - < IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 12

27 NIGEL DAM Tungsten ug/l Platinum ug/l - < Mercury ug/l Lead ug/l Bismuth ug/l 250 < From the water sampling results presented above it is apparent that the quality of the surface water in the area has already been negatively impacted upon. The ecological status of the Blesbokspruit River, which the Klein Blesbokspruit flows into, has been monitored and assessed by the River Health Programme. Table 3.7 below summarizes the ecological status of the Blesbokspruit. The information has been extrapolated from the Gauteng State of Environment Report (GDACE, 2004) Table 3.7: The ecological status of the Blesbokspruit (GDACE, 2004). RIVER HEALTH INDICATOR UPPER BLESBOKSPRUIT MID BLESBOKSPRUIT LOWER BLESBOKSPRUIT Habitat Poor Fair Fair Aquatic Invertebrates Poor Poor Fair Fish Population Poor Poor Poor Riparian vegetation Poor Good Poor As is apparent from the assessment, the current ecological status of the Blesbokspruit is poor. It is recommended that additional baseline water quality information is obtained from the existing water in the storm water drainage channel adjacent to the propose location of the IMBS Fines Plant during the EIA. 3.5 GROUNDWATER The baseline ground water information applicable for the IMBS Fines Plant has been extrapolated from an extensive geohydrological survey completed for the Aflease Gold Limited Sub Nigel Mining operation (Biljon, 2007). The boundaries of the mining operation intersect Pretoriusstad township and hence the general information concerning the natural aquifer in the region is applicable. Permission to use the applicable information in the report has been obtained from Aflease Gold Limited and the consultant responsible for the report. The full title of the report is; Rison, September Geohydrological Investigation, Sub Nigel Gold Mine, East Rand Basin Natural Aquifers / depth of groundwater The natural aquifer in the region is water contained within the weathered and fractured Karoo strata (Figure 3.6). There may also be localised perched aquifers in areas where ferricrete has developed. A hydrocensus for the Sub Nigel Mine geohydrological investigation identified 10 boreholes within the vicinity of Pretoriusstad township. The location of the boreholes are shown in Figure 3.9 (pg.15) and the groundwater levels for 2005 and 2007 are presented in Table 3.8, below. IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 13

28 Table 3.8: Hydro Census Boreholes - Measured Groundwater Levels. BOREHOLE ID LOCALITY BOREHOLE DEPTH GROUNDWATER LEVEL (MBGL) Latitude Longitude (mbgl) 13 Sep Sep 07 W Dry W W W W W W Dry W GP GP Dry The variation in depth between 2005 and 2007 is probably attributed to natural climatic variations. As the IMBS Fines plant will not be extracting any groundwater, it is not anticipated to have any impact on the depth of groundwater in the region. Ground water flow in the area is mainly controlled by the Geology of the region and it is known that in the geological terrains around Nigel the groundwater depth generally mimics the topography. This is known as the Bayesian Interpolation. The groundwater levels measured in the hydro census boreholes has proved that this concept is valid for the study area. Figures 3.9 and 3.10 below provides an indication of the location of the boreholes in comparison to Pretoriusstad and the predicted ground water flow in the area. IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 14

29 Boreholes used to provide baseline groundwater information IMBS Fines Plant Figure 3.9: Boreholes in the vicinity of Pretoriusstad IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 15

30 IMBS Fines Plant Figure 3.10: Groundwater flow IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 16

31 3.5.2 Groundwater Quality Table 3.9 shows the results of water analysis of the groundwater from the boreholes belonging to HVH Gold (Pty) Ltd and a borehole belonging to DWAF. See Figure 3.9 (pg.15) for the location of these boreholes. Table 3.9: Water quality analysis DWAF W3 W5 W8 GP146 SAMPLE ID UNITS GUIDELINE LIMIT Conductivity Total Dissolved Solids Total mg/l Alkalinity CaCO < < <2.0 <2.0 Calcium mg/l Magnesium mg/l Total mg/l Hardness CaCO Sulphate mg/l Sodium mg/l Iron mg/l 0.1 < < Fluoride mg/l Nitrate mg/l N < < <0.5 Ortho- mg/l - <0.1 <0.08 <0.1 <0.08 <0.1 <0.08 <0.1 <0.08 Phosphate Chloride mg/l Potassium mg/l Manganese mg/l Ammonium mg/l N Aluminium mg/l Lithium ug/l Beryllium ug/l < Boron ug/l < < Titanium ug/l 100 < < < Vanadium ug/l < Chromium ug/l Cobalt ug/l Nickel ug/l Copper ug/l Zinc ug/l Arsenic ug/l Selenium ug/l Rubidium ug/l Strontium ug/l Molybdenum ug/l Cadmium ug/l Tin ug/l Antimony ug/l < Tellurium ug/l 2 < < < < Caesium ug/l Barium ug/l Lanthanum ug/l - < Tungsten ug/l Platinum ug/l - < < < Mercury ug/l Lead ug/l < Bismuth ug/l 250 < < < < IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 17

32 All the boreholes in the local region that were sampled in 2005 and 2007 are contaminated and show an impact from historical mining operations. Although the data is very limited it is expected that the groundwater quality will be poor in close proximity to existing features such as tailings facilities and rock dumps. 3.6 AIR QUALITY To date no baseline air quality report has been completed. As one of the main impacts associated with the construction and the operation of the IMBS Fines Plant will be emissions, an air quality specialist study has already been commissioned of which the results will be available for the EIA Report. The information concerning baseline air quality has been obtained from the Ekurhuleni Air Quality Management Plan. The air quality of any region is controlled by a combination of a number of factors; viz. climate, topography, and both natural and anthropogenic activities occurring in the area of interest and in surrounding regions (GDACE, 2004). The climate of the site has already been discussed. The natural and anthropogenic activities in the vicinity of the Pretoriusstad (within a 5km radius) that must be considered when evaluating the ambient air quality are as follows: Anthropogenic activities Vehicle emissions. Emissions from other industrial activities Domestic fuel burning. Fugitive dust emissions from agricultural activities. Mining activities e.g existing tailings facilities and rock dumps Natural activities Veldt fires. Fugitive dust emissions from exposed surfaces. The closest air quality monitoring station to Nigel is Springs, which has shown particulates less than 10 micron (PM10) and sulphur dioxide to both exceed guideline limits. Due to the distance between the monitoring station in Springs and Pretoriusstad the monitoring results are not representative of the area of interest. Baseline information for the IMBS Fines Plant will be obtained as part of the scope of work for the specialist study Dust and Particulates Unrehabilitated mine tailings impoundments contribute significantly (~ 9%) to airborne concentrations of particulates and have been identified as a priority sources in Ekurhuleni. Figure 3.11 (pg.19) provides an indication of the various sources of solid waste site (including tailings) which contribute to the poor air quality in the region. From visual observations during the windy months of the year it is apparent that wind blown dust from the historic and current exposed surfaces as a result of mining is a major nuisance for the town of Nigel. IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 18

33 IMBS Fines Plant Figure 3.11: Location of solid waste sites in Ekurhuleni. Source Air Quality Management Plan In addition to the potential direct impact from solid waste sites the plant is locates close to Duduza. The 2001 census reveals that the majority of the fuel used for heating and cooking in this area is coal (Figure 3.12), which again has been identified as a major contributor (~60%) to atmospheric pollution in Ekurhuleni. IMBS Fines Plant Figure 3.12: Energy source for heating with Ekurhuleni Other Gaseous Emissions Other gaseous emissions which will result from the plant will have to be quantified within the specialist study. IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 19

34 3.7 NOISE The IMBS Fines Plant will be located in the middle of a designated industrial area. Current sources of noise in the vicinity of the site include: Noise associated with surrounding industrial activities. Background noise from the existing vehicle traffic within the industrial area The nearest built up residential area is approximately 2 km away from the site. According to Table 2 of SANS (2003), the typical rating for ambient noise levels in industrial districts is; 70 db and 60dB during the day and night respectively for outdoors and 60 db and 50 db during the day and night respectively in doors with open windows. A baseline noise assessment is required in order to quantify the current noise levels at Pretoriusstad and determine the impact of the IMBS Fines Plant. 3.8 REGIONAL SOCIO-ECONOMIC STRUCTURES The IMBS Fines plant is located within Ward 38 of the Ekurhuleni Municipality. Ward 38 is located within the Eastern Service Delivery Region of Ekurhuleni. The following overarching facts concerning Ekurhuleni Municipality have been extrapolated from the 2004 State of Environment Report (SoER). Ekurhuleni has a population of 2.4 million 22% of the population live in informal / inadequate housing 40% of the economic active population is unemployed There is an adult literacy rate of 84% There is a dependency ratio of 39.1%. Hence for every 100 people employed there are an additional 39 dependent on them. This is an underestimation as a large portion of the population is unemployed. The gini co-efficient, which measures income equality between the populations, is This represents an uneven distribution of wealth. 98% of the population living below the poverty line is black. The positive HIV infection rate found in tests conducted at public institutions between July 2001 and June 2002 was 52.3% In order to determine the socio-economic parameters applicable for the IMBS Fines Plant the census data from Stats SA have been used. NOTE: All statistical information and related maps provided in this section have been obtained from the Statistics South Africa Web page. Reference to the web address has been provided in the Reference list as STATS SA, Population Density and Growth The population density of ward 38 is less than persons per km 2 (ward 38). See Figure IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 20

