INTEGRATED WATER USE LICENSE APPLICATION: TECHNICAL REPORT (FOR PUBLIC REVIEW)

Transcription

1 INTEGRATED WATER USE LICENSE APPLICATION: TECHNICAL REPORT (FOR PUBLIC REVIEW) THE CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION OF A 75 MW CONCENTRATING THERMAL POWER PLANT ON THE FARM BOKPOORT IN THE!KHEIS LOCAL MUNICIPALITY, NORTHERN CAPE PROVINCE LOWER ORANGE WATER MANAGEMENT AREA A PROJECT FOR 30 AUGUST 2010

2 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION Client: Report name: Report type: Project name: Bohlweki Project number: Document number: INTEGRATED WATER USE LICENSE APPLICATION: THE CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION OF A 75 MW CONCENTRATING SOLAR THERMAL POWER PLANT ON THE FARM BOKPOORT 390 IN THE!KHEIS LOCAL INTEGRATED WATER USE LICENSE APPLICATION: TECHNICAL REPORT THE CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION OF A 75 MW CONCENTRATING SOLAR THERMAL POWER PLANT ON THE FARM BOKPOORT 390 IN THE!KHEIS LOCAL ONE Authority Reference: Version: DRAFT 2 - PUBLIC REVIEW Compiled by: Author (s) Date / location Signature Charlotte Grobbelaar Reviewer Raveshni Naidoo Frank Benedek Dr Raylene Watson Johannesburg Durban Johannesburg Johannesburg Approval Malcolm Roods Johannesburg Page 1 of 74

3 TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION A: GENERAL INFORMATION INTRODUCTION OBJECTIVES OF THE INTEGRATED WATER USE LICENSE APPLICATION APPLICANT LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENTS National Water Act, 1998 (Act No 36 of 1998) National Environmental Management Act, 1998 (Act No 107 of 1998) National Environmental Management: Waste Act, 2008 (No 59 of 2008) SUMMARY TABLE OF WATER USE ASSOCIATED WITH THE PROPOSED PLANT. 14 SECTION B: PROJECT AND ENVIRONMENTAL DESCRIPTION DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT LOCATION OF THE PROJECT TECHNOLOGY DESCRIPTION Elements of the Trough Technology System The Solar Field The Steam Cycle Loop The Cooling Loop Electrical Generation through the Trough System Technology SECTION C-1: WATER RESOURCE DESCRIPTION THE UPPER VAAL WATER MANAGEMENT AREA The Boegoeberg Water Use Association Water Requirements for the Lower Orange Water Management Area Inter-catchment Transfer Schemes Other water resource availability in the Lower Orange Water Management Area THE PROCESS FOLLOWED DURING THE WATER USE LICENSE APPLICATION Pre-Application Consultation with the Department of Water Affairs: Upington Regional Office The Technical Report and Water Use Registration Public Participation Process Page 2 of 74

4 2.4 Pre-Submission Authority Information Session Submission of the Integrated Water Use License Application SECTION C-2: WATER USE DESCRIPTION SECTION 21 (A) TAKING WATER FROM A WATER RESOURCE SECTION 21 (B) STORING WATER SECTION 21 (C) IMPEDING AND DIVERTING THE FLOW OF WATER IN A WATERCOURSE/ SECTION 21 (I) ALTERING THE BED, BANK, COURSE OR CHARATERISTICS OF A WATERCOURSE Technical Information on the Proposed Submerged Pump Station Information on the Concrete Support Pillars Above Ground Steel Raw Water Pipeline SECTION 21 (G) DISPOSING OF WASTE IN A MANNER WHICH MAY DETRIMENTALLY IMPACT ON A WATER RESOURCE The Evaporation Pond Temporary Handling of Heat Transfer Fluid Domestic Waste Disposal The Proposed Water Balance for the CSP Plant Raw Water Abstraction Fire Protection Potable Water Demineralised Water Wet Cooling Tower Blow Down Cycle SECTION D: PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT PHYCIAL ENVIRONMENT Climatic Conditions Precipitation and Evaporation Rates Topography of the Area Fauna and Flora Water Resource Surface Water Resources Page 3 of 74

5 1.5.2 Ground Water Resources Geological SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT Demographical Population Urban Area Rural Areas Infrastructure Industrial Development SECTION E: SECTION 27 OF THE NATIONAL WATER ACT SECTION 27 (1) (A) EXISTING LAWFUL WATER USES SECTION 27 (1) (B) THE NEED TO REDRESS THE RESULT OF PAST RACIAL AND GENDER DISCRIMINATION SECTION 27 (1) (C) EFFICIENT AND BENEFICIAL USE OF WATER IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST SECTION 27 (1) (D) THE SOCIO ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE WATER USE IF AUTHORISED OR UNAUTHORISED SECTION 27 (1) (E) THE CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT STRATEGY APPLICABLE TO THE RELEVANT WATER RESOURCE The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, The National Water Act The National Water Resource Strategy The Internal Strategic Perspective of the Lower Orange Water Management Area Surface Water Availability Current Water Use Volume Water Quality SECTION 27 (1) (F) THE LIKELY EFFECT OF THE WATER USE TO BE AUTHORISED ON THE WATER RESOURCE AND ON OTHER WATER USERS The Effect of the Water Use on Downstream Water Abstractions The Effect of the Water Use on Resource Availability SECTION 27 (1) (G) THE CLASS AND RESOURCE QUALITY OBJECTIVES OF THE WATER RESOURCE Page 4 of 74

6 8 SECTION 27 (1) (H) INVESTMENTS ALREADY MADE AND TO BE MADE BY THE WATER USER IN RESPECT OF THE WATER USE SECTION 27 (1) (I) THE STATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF THE WATER USE TO BE AUTHORISED SECTION 27 (1) (J) THE QUALITY OF THE WATER IN THE WATER RESOURCE WHICH MAY BE REQUIRED FOR THE RESERVE AND FOR MEETING INTERNATIONAL OBLIGATIONS Water Quality Ecological Reserve Determination: (Lower Orange ISP) SECTION 27 (1) (K) THE PROBABLE DURATION OF ANY UNDERTAKING FOR WHICH A WATER USE IS TO BE AUTHORISED SECTION F: PUBLIC PARTICIPATION INFORMATION ADVERTISING OF THE PROJECT AND PROCESS IDENTIFICATION OF KEY STAKEHOLDERS, GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS, LANDOWNERS AND I&APS BRIEFING PAPER SECTION G: MANAGEMENT AND REHABILITATION PLAN SECTION H: SENSITIVE INFORMATION REFERENCES LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: An illustration and photo of trough technology Figure 2: A geographical view of the Farm Bokpoort and surrounding environments Figure 3: Diagram indicating operation flow through a CSP plant (Hatch, 2010) Figure 4: A photograph of a typical trough and a receiver tube ( 22 Figure 5: An illustration of a condenser Figure 6: A systematic diagram and illustration on the basic operation of a wet cooling tower Figure 7: Schematic of the energy conversion in a CSP plant. Storage is optional (Red thermal energy; Blue electrical energy, Grey losses) Figure 8: The northern border lines of the Farm Bokpoort and the associated drainage regions of the area Page 5 of 74

7 Figure 9: Figure 10: Figure 11: Figure 13: Figure 14: Figure 15: Figure 17: Figure 18: Boegoeberg Dam situated in the Lower Orange Water Management Area (Google Earth, 2005) The Lower Orange Water Management Area and associated water transfers in and out of the catchment management area (DWAF, 2004) A technical indication of the proposed submerged pump in the Orange River (Hatch, 2010) The four non-perennial river crossings associated with pipeline route alignment 1 (Hatch, 2010) The four non-perennial river crossings associated with pipeline route alignment 2 (Hatch, 2010) A proposed design of a typical non-perennial river crossing design on the Farm Bokpoort (Hatch, 2010) The vegetation types present on the northern portion of the Farm Bokpoort (BEC, 2010) Surface water drainage lines on the northern portions of the Farm Bokpoort and associated quaternary catchment boundaries for in the area (BEC, 2010) 49 Figure 19: Population Breakdown for the!kheis Local Municipality LIST OF TABLES Table 1: A summary of the applicant s details 13 Table 2: Summary of the Water Use Information Table 2: Table 4: Table 3: Contact details for Boegoeberg Water Use Association 27 Water Requirements per Sector for the Lower Orange Water Management Area (DWAF, 2003) Assessment on the feasibility of water resources in the Orange River Water Management area in terms of the CSP requirements for water. 30 Table 6: Basic Information for Section 21 (a) abstraction at the Orange River Table 7: Information requirements for the Section 21 (b) water use Table 8: Table 9: Information on location and associated infrastructure for the submerged pumps 37 Basic Information on the proposed watercourse crossings for pipeline alignment 1 for abstraction alternative Page 6 of 74