35 IMBS Fines Plant Figure 3.13: The population density within the Ekurhuleni Municipality (STATS SA, 2004). Table 3.10 provides information concerning population of the ward 38. The most dominant population group are African (50% of the population). Between 1996 and 2001, the population density increased by 26%. During this period, the African population group is the only group to increase in numbers (by 165%). Table 3.10: Population of ward 38. POPULATION GROUP NO. OF PEOPLE WARD % CHANGE African Coloured Indian White Total population Due to the fact that the IMBS Fines Plant will be located within an established industrial area, there are no residential areas in close proximity to the site. The closest residential area is the town of Nigel which is approximately 2km east of the site Unemployment Estimate for the Area The unemployment rate in ward 38 (Table 3.11) is approximately 34% which is less than the Ekurhuleni average of 40% unemployment. Table 3.11: Employment figures for Wards 38 EMPLOYMENT NO. OF PEOPLE EMPLOYED WARDS 38 % CHANGE Employed Unemployed Not economically active Total labour force IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 21

36 According to the Duduza Local Spatial development framework, 2005 Nigel has the lowest number of formally employed persons in Ekurhuleni and the informal wholesale and retail employment segment provide the largest number of employment opportunities. The areas of Duduza and Tsakane which are located to the North of Pretoriusstad only have 28% and 30% respectively of their economically active population employed. This project will have a positive impact of reducing unemployment in the local region due to the fact that where possible employees will be sourced from the local area Educational Levels The education levels of people over the age of twenty for ward 38 is presented in Table The majority of people in the Ward, who are over the age of 20, have secondary education and Grade 12 education. In 2001 there is still a large portion of the over 20 s who either have only some primary or no schooling. Table 3.12: Highest education levels attained by over 20 year olds, for Ward 38. EDUCATION LEVEL NO. OF PEOPLE - WARD % CHANGE No schooling Some primary Complete primary Secondary Grade Higher Housing Table 3.13 indicates the types of dwellings the population of Ward 38 reside within. On a positive note there has been an increase of 45% of formal housing between 1996 and This is an excellent trend. Less than 10% of the population of the ward live within informal housing. Table 3.13: The number of people utilising each dwelling type within Wards 38, 39, 40 and 41. NO. OF PEOPLE UTILISING DWELLING DWELLING TYPE TYPES - WARD 38 % CHANGE Formal Informal Traditional Other Total households Transportation: Rail: There is an existing rail network in the area and a railway siding that enters the property. The availability of the railway siding was one of the deciding parameters that influence the ideal location of the of the IMBS Fines Plant. Currently the railway siding does not appear to be utilised. Road: There is an existing road network to the property. The current levels of traffic entering and exiting the Pretoriusstad industrial township is currently unknown. A traffic survey will be required in order to identify this information and to make sure that the existing road network can handle the increased road traffic as a result of the proposed project. 3.9 ENVIRONMENTAL PARAMETERS NOT CONSIDERED This section briefly clarifies environmental parameters that have not been considered in detail as it is deemed that they will not be affected by the proposed IMBS Fines Plant. IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 22

37 3.9.1 Status / Aesthetics of the Site The cumulative impact of an additional industrial plant in the middle of an existing industrial township is insignificant. The impacts on the surrounding communities associated with aesthetical aspects will not be changed from the current impact by the IMBS Fines Plant Sensitive landscapes The IMBS Fines Plant will be located within the middle of an industrial area. Through site inspections it is obvious that no sensitive landscapes will be affected. A shapefile of the location of the property was ed through to the GDACE Biodiversity Division. An extract from their response is provided below. With regard to the above project, no specialist biodiversity studies are required. Should a wetland be located during site investigations, a wetland specialist study will also be required. Please note that this information is relevant solely for the study site specified in your request. No wetlands are present on site Flora The site is located in the middle of an industrial area (see Figure 3.7 on page 10). The site is currently grassed (Figure 3.14) due to the fact that it was used to test ploughing instruments for John Deere who manufacture agricultural equipment. They no longer use the site. The likelihood of any sensitive flora species is extremely low. Figure 3.14: Current flora on the IMBS Fines Plant site Fauna Due to the fact the site is located in the middle of an industrial area, only common fauna species are expected. There is no available habitat for the existence of extensive fauna or sensitive fauna Heritage The IMBS Fines Plant is located in the middle of the Pretoriusstad Industrial Area. The site itself historically was owned by John Deere who used the land to test farming equipment and hence the area has been historically ploughed (many times). There are no structures on site and no historical artefacts or graves have ever been uncovered during the historical use of the site. IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 23

38 3.9.6 Soil / Agricultural potential Due to being in the middle of an area zoned for industrial use and surrounding by other industrial activities, agricultural activities are not viable Topography The site is flat and hence topographical features are not relevant for this activity. See Figure 3.8 for an indication of the contours of the surrounding area. IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 24

39 4 DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT REG 29(1)(B) The IMBS Fines Nigel project is the next step on the pathway to a full-size production plant that utilises their proprietary Finesmelt technology. The Finesmelt technology takes superfine iron-ore or chromite, reduces it in a rotary kiln in the case of iron, and ultimately produces iron units in the form of hot briquetted iron (HBI) or ferrochrome for sale as feedstock to steel manufacturers. Methods of iron production are well known, but the Finesmelt technology is a new method developed to utilise the vast amount of available iron oxide fines, generated as waste product from conventional iron ore processing. Finesmelt bypasses the need for agglomeration the usual way to treat superfine material and uses cheaper thermal coal as the reducing agent. Similarly, ferrochrome production methods are tried and tested, but normally involve the reduction of lumpy chromite ore or pelletised chromite fines. Again, the Finesmelt technology takes superfine material (chromite in this case) and processes it without the need for pelletising. Up to this point, IMBS have proven the Finesmelt technology on a laboratory test scale, and on a pilot plant scale. This project will be the first plant using this technology to operate on a commercial scale. This IMBS Fines Nigel project is a proof of concept project that is large enough to be financially sustainable, but too small to be considered a full-scale operation. The laboratory and pilot-plant scale have provided plenty of technical information on the process. Other than being financially successful, the purpose of this project is to gather additional information on managing an operation of this type in a production environment, and to get data on logistics, environmental indicators, social aspects, and so forth. It is hoped that this experience of running a small plant using this technology in a real-world situation will assist IMBS in rolling out future larger-scale operations elsewhere in South Africa and the rest of the world. 4.1 DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED ACTIVITY IMBS s Finesmelt technology can be used to process iron-ore superfines and ferrochrome superfines. The processes are similar in most respects, but do have some differences. IMBS will be processing both materials, iron and ferrochrome, at the proposed plant in Pretoriusstad Township. IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 25

40 Figure 4.1: Simplified process flow diagram, illustrating both the iron and ferrochrome processes The two processes will be described separately in the subsequent subsections. Also refer to the block flow diagram in Figure Iron Process To produce iron from iron ore, it is first necessary to remove the oxygen from the iron ore through a process called reduction. Iron ore is usually in the form of hematite (Fe 3 O 4 )or magnetite (Fe 2 O 3 ), which are both ironoxides. Reduction of the iron ore is achieved by applying heat and introducing a reducing agent (such as coke) to the heated product. Via a number of reaction stages the heated iron ore and coke react to remove the oxygen from the ore, resulting in metallic iron and carbon dioxide gas, as shown below. IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 26