8 Table 10: Basic Information on the proposed watercourse crossings for pipeline alignment 2 for abstraction alternative Table 11: Basic Information on the proposed evaporation pond Table 4: Information on location and associated infrastructure for the submerged pumps 58 Table 13: Probable Duration of the Proposed CSP project and associated Water Uses 63 Table 14: The Primary Aims of the Public Participation Period Table 15: The Key Stakeholders and Government Departments that was consulted during the Public Consultation Process Page 7 of 74

9 ACRONYMS CSP Concentrating Solar Thermal Power Plant DNI Direct Normal Irradiance DME Department of Minerals and Energy DWA Department of Water Affairs DWAF Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (currently DWA) EAP Environmental Assessment Practitioner ECA Environment Conservation Act EIA Environmental Impact Assessment EMP Environmental Management Plan HTF Heat Transfer Fluid I&AP Interested and Affected Party IDP Integrated Development Plan IEM Integrated Environmental Management IPP Independent Power Producer ISP Internal Strategic Perspective IWULA Integrated Water Use License Application KLM!Kheis Local Municipality LOMS Lower Orange Management Study MW Mega Watt N National NERP National Energy Response Plan NEMA National Environmental Management Act (Act No 107 of 1998) NWA National Water Act (Act No 36 of 1998) NWRS National Water Resource Strategy ORRS Orange River Re-Planning Study PPP Public Participation Process PTS Parabolic Trough System REFIT Renewable Energy Feed-In Tariff SAPS South African Police Service TDS Total Dissolved Solids Page 8 of 74

10 WMA WQMP WUA WULA Water Management Area Water Quality Management Plan Water Use Association Water Use License Application Page 9 of 74

11 SECTION A: GENERAL INFORMATION 1 INTRODUCTION SSI Engineers and Environmental Consultants (Pty) Ltd, trading as Bohlweki-SSI Environmental was appointed as an independent Environmental Assessment Practitioner (EAP) by Solafrica Thermal Energy (Pty) Ltd (Solafrica) to undertake a Water Use License Application (WULA) in terms of the National Water Act, 1998 (Act No 36 of 1998) [NWA] for water uses associated with the proposed development of a Concentrating Solar Thermal Power Plant (CSP) and associated infrastructure, in the!kheis Local Municipality. In terms of the Section 40 of the National Water Act, 1998 (Act No 36 of 1998) [NWA], each party proposing water usage, as defined in Section 21 of the Act, must apply to the responsible authority for authorisation before such water use can commence. This document aims to provide the Department of Water Affairs (DWA) with the necessary information associated with the proposed CSP project in order to approve the proposed water uses in terms of the NWA. The proposed development will be undertaken on the Farm Bokpoort 390 (Farm Bokpoort) which is located in the!kheis Local Municipality of the Northern Cape Province. The Boegoeberg Water Use Association is responsible for the management of water uses, as defined in Section 21 of the NWA, in this section of the Lower Orange Water Management Area and has been consulted in relation to this application. A pre-application meeting was held between Bohlweki-SSI Environmental and the Department of Water Affairs: Northern Cape Regional Office in Upington on the 18 th March 2010 to identify the proposed water uses as well as the proposed processes to be followed in terms of the NWA. The Integrated Water Use Licence Application (IWULA) will address the following water uses with respect to the proposed CSP plant: Section 21 (a) Taking water from a water resource; Section 21 (b) Storing water; Section 21 (c) Impeding and diverting the flow of water in a watercourse; Section 21 (i) Altering the bed, banks, course and characteristics of a watercourse; and Section 21 (g) Disposing of waste in a manner which may detrimentally impact on a water resource. The proposed CSP plant will have a footprint of approximately 200 hectares with an additional footprint for abstraction and bulk transportation of raw water across to the CSP. Page 10 of 74

12 The applicant identified the parabolic trough technology as the most feasible technology to implement, due to its commercial use and success in other countries. The successful operation of a CSP plant requires water primarily for cooling and heat transfer processes. This document aims to detail the water requirements associated with the following four elements of the CSP Plant: The Steam-Cycle Loop; The Cooling Loop; The Solar Field; and Human consumption and basic human needs. In addition to the above stated water requirements of the plant, the application will address project alternatives for abstraction points and pipe route alignments. 2 OBJECTIVES OF THE INTEGRATED WATER USE LICENSE APPLICATION The Integrated Water Use License Application aims to provide information to the DWA on all water uses associated with the proposed construction and operation of the 75 MW CSP Plant on the Farm Bokpoort situated in the!kheis Local Municipality. The EAP identified the following objectives that should be considered in the technical assessment: The type of project, the project locations, the proposed method statement and technology should be clearly described by the EAP in order to ensure a clear and thorough review process has been undertaken; The EAP aims to address all water uses, as defined in Section 21 of the NWA, which is associated with the proposed CSP project; The identification of feasible project alternatives, identification of all positive and negative impacts on water resources and the identification of sustainable mitigation measures that can be adopted as part of the project; and The EAP also aimed to address all legislative requirements including: o A motivation in terms of Section 27 of the NWA; and o Proof of all public participation actions taken to notify all Stakeholders, Local and Provincial Governments, Landowners and Interested and Affected Parties (I&APs). Page 11 of 74

13 3 APPLICANT Solafrica is the project applicant and will fulfil the role of project developers and project managers for the proposed CSP project. The applicant s details are summarised in Table 1. Table 5: A summary of the applicant s details Name of Applicant Delegated responsible individual Position of delegated responsible individual Solafrica Thermal Energy (Pty) Ltd Mike Goldblatt Company Director Identification Number Direct Contact Information Physical Address Postal Address 2nd Floor, 5 Commerce Square 39 Rivonia Rd Sandhurst South Africa Private Bag X11 Northlands 2116 South Africa 4 LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENTS The proposed development of a 75 MW CSP Plant requires authorisation in terms of numerous legislative frameworks. A list of legislative requirements and/or authorisations is provided below and will form part of the pre-construction studies that require approval before the project can commence. Each individual legislative authorisation has an integral part in the Integrated Water Use License Application and must not be seen as separate studies. 4.1 National Water Act, 1998 (Act No 36 of 1998) The purpose of the National Water Act No 36 of 1998 ( the National Water Act ) is to provide for fundamental reform of the law relating to water resources; to repeal certain laws; and to provide for matters connected therewith. In terms of the definitions contained in Section 1 of the National Water Act, water resource includes a watercourse, surface water, estuary, or aquifer. Aquifer means a geological Page 12 of 74

14 formation which has structures or textures that hold water or permit appreciable water movement through them. Watercourse means a river or spring; a natural channel in which water flows regularly or intermittently; a wetland, lake or dam into which, or from which, water flows; and any collection of water which the Minister may, by notice in the Gazette, declare to be a watercourse, and a reference to a watercourse includes, where relevant, its bed and banks. Furthermore, in terms of the definitions contained in Section 1 of the National Water Act, waste includes any solid material or material that is suspended, dissolved or transported in water (including sediment) and which is spilled or deposited on land or into a water resource in such volume, composition or manner as to cause, or to be reasonably likely to cause, the water resource to be polluted. An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and independent specialist studies were compiled for the CSP project. All above mentioned studies were used in the compilation of the Water Use License Application documentation. No person may undertake a controlled activity unless such person is authorised to do so by or under this Act. The Minister may, by notice in the Gazette, in general or specifically, declare an activity to be a controlled activity. Such notice might be for a specific activity on a specific site. 4.2 National Environmental Management Act, 1998 (Act No 107 of 1998) The National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) (No. 107 of 1998) states that the principles of Integrated Environmental Management (IEM) should be adhered to in order to ensure sustainable development. A vital underpinning of the IEM procedure is accountability to the various parties that may be interested in or affected by a proposed development. Public participation is a requirement of the IEM procedure, in terms of the identification of potentially significant environmental impacts. The IEM procedure aims to ensure that the environmental consequences of development proposals are understood and adequately considered during all stages of the EIA project cycle, and that negative aspects are resolved or mitigated and positive aspects enhanced. The NEMA EIA Regulations, which replaced the Environment Conservation Act - ECA EIA Regulations, have been promulgated and came into effect on 3 July Sections 24 and 24 D of NEMA, as per Government Notices R386 and R387 of April 2006, contain schedules of activities that may have substantial detrimental effects on the environment and which require authorisation from the competent environmental authority. The amended EIA Regulations came into effect on the 2 nd August 2010 with amendments to activities listed in Listing Notices 1 and 2 as well as an additional activity schedule, Listing Notice 3. The lists Page 13 of 74