41 Air and coke: 2C + O 2 2CO. Stage One: 3Fe 2 O 3 + CO 2Fe 3 O 4 + CO 2 Stage Two: Fe 3 O 4 + CO 3FeO + CO 2 Stage Three: FeO + CO Fe + CO 2 The iron that leaves this phase is processed mechanically to produce hot briguetted iron (HBI) which is sold on as a product. Alternatively, the metal that leaves this phase can be processed further in a second phase. The second phase adds additional heat to the iron, melting it and preparing it for casting into an appropriate finished product. The information above pertained to iron ore processes in general. The information in the following subsections will describe the specifics of the IMBS Finesmelt process. Raw Materials: The main raw materials are iron ore and a reducing agent (devolatised coal). Iron ore will be delivered to the site via rail, and heaped in a concrete bunker. Devolatised coal will delivered to the site via road, and also stored in a concrete bunker. Iron Ore: The IMBS process can use either magnetite or hematite ores of a sub 2mm fraction. The iron content in the ore must be at least 62%. Ores as small as 20 microns have been processed successfully under test conditions. Where possible, iron ore with minimal chemical contaminants will be used, as these more pure ores yield better products. Reducing Agent Devolatised coal: Thermal coal with a low ash content (10-15%) and a volatiles content of up to 30% is devolatised offsite at 960 deg C to produce a high carbon, low ash and low volatile carbon reducing agent (or reductant). Onsite the coal will be milled down to a size of less than 2mm, and stored in a day bin via a continuous process. The Process: Reduction: First the feed materials must be prepared for processing. The superfine iron ore will be dried at 350 C and stored in a day bin in a continuous process. The devolatised coal will be milled to a sub 2mm fraction before storage in a day bin in a continuous process. This will be followed by blending. In the process of blending the exact recipe requirements of the three primary ingredients will be screw-fed into a weigh hopper in a batch process. From there the material will be fed into a rotating blending drum, and once blended, fed into the blended day bin. The process of reduction begins when the blended material is fed into the reduction feed hopper at a constant temperature of 1050 C. The material will be retained in the vessel for varying periods dependent on the size of the feed. The larger the feed the longer the retention time. Retention will vary between 2 hours and 3 hours. During this reduction process a product consisting of more than 90% metal will be produced. This reduced metallic material will be air-cooled on a conveyor. After cooling, the material will undergo magnetic separation. The non-magnetic fraction can be reworked. The magnetic material will then be stored in a day bin Finished Products The reduced iron will exit the plant in the form of Hot briquetted iron (HBI). To produce HBI, the reduced, magnetic, material will be reheated to 750 C under reducing conditions an d fed into a hot briquetting press on a continuous basis. The press will create the HBI that will be stored for dispatch via rail. If necessary, HBI may also be dispatched via road This final cast product will be stored and eventually dispatched via rail, or if necessary, road. IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 27

42 4.1.2 Ferrochrome Process Ferrochrome is produced via the reduction of chromite, an iron, magnesium, and chromium oxide. The production of ferrochrome normally involves the reduction of lumpy chromite ore (and pelletised chromite fines) with the reducing agent carbon in an AC arc furnace. The high temperatures obtained in the arc process provide the energy necessary (in the presence of a reducing agent) for the reduction of chromite and the melting to ferrochrome. While alternative current (AC) arc furnaces and associated offgas equipment require a lumpy feed material, the direct current (DC) arc technology utilised by IMBS allows for the direct use of fine input materials. The chemistry behind the reactions is similar to that of the iron-ore process, but more complicated due to the more complex metallurgy of the mineral. Further, reduction of chromite takes place at much higher temperatures. Due to the high temperatures required, the ferrochrome production process combines the reduction and melting steps into a single operation (smelting) after which the molten product is tapped from the furnace and cast (ferrochrome) and granulated (slag). The smelting is operated as a batch process. The information above pertained to ferrochrome production in general. The information in the following subsections will describe the specifics of the IMBS Finesmelt process. Raw Materials: The raw materials involved in producing ferrochrome are chromite, the reducing agent (devolatised coal), and silica and lime. All raw materials used in the ferrochrome process are delivered to the site via road. Chromite Chromite ore concentrates (typically UG2 and/or LG6 grades) will be used in the process. Ore size of less than 1mm can be successfully smelted, with the Cr:Fe ratio of the ore being an important variable. Reducing Agent Devolatised coal As for the iron process, devolatised coal, milled to a sub 2mm fraction will be used. Silica and lime: Graded silica sand (approximately 99% SiO 2 and size -1.2mm) and ground unslaked lime (typically 89% available CaO and size -2.34mm) will be added as fluxing agents to adjust slag chemistry. The Process: Raw material preparation: The fine chromite will be dried at 350 C and stored in a day bin in a continuous process. The silica and lime will be pneumatically discharged into and stored in silos. Blending The raw materials will then require blending. The exact recipe requirements of chromite, devolatised coal, silica and lime will be batch weighed and blended. Blends of UG2 and LG6 ores will added, depending on the Cr:Fe ratios of the ores and the grade of ferrochrome product targeted. The blended feed will be transferred to the arc furnace feed bin. Using a timed controller, feed material will be extracted from the bin and fed, via a vibrating feeder and pneumatically operated gate valve, into the arc furnace. Smelting Smelting will take place in the arc furnace. An arc will be struck between the carbon electrodes (cathode) and the metal pins at the base of the furnace (anode), while the blended material is fed into the furnace at a predetermined rate. Smelting is a batch process, and once the desired amount of feed material has been introduced to the furnace, the feeder will be removed and the system allowed to stabilise. Slag and ferrochrome samples will be taken and the bath temperature is adjusted prior to tapping. Furnace off-gases will be extracted, via the furnace hood, into suitable gas scrubbers. The only expected hazardous material to exit in the gas will be sulphur dioxide (SO 2 ), present due to the oxidation of sulphur in the coal. The scrubber will extract this material which will be disposed of at a hazardous waste site. The slag, which will float on the surface of the ferrochrome, will be tapped first and fed into a water stream which serves to granulate the product into a glassy, solid phase of a size similar to coarse sand. This process is called granulation. Then the ferrochrome will be tapped into moulds or blocks before cooling and storage in heaps. IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 28

43 Finished Products: The products from the ferrochrome process are charge chrome and slag. The main product produced will be charge chrome, a FeCr alloy consisting of a minimum of 50% contained chromium. Higher grade ferrochrome products, such as high carbon ferrochrome (consisting of a minimum of 60% contained chromium), may be produced if chromite ores of sufficiently high Cr:Fe ratios are available. The granulated by-product of the process is slag. This material can be used in low value applications (such as road building aggregate), or possibly as an extender for cements Expected process inputs and outputs The following tables provide a summary of the expected magnitudes of material flows in and out of the processes that have been described in the above sections. Table 4.1: Raw material inputs and product outputs for both processes INPUTS TONNES PER MONTH Iron Ore 6500 Devolatised coal 3100 Lime 1400 Chromite ore 4100 Silica 900 OUTPUTS HBI 4000 Ferrochrome 2000 Slag 3000 These process flows are to be facilitated by tonne truck movements a day, 4 block trains per month, the consumption of 15MW of electricity, Supporting structures and activities The initial plant layout has changed since it was first considered, and so a final diagram of the proposed plant layout is not yet available. However, the design of the plant will take a number of management measures into account. Material storage All raw material storage areas and silos will either be constructed from concrete, or appropriately lined to prevent process water from running off into the surrounding environment. Water management A lined settlement dam will be constructed and positioned to collect water that arrives entrained in the raw materials. This water will all be directed towards the settlement dam so that fine material carried by the water will be captured in the dam, and will not be allowed to enter the general water ways. Process water, used in cooling equipment and heated materials, will be continuously recycled and will not be allowed to flow off the site. Relatively small volumes of water are expected to be used, and no process water will be pumped from the site. Atmospheric pollution control Off-gases from smelting and reduction will be produced. These gases will be passed through scrubbers or bag-houses that will remove any hazardous constituents present in the gas. At this point, the main compound of concern is expected to be sulphur dioxide SO 2 present due to the use of coal in the process. The waste material collected in the scrubbers will be disposed off at an hazardous waste site. The material handled on the plant will be extremely fine, and susceptible to generating dust. To prevent the raw materials from blowing away in the wind, IMBS will keep their open-air stockpiles wet with water sprayers. IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 29

44 The drying step that each raw material must undergo takes place indoors, and all dried material is enclosed and transferred via enclosed structures. Other than preventing dust, this is necessary as the presence of moisture has a negative impact on the efficacy of the reduction and smelting processes. In addition to the plant the following structures and services will be located at the site; Laboratory to analyse the chemical constitution of material during the process Site offices Security check points Weigh bridge Railway siding for offload of raw products and loading of finished products Maintenance building Compressor building Sub station Toilet facilities Water and sanitation requirements will be obtained by interlinking with existing local municipal networks. 4.2 DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES IMBS considered a number of alternatives for the project, in terms of location. Alternative sites included Brits, Ekandustria Park, Durban, and others in the Nigel area. Process alternatives for producing the value-added materials that this project will generate exist, but since IMBS wish to use the technology they have developed, they did not seriously consider major process alternatives. However, the available alternatives are briefly covered. It is the author s opinion that there is no alternative land use of the site that adds any value to it, either economic or aesthetic Alternative locations Brits When the project was initiated, IMBS were only looking for a site suitable for producing ferrochrome. This led them to investigate sites in the Brits area, which was closest to the chromite supply. Options included starting a greenfields project at the Camelot Mining quarry site, and setting up plants in the Brits industrial area. These sites were discarded as unsuitable due to electricity supply constraints. Ekandustria Park Ekandustria Park, north of Bronkorstspruit, was the next candidate. This option had the required electrical supply, but jurisdiction issues over the ownership of the park had arisen between the Gauteng and Mpumalanga provincial governments. The uncertainty as to when the dispute would be resolved gave the site additional business risk, rendering it unsuitable for the project. Durban Microsteel Premises The Microsteel operation is under the control of Mittal Steel. Options of establishing the site there were discussed with Mittal Steel management, but the timeframes that Mittal Steel set for making a decision were prohibitive, and would cause undue delay to the project. Other sites in Nigel A number of other sites in the Nigel area were investigated. The other sites were rejected either due to the nature of the surrounding industries, which were considered too lightly industrial. One of the sites had the needed electricity requirements, but had insufficient utility infrastructure in place which would necessitate additional capital outlay to build roads, lay water reticulation facilities, and so forth Alternative process options Process options, other than minor details such as plant layout and conveyor specifications, were not considered as the project s intention is to make use of IMBS s new Finesmelt technology for processing of superfine iron-ore and chromite. IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 30