15 are more comprehensive in terms of the type of activity and the location of such an activity to be authorised by the competent authority. 4.3 National Environmental Management: Waste Act, 2008 (No 59 of 2008) The National Environmental Management: Waste Act (No 59 of 2008) reforms the law regulating waste management in order to protect health and the environment by providing reasonable measures for the prevention of pollution and ecological degradation and for securing ecologically sustainable development; to provide for institutional arrangements and planning matters; to provide for national norms and standards for regulating the management of waste by all spheres of government; to provide for specific waste management measures; to provide for the licensing and control of waste management activities; to provide for the remediation of contaminated land; to provide for the national waste information system; to provide for compliance and enforcement; and to provide for matters connected therewith. The Waste Management Act must be read with the applicable provisions of NEMA and its interpretation and application must be guided by the national environmental principles contained in Section 2 of NEMA. The waste application licensing process for this study will be conducted. 5 SUMMARY TABLE OF WATER USE ASSOCIATED WITH THE PROPOSED PLANT Table 6: Summary of the water use information Property Description(s) Farm Bokpoort 390, Remainder Farm Bokpoort 390, Portion 3 Farm Bokpoort 390, Portion 5 Property Zonings Current zoning is agricultural, application to industrial Co-ordinates of the property centre point Water Uses S E Section 21 (a) Taking water from a water resource Section 21 (b) Storing water Section 21 (c) Impeding and diverting the flow of water in a watercourse Section 21 (i) Altering the bed, bank, course and characteristics of a watercourse Section 21 (g) Disposing of waste in a manner which may detrimentally impact on a water resource Abstraction point Abstraction Alternative 1: Page 14 of 74

16 alternatives and coordinates S E (The abstraction point is referenced as the railroad bridge abstraction point) Abstraction Alternative 2: S E (The abstraction point is referenced as the farm house abstraction point) Projection Hartbeeshoek 94 Water Management Area Lower Orange Water Management Area Quaternary Region Drainage D42E Page 15 of 74

17 SECTION B: PROJECT AND ENVIRONMENTAL DESCRIPTION 1 DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT Solafrica is proposing the construction of a 75 MW CSP Plant on the Farm Bokpoort situated in the!kheis Local Municipality of the Northern Cape Province. A CSP plant is a plant that uses solar irradiation to create heat energy which when transferred to water; creates steam energy to drive a turbine and generator. A CSP plant has three main elements or cycles, these can be summarised as: The Heat Capture Loop; The Steam-Cycle Loop; and The Cooling Loop. Each of these elements have associated infrastructure that will be contained within a 200 hectare development footprint on the Farm Bokpoort (hereafter referred to as project location). An additional development footprint for the abstraction, bulk transportation and storage of raw water is undetermined. The following components are the main infrastructure elements of a CSP: A power block consisting of heat exchangers, turbine, generator and a cooling block. The height of the power block is estimated to be approximately 5 storeys high; A solar field will consist of mirror-like structures known as parabolic troughs and a network of piping which will form the heat transfer loop to distribute the heat transfer fluid to a heat exchanger for the generation of steam; and A cooling system with a cooling tower for the condensing and cooling of steam to water to be re-used in the Steam Cycle Loop. Page 16 of 74

18 Figure 1: An illustration and photo of a parabolic trough technology The secondary infrastructure will include: Access roads and access points; Water pipelines; Administrative buildings; A water storage area (water storage tanks); Evaporation ponds; Store rooms; Ablution facilities; Power lines and distribution lines; Water treatment facilities; and Staff accommodation. The servitude located alongside the Transnet railway line will be used for the construction of an aboveground raw water pipeline from the proposed abstraction point at the river bank to the project location. An alternative configuration would consider the construction of an above-ground pipeline crossing the existing farm. The applicant is proposing to operate the facility for a 25 year lifespan with possible future capacity increases over the period of operation. The proposed technology and associated infrastructure are explained in more detail in this application. Page 17 of 74