45 This does not mean that process options do not exist, but rather that Finesmelt technology is an effort to improve on conventional iron and chromite processing methods. For the sake of completeness, the conventional reduction methods for the feed materials for this project are described below. Conventional methods Direct reduction of ore is a well-established technology, using rotary reduction kilns that are fired internally with either gas or coal. IMBS s technology differs in that the kiln is electrically powered, and gas flow velocities are significantly reduced. Further, conventional gas or coal-fired kilns require lumpy ore as feed. In order for conventional methods to process the fine material that Finesmelt deals with, it is necessary to first agglomerate or sinter the fines into lumps. This is an undesired, but normally necessary additional step. This step is not needed with the Finesmelt process. Another option used to reduce fine material is via fluidised bed technology. This technology uses a carefully controlled flow of gas that is fast enough to suspend the fine particles, but not too fast that the particles are blown out of the top of the unit. The iron ore fines are then reduced in this so-called fluidised bed. The disadvantage of this process is that it is more difficult to control and significantly more capital intensive than IMBS s electrically fired rotary kiln technology Alternative uses of the land Previously, the remaining extent of Erf 12 and Erf 53 was owned by John Deere, and was used as a testing ground for agricultural machinery. Currently the land is lying fallow, and no uses other than industrial developments would be suitable as the land is zoned Industrial 3 by the Nigel Town Planning Scheme (copy of zoning certificate in Appendix B. IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 31

46 5 ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND POTENTIAL IMPACTS REG. 29 1(F) A description of environmental issues and potential impacts, including cumulative impacts, that have been identified. Making use of the description of the proposed IMBS Fines Plant, the description of the current baseline environment and the feedback from the public participation process it is possible to identify the potential environmental issues, including cumulative impacts, that could be expected as a result of the project proceeding. This section focuses on environmental parameters that may be impacted on by the proposed IMBS Fines Plant. All those parameters which have been considered, but deemed not to be affected by the project, have been listed at the end of the section. Recommendations on how to determine the severity of the identified potential impacts has been provided within Section 6.1 (on pg.34), the Plan of Study for the EIA. 5.1 POTENTIAL IMPACTS Surface Water The quality of surface water in the area could be affected. This impact should be considered cumulatively as the existing surrounding industrial activities may already have had a negative impact on surface water quality. This can be determined by testing the quality of the existing water in the storm water drain adjacent to the property Atmospheric The proposed IMBS Plant will impact on the atmosphere through the potential for the generation of fugitive dust and the emissions of other gaseous emissions. Dust and other gaseous emissions must be considered cumulatively with the existing levels of emissions as determined through undertaking baseline condition investigations Noise The machinery required for the operation of the plant and the transportation needs of the operation will create noise. The impact of noise must be considered cumulatively with the baseline noise levels created by the surrounding industrial activities Socio-economic The proposed IMBS Fines Plant will create both positive and negative impacts. From a positive point of view in brief the following benefits can be expected to be realised: Direct employment creation for approximately 100 people Indirect employment through procurement of the raw material and equipment required for the construction and operation of the plant Creation of pig iron and ferrochrome through the use of a previous waste by-product of the mining industry. Creation of slag which can be used as an extender in the cement manufacturing industry. From a negative point of view the potential socio-economic impacts are as follows; High energy needs (although lower relative to conventional production methods) Increase local traffic Implement local railway activities IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 32

47 5.2 ENVIRONMENTAL PARAMETERS NOT CONSIDERED TO BE IMPACTED The following environmental parameters have been identified as not being significantly impacted by the proposed IMBS Fines Plant; Geology Surrounding land use Groundwater (as long as potentially polluting areas such as the raw material stockpiles are contained within concrete lined areas) Aesthetics Sensitive landscapes Flora Fauna Heritage resources Soils Topography IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 33

48 6 PLAN OF STUDY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT REG 29(1)(I) a plan of study for the environmental impact assessment which sets out the proposed approach to the environmental impact assessment of the application 6.1 TASKS AND SPECIALIST STUDIES TO BE UNDERTAKEN REG 29(1)(I)(I) In order to pin-point where management measures will be most needed, the EIA will describe the IMBS process in more detail than provided in this scoping report. The description will break it up into distinct process units, or activities, all the way from delivery of raw materials to the site to dispatch of the products. The process description will include all supporting activities that take place on site in Pretoriusstad. Having broken the process up into more manageable pieces, the impacts resulting from each activity will be determined and assessed, as described in Section 6.2. The end result of the assessment will be an indication of the severity of the impacts resulting from each step in the IMBS process, in terms of the consequence and the probable frequency of the impact taking place. Together with the public participation process (detailed in Section A, starting on page 42), the scoping process has already identified a number of key environmental concerns that will require further investigation during the Environmental Impact Assessment phase of the project. During the EIA process, these concerns will be assigned to activities taking place as part of the project. These key concerns are: 1 Air emissions and dust 2 Noise 3 Traffic (mainly road, and to a much lesser extent rail) 4 Water quality and consumption In order to appropriately assess the impacts of these aspects on the environment, specialist knowledge is required. To gain this specialist knowledge that is not immediately available to the EAP, a number of specialist studies will be (and in certain cases already have been) commissioned. In other cases, a discussion of the nature of the aspect with the relevant service provider will be sufficient. The general aim behind the specialist studies and the consultation with service providers is: (a) to gain an understanding of the baseline conditions of the environment where this information is not freely available or obvious; (b) to attain an estimation of the nature of the impact on the environment via process modelling and other methods, based on pilot plant and laboratory scale data from IMBS s Finesmelt technology if applicable Specifically, the scope of the various commissioned specialist studies and consultations are: Specialist Air Quality Study ECOSERV have been commissioned to conduct a specialist air quality study on the proposed IMBS Fines project. This study will cover both gaseous emissions from the plant, and dust fallout. The full scope of their work, according to their proposal is: 1. ECOSERV proposes to review all emissions for the proposed plant configuration in order to provide a emissions inventory for the proposed plant. This will require a site inspection, followed by meetings with the design/technical representative for the proposed plant. This is necessary to establish a comprehensive emission inventory for the plant. It is recommended that all sources be quantified as currently a comprehensive emissions inventory is being asked for by DEAT for permitting of facilities. ECOSERV will also perform a legal and literature review of the proposed operation. Local and international literature sources will be investigated 2.ECOSERV proposes to perform a baseline air quality assessment for the site over a period of 2 months focusing on the following pollutants that have standards or proposed standards in terms of the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act (NEMAQA) this will give a baseline for the area and inform the environmental load in the area and provide validation data for dispersion modelling: (a) PM10 (2 monitors for 2 months) (b) Dust Fallout (4 monitors for 2 months) IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 34

49 (c) Sulphur dioxide (4 sites for 2 months) (d) Nitrogen Oxides (4 sites for 2 months) (e) Benzene (4 sites for 2 months) (f) It is assumed that a person on site can be trained to collect these samples so as to reduce ECOSERV s visits to the site to weekly. This will be to collect daily samples and to audit the previous week of sampling 3. During the air quality assessment, ECOSERV proposes to: (a) ECOSERV will reduce the information collected to a practical monitoring guide. The guide will be summarized as a set of procedures, referenced to internationally-acceptable practices, and a matrix detailing each source, the frequency and type of testing required. The protocol will be internally reviewed to ensure that it is consistent with the intention of ISO The intention is not to make the system ISO-compliant but to provide an initial assessment of any potential areas for improvement in the system. This document will be in a format that would specify the requirements for monitoring of plant during the trial burn period and under normal operating conditions (b) ECOSERV proposes to contract Airshed Planning Professionals to perform a health risk assessment and environmental risk assessment on the emissions from the plant the basic tasks to be performed during this assessment are: i. Source local meteorological data. At least one year s hourly average wind speed, wind direction and ambient temperature data would be required. Ideally five year s data would be used, if available. ii. Prepare meteorological parameters for wind field and dispersion model, including mixing heights and stability parameters iii. Prepare dispersion model input files, including meteorological and emission inventory iv. Simulate atmospheric dispersion of all pollutants under the following scenarios: i. The emissions conditions in 2 and 3 ii. The impact of stack height iii. The impact of various abatement scenarios v. Prepare results for analysis vi. Analyse results (health risk and compliance assessment) vii. Preparation of report 4. ECOSERV proposes to collate all the above information into a comprehensive document that can be used to negotiate the permit to operate for the plant in terms of NEMAQ. 5. ECOSERV will provide a consulting and travel rate for the attendance of any public meetings during the EIA process and with authorities. This will be billed on an hourly basis Noise Impact Study Francois Malherbe of Acoustic Consulting cc has been contacted and has provided a proposal to conduct a noise impact study on the site. The scope of the study would be: Site visit and measurements The purpose of the site visit is to become familiarised with the existing environment in terms of the predevelopment ambient noise climate, the topography of the area, the nearest noise sensitive areas and the presence and influence of existing noise sources. The site visit will also include the taking of noise measurements of existing processes and equipment. The purpose of these measurements will be to provide further detailed information for the modelling process. Ambient noise level measurements The present ambient noise climate in the environment of the proposed facilities will be estimated by the taking of sampling measurements at representative points. All the measurements will be taken in accordance with the procedures specified in SANS Modelling of noise emissions A detailed model will be developed for noise emissions from the iron ore and minerals processing operations. This model will take account of the topography of the area, climatic, diurnal and operational conditions. IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 35

50 Expression of the noise impact The noise impacts will be expressed as contours of the estimated increase in ambient noise levels, and the resulting ambient noise levels due to the noise emissions from the operation. The contours will be superimposed on a scaled map of the area. Assessment of the noise impact The noise impacts will be assessed in terms of the guidelines provided in the applicable provincial regulations and SANS 10103:2004 The measurement and rating of environmental noise with respect to land use, health, annoyance and to speech communication. Mitigation measures If found to be necessary, the effect of mitigation measures will be calculated and illustrated. Reporting A detailed report will provide a description of the method, findings and recommendations of the noise impact study Traffic impact assessment A proposal for a traffic impact assessment has been received from AFRICON. The scope of the assessment, according to their proposal is: Phase 1 Liaise and project understanding: Liaise with client and environmental engineers to understand the number and type of traffic that will be generated by the proposed iron ore plant, The nature of operations example night time driving and related safety aspects on the roads and the facility itself, With a thorough understanding of the planned operations the local authorities and roadsagencies can be consulted for requirements regarding the submission of way leave applications, if required, and Traffic Impact Studies. Phase 2 Current situation Investigation: Detail investigation into the current traffic volumes and structural condition along the municipal, provincial and national routes when applicable, as well as the roads proposed to be used for hauling to and from the mine. Public Participation meetings, only if applicable; Obtain traffic counts or do if not available, Detail investigation of the circulation of traffic in the industrial area. Site visit and visual surveys (road network) Phase 3 Traffic Impact Assessment and Safety related aspects: Description of the proposed development, Description of the existing operational conditions on the road network in the immediate vicinity of the development, Analysis of impact of new traffic(construction and operational phase) on the structure of existing roads and possible remedial measures, Analysis of the proposed accesses to the development, Capacity analysis of the major intersections if applicable, Conceptual design layout and best location of the accesses, Traffic safety considerations at the proposed location of the accesses, Analysis of pedestrian movements and remedial measurements if necessary along roads in the vicinity of the proposed development leading up to the provincial roads, Proposals regarding the accommodation of public transport in the vicinity of the iron ore plant, Professional opinion on expected impact on the road network and existing development. Report to document the findings, Recommendations will relate to: Road Upgrades if applicable Mitigating measures for the impact of the proposed development traffic generated on the road network Safety aspects on roads leading to and from the proposed development, Remedial measures if necessary. IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 36

51 6.1.4 Surface water investigation Rison Groundwater Consulting has provided a proposal to conduct a surface water investigation on the property. The scope of the investigation will be to undertake a baseline surface water assessment which quantifies; (a) the current quality of the surface water in the storm water drain, (b) the anticipated amount of surface water that can be expected to fall onto the site; (c) the required capacity of the catchment dam and; (d) the potential path surface water would take if it left the site 6.2 METHOD THAT WILL BE ADOPTED IN ASSESSING POTENTIAL IMPACTS REG 29(1)(G) AND REG 29(1)(I)(III) information on the methodology that will be adopted in assessing the potential impacts that have been identified, including any specialist studies or specialised processes that will be undertaken. Umhlaba Environmental Consulting have developed an in-house methodology of assessing environmental impacts. The rational behind the methodology is to apply a quantitative approach in assessing environmental impacts that all too often are difficult, if not impossible, to measure. This method assesses the potential impact based on assigned scores for the nature, extent, duration probability, and significance of the identified potential environmental impact Definition of activity, aspect, and impact The terms activity, aspect, impact, and environment will be used technically in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), and so it is important to explain what is meant by each term in the context of the EIA. Examples provided do not necessarily pertain to this particular environmental authorisation, and are provided for illustrative purposes only. Activity: An activity is a specific deed, action, function, or sphere of action that takes place on an industrial operation, such as a mine. - Examples: Drilling Blasting Road-watering Re-vegetation Aspect: An aspect is something which is related to an Activity. Generally it is something which happens as a result of an activity and has an influence on the environment. - Examples: The blasting (an activity) causes vibrations and noise (both are aspects of the activity) Re-vegetation (an activity) causes plant establishment (an aspect) - Note: an aspect can be considered to be a direct effect of an activity. It is neither categorised as positive or negative. It is simply what happens as the result of carrying out an activity. Value judgements on activities and events are withheld until the impact of the activity is assessed. Impact: An impact is the end-result of an aspect that occurred due to an activity that influences or alters the environment. The influence can take place in either a positive or negative fashion. As determining whether an impact is positive or negative involves making a value judgement, Impacts are considered to be subjective. - Examples: Vibrations, an aspect of blasting (an activity), cause structural damage to neighbouring houses (an impact negative from the perspective of the homeowner) Vegetation establishment, an aspect of the re-vegetation programme (an activity), prevents topsoil erosion and returns the area to its original condition (an impact positive from the perspective of soil management and aesthetics) Environment: The surroundings within which humans exist and that are made up of: - the land, water and atmosphere of the earth; - micro-organisms, plant and animal life; - any part or combination of the above, and the interrelationships among and between them; and - the physical, chemical, aesthetic and cultural properties and conditions of the foregoing that influence human health and wellbeing; IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 37

52 6.2.2 Definition of impact indicators Extent of impact: a spatial indicator of the maximum area impacted (in other words, how far from source the impact reaches). The extent indicator is modified by the Regional Factor. - Regional: this factor gives an indication of how the nature of the impact degrades as one moves further away from the source. For example, a high value would indicate that the impact is almost as serious at the full extent of the area impacted as it is at the source of the aspect. Duration of impact: a temporal indicator of the how long the effects of the impact will persist. The duration indicator is modified by the Temporal Factor - Temporal: this factor gives an indication of how the severity of the impact degrades as time passes. For example, a low value would indicate that the impact is much less serious near the end of its duration than at the beginning of its duration. Nature of impact: an indicator of how much damage (or benefit in the case of positive impacts) the impact inflicts on natural, cultural, and/or social functions. Probability of impact occurring: an indicator that estimates what the chances of the impact occurring are. Frequency of an aspect: an indicator that simply states how often an aspect, as a result of a particular activity, occurs. Note that this does not assess how often the impact occurs. It applies only to the aspect. In certain cases, such as with activities like excavating, aspects cannot be isolated discretely in this way. In cases such as that, the value is chosen as the amount of time the aspect occurs relative to the duration of the impact from the aspect. The Probable Frequency of an impact resulting from an aspect how often an impact is likely to occur The Consequence of an impact resulting from an aspect how seriously the aspect will impact on environmental, social, and cultural functions. Significance of an impact: a qualitative indicator of how serious an impact is after taking into account all other indicators. Significance is considered to be either High, Medium, or Low, and depends on the Consequence and Probable Frequency scores for a particular impact. Some additional explanation regarding the defined terms is required: The previously mentioned indicators (Nature, Extent, Duration, Frequency and Probability) are used to define Consequence (in Equation 6.1) and Probable Frequency (Equation 6.2) with the following semiempirically determined formulas: C N E R D T 6.1 where N is Nature a value between 10 0 and 10 10, unitless E is Extent measured in km 2 R is Regional (extent modifier) a rational number between 0 and 1, unitless D is Duration measured in minutes (min) T is Temporal (duration modifier) a rational number between 0 and 1, unitless C is Consequence, unit meaningless pf P F 6.2 where P is Probability a rational number between 0 and 1, unitless F is Frequency a natural number between 1 and 365, measured in occurrences per year pf is Probable Frequency, a rational number, calculated in occurrences per year Note that due to the semi-empirical nature of the formulas, the units used will not necessarily be consistent Example of impact indicator system in use Now take for example, a potential aspect that has a serious Consequence. The greater the Probable Frequency of that aspect, the more significant the impact can be considered to be. If an aspect with a serious Consequence is not Probable, then the potential impact will be low. Thus, Consequence can be considered to be a function of Probable Frequency. IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 38