19 2 LOCATION OF THE PROJECT The proposed location of the CSP plant is on the Farm Bokpoort, situated in the!kheis Local Municipality in the Northern Cape Province. The farm covers a total area of hectares and borders the Orange River to the south-west. Of the hectares, the project location will only have a development footprint of 200 hectares on the farm. The exact location of the CSP on the Farm Bokpoort will be identified based on the following project outcomes: The Environmental Impact Assessment Sensitive Rating Scale This has to be approved by the Department of Environmental Affairs; The Topography and Slope Analysis of the landscape In order to construct and operate the proposed CSP plant, the applicant requires a terrain with a gradient of less than 2. The terrain can be levelled by using infill material however this will then create a larger development footprint in order to obtain the infill material; and Distance to the National Energy Grid of South Africa A calculation of the distance required to connect the power point to the National Energy Grid. Based on Figure 2 of the Farm Bokpoort, the central portion north of the railway line, has been identified as more suitable for the proposed development of a CSP. All ecological, environmental and technical studies were therefore focused on this portion of the farm. The project location is surrounded by agricultural activities including crop harvesting (vegetables, table grapes and wine grapes) as well as live stock harvesting in the form of sheep farming. On the farm itself the current owner and farmer is farming with both livestock (sheep and wildlife) as well as maize and grape harvesting closer to the river. The Farm Bokpoort is relatively flat with undulating hills towards the northern border of the farm and riparian zones which slope downwards toward the Orange River in the southern area. The Sishen Railway line dissects the Farm Bokpoort into two uneven portions with the Eskom Garona Substation located on the eastern border of the farm. The only dwellings located on the farm are two farm houses, one near the Orange River and the other approximately in the middle of the farm. Access to the farm is via a gravel road off the N8, just after the Groblershoop urban settlement. The gravel road splits into the Sishen Railway maintenance road that runs on the northern side of the railway line. The maintenance road also provides access to the proposed abstraction point situated on the adjacent farm on the banks of the Orange River. The second alternative abstraction point is situated on the south-eastern border of the farm. Page 18 of 74

20 The abstraction point can be accessed through an existing gravel from leading to the bank of the Orange River. The farm Bokpoort is currently receiving Eskom electrical services but no water services from the!kheis Local Municipality. All current water and waste water infrastructure was instituted by the farmers. Figure 2: A geographical view of the Farm Bokpoort and surrounding environments Page 19 of 74

21 3 TECHNOLOGY DESCRIPTION There are two types of CSP technologies that can be implemented on a commercial scale namely the Parabolic Trough System (PTS) or the tower system. Both technologies use a type of reflector system that tracks the suns movement during the day and concentrates the incoming radiation onto a receiver. The receiver includes a heat transfer fluid which absorbs the heat energy and transports it to a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger will heat water to create steam to be able to turn an alternator for the generation of electricity. After exchanging the heat for the creation of steam, the heat transfer fluid is pumped back to the receiver points and the cycle repeats itself. The difference between the two systems is in the type of concentrators that are utilised in order to deflect the collected radiation onto a receiver. This applicant is proposing to implement the PTS which is explained in more detail in this chapter. Reasons for implementing the parabolic trough system technology: All technologies are tailored to meet site specific requirements. The desired outcome will be to choose the technologies that will have the least cost implications for the applicant as well as provide the optimum electricity output when the plant is in operation. It is desired to base a technology on an existing operational plant and the PTS is the only technology operated on a commercial scale in other parts of the world. The rest of the chapter will describe the technology and water requirements for each element of the parabolic trough system technology for implementation at the Farm Bokpoort. 3.1 Elements of the Parabolic Trough Technology System As already listed the PTS has three fundamental elements or cycles that operate in conjunction with one another to generate electricity. These elements are detailed as follows: Page 20 of 74

22 Figure 3: 2010) Diagram indicating operation flow through a CSP plant (Hatch, The Solar Field The solar field consists of a number of reflector structures known as parabolic troughs. The mirror-like structures form a field known as the solar field. Each reflector concentrates radiation energy onto the central receiver tube (Refer to Figure 4 for a photograph of a trough and receiver tube). Heat Transfer Fluid or HTF, flows through each central receiver tube capturing the heat energy. Different fluids can be used to capture heat including oils, salts or water. Parabolic trough technologies prefer oil as a heat transfer fluid. The heat transfer fluid is pumped to an exchanger to transfer the heat for the creation of steam. This is the starting point of the steam cycle loop. The cooled HTF is then pumped back to the central receiver tubes and the cycle is repeated. The system is a closed system with the re-use of heat transfer oil. However, the heat transfer oil will only have a limited lifespan after which it will need to be replaced. After the period of use the heat transfer oil will be drained from the system and removed by a Page 21 of 74