53 By plotting Consequence versus Probable Frequency on a graph, the Significance of an impact is determined in the following manner: The model typically calculates very large values for the Consequence indicator (up to the order of ). Probable Frequency produces a value between 0 and 365. In order for the two indicators to be useful together, it is necessary to normalise them so that they are both represented as values between 0 and 100. Consequence is normalised logarithmically, while Probable Frequency is normalised linearly. Once normalised, the Consequence of an impact is plotted as a function of the Probable Frequency of the impact, proving the user with a useful visual representation of the EIA on an xy-scatter chart. The xy-scatter chart is defined as an Impact Significance Chart, as in Figure 6.1 below High Significance 80 Med/High Significance 70 Consequence Medium Significance Low/Med Significance Low Significance Probable Frequency Figure 6.1: An example of an Impact Significance Chart with Consequence plotted as a function of Probable Frequency, with regions of high, medium, and low Significance The curves plotted in Figure 6.1 define the regions of High, High/Medium, Medium, Low/Medium, and Low impact Significance. These curves are defined by hyperbolic functions or straight lines. The blue dots in represent hypothetical impacts. Clearly, this rating system is weighted in such a way as to set impacts that are very likely to occur, but have very little consequence, as low. Similarly, impacts with serious consequences but that are unlikely to occur are also rated low. The positions of the boundary curves were defined by trial and error, using qualitative measures of the perceived seriousness of a wide range of impacts from catastrophic aspects through to minor nuisances. IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 39

54 6.2.4 Summary of impact indicators The Environmental Impact Indicators defined above are summarised in Table 6.1. The table also elaborates a little on the value ranges selected for each indicator. Table 6.1: Summary of environment impact assessment indicators INDICATOR Probability of impact Frequency of aspect Extent impact Duration impact Regional extent modifier Temporal extent modifier of of SYMBOL VALID RANGE UNIT P 0 1 unitless F yr -1 E km D yr R 0 1 unitless T 0 1 unitless Nature N 0 10 unitless COMMENTS A probability of 1 indicates that an impact will definitely occur. 0 indicates that the impact has absolutely no chance of occurring. Typically, probability values are chosen in 0.05 increments. Number of times the aspect that causes the impact is expected to occur per year, with the maximum being defined as once per day. In cases where the aspect is not discrete (for example dust generation), the ratio between the duration of the aspect and the expected duration of the aspect s impact is multiplied by 365 to give the value. For example, an impact which has a duration of 20 years, but the aspect only occurs for 18 years would be give an F value of 18/20x365 = Another method would be to determine what fraction of the day the impact persists for (i.e 20hrs of 24hrs) and multiply the fraction by 365. For an aspect that makes a national impact, 625 should be used. This is the radius of a circle that has an area of the land surface of the country years is used to indicate permanent, irreversible damage. Otherwise, the expected duration of the impact in years should be entered into the model. An indication of how the nature of the impact diminishes as one moves further from the source of the impact. 1 indicates that the impact is as severe at the source as it is at the boundary of the extent of the impact. 0.5 indicates that it is about half as severe at the boundary of the impact. An indication of how the nature of the impact diminishes as time passes. 1 indicates that the impact is as severe at the end of the duration of the impact as it is when it first was felt. 0.5 would indicate that at the end of the duration of the impact, it was about half as severe as it was when the impact was first felt. An indication of how serious an impact is considered to be. A major cyanide spill would be considered very serious, and rated 10. Dust emissions hundreds of kilometres from residential areas may be rated 1 or ONGOING PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PROCESS REG 29(1)(I)(IV) This section describes the ongoing public participation process that will be implemented for the duration of the application. IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 40

55 6.3.1 Consultation with competent authorities: GDACE is the competent authority responsible for the application process. See Figure 2.1 on page 5 for an indication of when GDACE will be consulted during the EIA process. In summary GDACE will have the following opportunity to provide input into the process; The reviewing and consideration of the Scoping Report in terms of Section 31 of the EIA Regulations. The reviewing and consideration to the Environmental Impact Assessment Reports in terms of Section 35 of the EIA Regulations. The making of the decision on EIA process. The reviewing and consideration of any reports which have been amended at the request of GDACE Consultation with other interested and affected parties (I&AP s): All the other I &AP s (including officials from other relevant government departments) which have already been identified will have the following opportunities to provide input into the EIA process; A copy of the Scoping Report will be provided (mostly via ) to all registered I&APs with a request for comment. Once completed a copy of the specialist studies will be provided to all registered I&APs whom wish to review the specialist studies. All registered I&APs will be either telephonically or electronically contacted to determine if they would like the specialist studies reports, or not. Once completed a copy of the final environmental impact assessment reports will be provided to all registered I&APs who wish to review the reports. All registered I&APs will be contacted either telephonically or electronically to determine if they would like the reports, or not. A copy of the final environmental impact assessment reports will be left in the local Library for anyone in the local area to review and provide comment. All final reports will be made available on the IMBS website (imbsworld.com) with details on how to lodge comments. All registered I&APs will be informed of the final decision concerning the project made by the competent authority and there right to appeal the decision. Should it become apparent that there is a need for additional capacity building of the I&APs concerning the project, or a need for an explanation of the results of the specialist studies, additional public meetings will be facilitated. The determination of the need for additional public meetings will be based on the content and number of concerns raised by I&APs. Throughout the whole EIA process any person will be provided opportunity to register as an interested and affected and to review any available public documentation concerning the project. IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 41

56 A PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PROCESS REG 28 (A) Describe the process of engagement of identified I&APs, including their views and concerns. This section contains a full description of the process of public participation that has been carried out so far as part of this environmental authorisation. It also details the concerns and comments made by interested and affected parties, and responds to each of the concerns or comments raised, where appropriate. A.1 STEPS TAKEN TO NOTIFY INTERESTED AND AFFECTED PARTIES (I&APS) A multiple approach strategy was employed to notify interested and affected parties of this environmental authorisation. 1 Notices of the public participation procedure were published in two newspapers, the local Nigel Heraut and the regional Star. 2 Public notices were posted at the site, and at the road leading into Pretoriusstad Township. 3 Every neighbour within 100 metres of the proposed site, and every business within Pretoriusstad Township was visited on foot by personnel of Umhlaba Environmental Consulting and Background Information Documents (BIDs) were handed out. 4 Fourthly, representatives of the local community of Nigel, municipal officers of Ekurhuleni, and representatives of other related government departments were contacted telephonically or via , and provided with a copy of the BID. 5 Fifth, a public meeting was held in Nigel where the EAP and the applicant gave presentations to I&APs that provided additional details on the proposed IMBS Fines project. Each of the previous four steps advertised the public meeting. A.2 PROOF AND DETAILS OF NOTIFICATION A.2.1 Newspaper advertisements Copies of the advertisements used in the consultation are shown below. The advertisements were published in both newspapers, namely the Nigel Heraut and The Star, on 23 January, A copy of the full page that the advert was on is included in Appendix C. Figure 1.1: Advert published in Nigel Heraut on 23 January, 2008 IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 42

57 Figure 1.2: Advert published in The Star on 23 January, 2008 Note that the editors of the Nigel Heraut abridged the text of the advert as provided to them. The text provided to both newspapers was as follows: Notice is given, in terms of the Regulations of Chapter 5 of the National Environmental Management Act, 1998 (Act No. 107 of 1998), of an environmental authorisation for a plant that converts iron-ore and chromite fines to pig-iron and ferrochrome for Iron Mineral Beneficiation Services (Pty) Ltd. The plant will be erected on a hectare site registered as the Remaining Extent of Erf 12, and Erf 53 of Pretoriusstad Township, Registration Division I.R., Gauteng Province. This site is in an industrial area to the west of Nigel town in Ekurhuleni Municipality. An application for an environmental authorisation through the scoping procedure was submitted on 18th December Instructions to proceed with the application were provided on 19th December 2007 (reference number, Gaut002/07-08/N1138). IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 43

58 A.2.2 There are two separate processes; one for iron-ore and another for chromite. Each process has dedicated operational units. Iron-ore will be delivered to the site by rail, and chromite by road. These feed-stocks will be blended with lime and devolatised coal. Each blend will be heated in an electricpowered rotary oven to form reduced iron and ferrochrome respectively. These products are each melted in a DC arc-furnace to form molten pig-iron and ferrochrome, with slag as a waste product. The molten pig-iron will be tapped into ingot-size castings and the ferrochrome will be globulised with cooling-water. These final products will be removed from site via rail or road. Slag will be landfilled. For further information on the process, or to register as an interested and affected party, submit your name, contact information and interest in the matter to: Andrew Nicholson on Tel: (011) ; Fax: (011) ; andrew.umhlaba@telkomsa.net ; or in writing to P.O. Box , Fairland, 2030; before 22nd February A public meeting will be held at the Italian Club on the outskirts of Nigel on 27 February 2008 at 17:00pm. Please contact Andrew Nicholson to confirm your attendance at the meeting by 22nd February. Notice boards Representatives of Umhlaba visited the proposed site and surrounding Pretoriusstad Township on 29 January Notices were affixed to the fence around the site and at intersection at the entrance to Pretoriusstad, as seen in Figure 1.3 and Figure 1.4 (photographs taken on 29 January, 2008). The notices gave a brief overview of the proposed operation, invited registration of interested and affected parties, and advertised the public meeting to be held on 27 February, Figure 1.3: Notice board No.1 -- Affixed to fence surrounding proposed site IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 44

59 Figure 1.4: Notice board No.2 -- Affixed to board at intersection coming into Pretoriusstad township In addition to the notice boards placed on and near the site, a notice was also posted on the notice board at the Nigel municipal offices on xxx street. Figure 1.5: Notice board No.3 -- Affixed to the Nigel municipal office notice board A scaled-down copy of the notice is included in Appendix C. The positions of the notice boards are marked as yellow stars in Figure 1.6, on 46. A.2.3 Knock and BID drop-off visits All those in Pretoriusstad Township neighbouring the proposed site were visited by Umhlaba personnel. At each place of business, the Umhlaba representative announced themselves to reception/administration, briefly explained the purpose of their visit, and dropped off a copy of the BID and response form, requesting that it be passed on to the person responsible for the site. A copy of the BID and proof of the delivery of the BID to various parties is included in Appendix C. IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 45

60 The parties visited are indicated on the map below: Figure 1.6: Map indicating sites visited and provided with BID. Yellow stars indicate position of notice boards Key for Figure Supreme Springs 2 Babcock (Ntuthoko Powerlines); including - African Labour Outsourcing Services 3 Marley Pipes 4 Impact Industrial Park; including - Rob Mylorie - Jendelf Supplies - Goldrush Trading - UYS Cage Mfg - PHA Sales and Promotions - Kroon Timbers - B.B Plastic Solutions 5 Nigel Metal Industries 6 Nigel Textile Works 7 J.P.S. Panelbeaters 8 Leblanc Lighting Structures; including - Webb Masts and Towers 9 J.B Plastics Recycling 10 Babcock A.2.4 Liaison with affected government officials The government officials involved in the consultation process are included in the full list of I&APs in Section A.1. IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 46

61 A.2.5 Public meeting A public meeting was held at the Nigel Italian Club on 27 February, All listed I&APs were contacted either on 22 or 25 February to remind them of the meeting, and to confirm their attendance. The meeting consisted of a presentation by the EAP, who explained the environmental authorisation process for the project, followed by a presentation by the CEO and CFO of IMBS describing the industrial process itself. The IMBS presentation also addressed some of the concerns that had been raised by I&APs during the consultation process prior to the meeting. Following the presentations, questions were opened to the floor. Additional concerns were raised and addressed by representatives of IMBS or the EAP. Attendance registers, the minutes of the meeting, and slides of the presentations are available in Appendix C. A draft copy of the minutes of the meeting was sent to all registered attendees. Only one comment was received, elaborating on a request for a noise survey to be carried out. The requested change was made and the final version of the minutes is included in Appendix C.viii. A.3 SUMMARY OF ISSUES RAISED AND COMMENTS RECEIVED The main issues, concerns, and interest raised by the majority of I&APs were with respect to: 1 Air emissions 2 Business opportunities 3 Dust 4 Noise 5 Traffic 6 Water quality and consumption A.3.1 Air emissions Concern I&APs wanted to know the nature of the gaseous emissions that could be expected from the furnace and reduction units, and how these emissions would impact on the environment and on their workplaces. Response A specialist air quality study has been commissioned to determine the exact nature of the emissions. The scope of this study is described in Section (pg.34), and the findings of the report will be made public once they are available. At this stage, the main emission expected will be a sulphur-based gas, evolved in the reaction due to the presence of sulphur in coal. Gas scrubbers will be installed to capture the sulphur. The residue collected in the scrubbers will be disposed of in an appropriate hazardous land fill site, the closest of which is the Holfontein Landfill. Fortunately, residue volumes are likely to be small. The plant is designed in such a way that it will use less air than a conventional iron process and will be controlled on gas velocity. In addition, the process will use electricity as the source of heat. Due to the reasons above, and the fact that only small amounts of coal are used in the process, the volume of residue in the scrubbers will be limited. A.3.2 Business opportunities A great number of I&APs expressed an interest to initiate business relations with IMBS. Unfortunately an environmental authorisation process is not an appropriate forum for this sort of discussion. To pursue possible business opportunities, please rather contact Peter Baker of IMBS via peter@imbsworld.com IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 47

62 A.3.3 Dust Concern Many I&APs were concerned that excessive dust would be generated by the handling of the superfine iron ore and chromite material. Questions were raised as to the manner is which this material would be stored, and prevented from becoming airborne. Response Although the superfine feed-material will be stored in outdoor, open-air bunkers, dust generation will be kept to a minimum as the product will be kept wet using water sprayers. Only once the material is fed into the process will it be dried, but drying will take place indoors, and all conveyors and chutes downstream of the drying process will be enclosed to prevent moisture getting into the raw materials. In addition, the specialist air quality study referred to under A.3.1 will also investigate the nature of dustfall in the area, and model dust generated during materials handling. A.3.4 Noise Concern Although situated within an industrial area, I&APs, especially neighbours, were quite concerned about how noisy the proposed project was likely to be, especially considering the presence of a mill involved in preparing devolatised coal for the process. Response A noise impact assessment will be commissioned, and proposals from noise specialists have been received. The scope of the proposed noise study is described in Section (pg. 35) At this point, noise from the process is expected to be low as all production units will be housed indoors. The noise impact assessment will hopefully verify the accuracy of this assertion. With respect to the noise generated during milling, relatively small volumes (3100 tpm) of material require processing in this way. Thus the specifications of the mill will be for a small machine, and due to its size it is not expected to create excessive noise. As for other production units, the mill will be located in the enclosed plant, the walls of which will dampen the noise. A.3.5 Traffic (road and rail) Concern The establishment of the IMBS Fines project will bring additional traffic to the area (via both road and rail), and there were concerns as to whether or not the infrastructure in the area will be able to handle the additional traffic. Response In terms of rail, only 4 train movements to and from the site are expected each month. At this time, this is not considered significant enough for further study. In terms of road, there will be tonne trucks movements in and out of the site each day. In order to determine the impact of this on the area a specialist traffic survey has been proposed. The scope of the traffic survey is described in section (pg.36) A.3.6 Water quality and consumption Concerns I&APs requested details regarding process water flows, dirty water discharge points, water quality and water use information. Response There are two aspects to water use with the IMBS Fines project. Process water and stormwater. Process water operates within a closed cycle, and is used for cooling, regulating process temperatures, and keeping the fine raw material damp. This process water will never be pumped out of the system via an effluent. The water is not involved chemically in the IMBS Fines process, and actually would actually negatively effect the process should it leak into one of the reaction vessels (furnace or reduction unit). IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 48

63 Despite the water reticulation design being a closed system, water loss through evaporation cannot be avoided. Due to this, a small volume of top-up water will be pumped into the system, but it must be emphasised that no process water will be pumped out of the system. For the stormwater side of the issue, some water will arrive on site mixed in with the raw materials. For examples, typical water volumes in the ore will be around 8%. Once the raw materials are offloaded, this water will slowly drain out of the materials and runoff downhill. To prevent this runoff, which may contain ore particulates, a lined catchment/settlement dam will be established in an appropriate position to prevent this water reporting directly to the municipal water system. This dam will also be design to catch all other runoff on the property, and allow particulates to settle at the bottom. From time to time, the dam will be dredged to remove the particulates and return them to the process. No water (water captured in the ore or storm water falling on the site) would intentionally be allowed to leave the site. If water were to leave the site, say under severe weather conditions, it would run into the storm water drain adjacent to the property. IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 49

64 A.4 FULL LIST OFINTERESTED AND AFFECTED PARTIES Below is a record of parties who have registered as interested in and affected by this environmental authorisation, the concerns they have raised, and responses to those comments. The majority of the comments have already been addressed in section A.3, and frequent reference is made to that section in the table. Table 1.1: Interested and affected parties FIRST NAME SURNAME ORGANISATION INTEREST CONCERNS / COMMENTS Pierre Kruger Aflease Gold Ltd Bianca Bertus Kevin Daphne Gavin Boshoff Becker Kane Ramaphosa Hunter African Labour Outsourcing Services B.B. Solutions Babcock Powerlines Babcock Powerlines Bayete (Pty) Ltd Plastic Minerals Labour recruitment agency. neighbour Neighbour Neighbour Require breakdown on types of employees needed, Effect on Babcock's operations? Must investigate: 1. Dust & gas emissions 2. Rail activity 3. Heavy vehicle routes Concerned about the quantification and the future monitoring of air emissions as a result of the plant. DATE OF COMMENT / CONCERN 2008/01/ /01/ /02/27 1. See A.3.1 RESPONSE TO CONCERN/COMMENT This request lies beyond the scope of the environmental authorisation. Business interest in the project to be direction to Peter Baker via peter@imbsworld.com 1. See section A.3.3 and A & 3. See section A.3.5 Shumani Mavhungu DME Thabisile Rakgotho DWAF Armstrong Simelane DWAF Dipitseng Phaleng DWAF Hellen Nonyane Ekurhuleni Metro 1. Going to hand over the project to a new person at the beginning of March 2.Where will the water discharge point from the site would be? 2008/02/27 1. New representative from DWAF to contact the EAP 2. See A.3.6 IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 50

65 FIRST NAME SURNAME ORGANISATION INTEREST CONCERNS / COMMENTS DATE OF COMMENT / CONCERN RESPONSE TO CONCERN/COMMENT Jake Ceronio Ekurhuleni Metro Ward Councillor - Ward Requested information concerning process water use and surface water discharge from the site. 2. Contradiction between the background information document (BID), which indicated the slag will be sent to landfill, and the presentation, which indicated slag will be sold to the cement industry. 3. Commented that he would appreciate assistance from IMBS to encourage the relevant authorities to complete the double-lane road between Heidelberg and Nigel 2008/02/27 1. See A Subsequent to the BID being published, IMBS became aware of possible markets for the slag, thus minimising waste 3. Noted Wikus van Aswegen Ekurhuleni Metro Will there be sufficient changing rooms for the staff as this was not obvious on the site layout? 2008/02/27 The plant layout shown in the presentation is currently under revision, as the original process design has been revised since the diagram was drawn up. Change houses will be catered for. Riaan Kruger Ekurhuleni Metro C Kapp Ekurhuleni Metro Flip Visser Ekurhuleni Metro -- Environmental Development Dept. Chriso Fourie Ekurhuleni Metro -- Solid Waste Dept. Junior GDACE Coenie Roussou Goldrush Trading Business -- responsible for environmental issues Waste manager Neighbouring tenant -- road transportee: bulk fuel and Requested a baseline noise impact assessment to be carried out in terms of the Gauteng Noise Control Regulations, R5479, as promulgated in terms of the National Environmental Management Act. Road transport? 2008/02/ /02/27 See A.3.4 As this comment is from a trucking company, it is assumed to be a business enquiry. Business interest in the project to be IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 51

66 FIRST NAME Rob Johan SURNAME ORGANISATION INTEREST CONCERNS / COMMENTS Myroie Pavan Bosch Impact Park Italian Club J.B. Recycling Business Plastics Hannes Rootman Jendelf Supplies chemicals Neighbour Public participation venue Neighbouring tenant Neighbouring supply company AJ van Vuuren Jendelf Supplies neighbour Kosie JPS Panel Beaters 1. Dust 2. Electrical use 3. Environmental impacts 4. Security and safety of workers Business relations? 1. If yes, procedure to apply as vendor 2. What impact would suggested operation have on Jendelf stock? 3. When will development start? 4. When will operation be up and running? Concerns: 5. Impact on roads? 6. Impact on electricity supply? 7. Impact on air pollution? 8. Noise levels of the operation? 9. How much water use, and how is contaminated water dealt with? DATE OF COMMENT / CONCERN 2008/02/ /02/10 RESPONSE TO CONCERN/COMMENT direction to Peter Baker via peter@imbsworld.com 1. See A The plant will be a 15 MW plant 3. To be assessed during the EIA. Electronic copies of all study reports will be provided to I&APs 4. Provision for the security and safety of workers will be provided for in terms of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. 1. Business interest in the project to be direction to Peter Baker via peter@imbsworld.com 2. As above 3. Construction to planned to begin in July 2008, through to June Commissioning to begin once construction is complete 5. See A Information on effect of the operation on electrical supply to the area will be determined via consultation with Eskom representatives 7. See A See A See A.3.6 IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 52

67 FIRST NAME SURNAME ORGANISATION INTEREST CONCERNS / COMMENTS Chris Gunter JT Ross Contractor Johaan Lombaard Kroon Timbers neighbour Lynette / Leblanc Lighting Bill Structures Renier Marley Pipe Systems Neighbour Paul Enslin Marley Pipe Systems Neighbour Bruce Carlyn Marley Pipe Systems Neighbour R Mosikidi Marley Pipe Systems Neighbour Arrie De Beer Metro Nigel c.c.c Area Manager for development and planning Nkuna Nigel Correctional Centre Neighbour Anel Nigel Herault Newspaper ad Ria Nigel Metal Industries M Leys Nigel textile Works (Pty) Ltd Barry van Niekerk PHA Sales and Promotions Lana Ignjatovic Private Projects NGO Regional Marlene Holzapfel Private Projects Content Researcher Shaun Nell Steffanutti Bressan Piling & Geotechnical contractors Would like to have their name on the tender list No objections, Welcome industry in the area Wish to tender for geotechnical work DATE OF COMMENT / CONCERN RESPONSE TO CONCERN/COMMENT Business interest in the project to be directed to Peter Baker via peter@imbsworld.com Noted. Business interest in the project to be direction to Peter Baker via peter@imbsworld.com IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 53

68 FIRST NAME SURNAME ORGANISATION INTEREST CONCERNS / COMMENTS Geoff Saunders Supreme Spring Julien Uys UYS Cage Mfg. P/L Willie Schoeman Webb Masts & Towers Garrith Rhodes Zulu Civils Industrial neighbour Environmental filtration business Neighbour -- also business interest Civils and bulk earthworks supplier 1. Water usage and drainage 2. Noise 3. Would the Arc Furnace interfere with the electronic control systems used to control the spring manufacturing process (electrical harmonics.)? 4. Will the iron ore storage bunker be covered? 5. What will the scrubbers on the plant capture? 1. When will plant be built? 2. Can help with environmental issues -- "do" filters required for smelter 1. Are access roads to carry additional traffic? 2. Chances of having all material delivered by rail? 3. Extent/impact of dust/smoke generation on surrounding industries Wish to tender for infrastructure work DATE OF COMMENT / CONCERN 2008/02/ /02/ /02/20 RESPONSE TO CONCERN/COMMENT 1. See A See A Interference via harmonics takes place with AC arc furnaces. In the case of this process, DC arc furnaces will be utilised and do not pose this problem. 4. No, but it will be kept wet to prevent dust. 5. Predominantly sulphur gases that will have evolved due to the presence of sulphur in the devolatised coal. 1. Construction planned to begin in July, Business interest in the project to be directed to Peter Baker via peter@imbsworld.com 1. Yes. An additional tonne trucks per day. 2. Not possible. The rail-line is to provide iron ore fines from Sishen Iron Ore Mine. Chromite sources do not have a rail link 3. See A.3.1 and A.3.3 Business interest in the project to be direction to Peter Baker via peter@imbsworld.com IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 54

69 B REFERENCES Biljon M. 2007: Geohydrological Investigation, Sub Nigel Gold Mine, East Rand Basin. Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (1996). South African Water Quality Guidelines. Volume 1. Domestic Use. Second Edition. Ekruhuleni Municipality 2004: Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality State of the Environment Report 2004 summary. GDACE. 2004: Gauteng State of the Environment Report Gauteng Provincial Government Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Environment. Google, 2008: Accessed via the internet. Google Earth software downloadable from for free Midgley D.C., Pitman W.V. and Middelton B.J. 1994: Surface Water Resources of South Africa 1990, Volume 1 Appendices. Compiled by The Water Research Commission, WRC Report No. 298/1.1/94. Nicholson A 2007: Environmental Management Programme Report for Aflease Gold Limited Sub Nigel Mine SANS 10103:2003 The measurement and rating of environmental noise with respect to land use, health, annoyance and to speech communication, Edition 5. Scorgie Y., Fischer T., and Watson R Air Quality Management Plan for the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality. Report compiled by Airshed Planning Professionals and Environmental Science Associates. Report Number: APP/04/EMM-02b. StatsSA, 2004: Statistics South Africa website, accessable at IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page 55

70 C APPENDICES IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page I

71 Appendix A Details of EAP Appendix A.i Details of Company and CV of Project Lead IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page II

72 Appendix A.ii CV of team member IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page III

73 Appendix B Zoning Certificate nigeltown_zoning_certificate.png IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page IV

74 Appendix C Interested and Affected Parties Consultation Supporting Documents Appendix C.i Background Information Document IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page V

75 Appendix C.ii Site Notice IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page VI

76 Appendix C.iii Nigel Heraut Newspaper advertisements nigel_heraut.png IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page VII

77 The Star Star-top.png star-bottom.png IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page VIII

78 Appendix C.iv Proof of receipt of BID proof of bid receipt1.png proof of bid receipt2.png IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page IX

79 Appendix C.v Public Meeting Attendance Register register1.png register2.png register3.png IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page X

80 Appendix C.vi Presentation by Umhlaba Environmental Consulting IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page XI

81 Appendix C.vii Presentation by IMBS IMBS Fines Nigel: Scoping Report March 2008 Page XII