23 contractor who will dispose of the oil in a manner approved in the Water License of the CSP plant, regulated by the Department of Environmental Affairs. Figure 4: A photograph of a typical parabolic trough and a receiver tube ( Mitigation measures are included in the Environmental Management Plan (EMP) and the Water Quality Management Plan (WQMP) for the handling of the heat transfer oil as well as the disposal thereof at a registered hazardous landfill site The Steam Cycle Loop Steam is created in the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger is a structure that operates as a boiler to create steam. Water is needed for creating steam and forms part of the Section 21 (a) volume of water to be abstracted from the Orange River. The steam is transferred to a turbine and generator system. The steam is used to turn a turbine to create kinetic energy to be captured in a generator. The system has two steam loop cycles which enables the use of any remaining steam within a secondary turbine and generator system. This will enhance the system and optimise electricity generation. The remaining steam is then transported to a condenser. A condenser is a structure which cools the steam to form water. Figure 5 illustrates how a condenser operates. Page 22 of 74

24 Figure 5: An illustration of a condenser The Cooling Loop The main function of the cooling loop is to condense steam and cool water so that it can be re-used in the steam cycle loop. Raw water circulates through the condenser and cooling tower to cool the warm water. a) The evaporation cooling tower (Wet Cooling System) An evaporation cooling tower is a big round chimney-like structure with piping surrounding the inner circle. The piping will be filled with the warm water from the condenser. Raw water will then be trickled down the sides of the tower over the piping. The water together with a wind tunnel that is naturally created within the centre of the cooling tower will cool the warm water in the tubing. Trickled water, from the piping, will be captured at the base of the cooling tower and is then pumped back to the top of the tower to be trickled down again. The process is illustrated in Figure 6. Major evaporation losses occur using an evaporative cooling tower and therefore the operators of the tower would need to continuously add raw water to the system to make up for the loss of water through evaporation. A water flow diagram of the proposed 75 MW Solar Thermal Power Plant is attached in Annexure C Technical Information. Page 23 of 74

25 Figure 6: A systematic diagram and illustration on the basic operation of a wet cooling tower 3.2 Electrical Generation through the Parabolic Trough System Technology The fundamental principle of a CSP is the collection of energy emitted by the sun, in the form of sunrays, and to capture this heat with the use of Heat Transfer Fluid (HTF). The HTF has the fundamental purpose of absorbing, storing and transferring the heat to create steam, thereby converting the thermal energy into a useful form. The process of converting solar radiation into electricity is illustrated by a schematic diagram in Figure 7, solar radiation is concentrated onto the HTF illustrated as the absorber in the diagram. Collected heat is stored in the form of thermal energy (e.g. steam) or as electrical energy (e.g. batteries). Throughout the system, losses occur during the transfer and conversion of energy. For a successful understanding of the concentrating thermal power process, there are some terminologies that should be noted. Page 24 of 74

26 Solar radiation Storage Collector Absorber Converter Electricity Losses Storage Figure 7: Schematic of the energy conversion in a CSP plant. Storage is optional (Red thermal energy; Blue electrical energy, Grey losses) Insolation This is a measure of solar radiation energy received on a given surface during a given time, typically in kwh/m 2 /day or kwh/m 2 /year. Diffuse irradiation The scattering of sunrays due to suspended particles in the earth s atmosphere before reaching the earth s surface. Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI) Parallel sunrays that reach the earth s surface and have an SI unit of W/m 2. In the solar power industry, irradiation with a time duration (typically in the form of kwh/day or kwh/year per unit area) is often used interchangeably with irradiance. For consistency to international preference, DNI in this document will refer to Direct Normal Irradiation, with the unit of kwh/m 2 /day or kwh/m 2 /year. The Sun Belt Areas on the earth s surface that receives high concentration of Direct Normal Irradiance. A typical measurement of DNI in the Sun Belt is more than kwh/m 2 /year of direct solar irradiation. The Upington region typically measures levels of between to kwh/m 2 per annum. Page 25 of 74

27 SECTION C-1: WATER RESOURCE DESCRIPTION 1 THE UPPER VAAL WATER MANAGEMENT AREA The Farm Bokpoort is situated in the Upper Vaal Water Management Area (WMA) and in the D73D Quaternary Drainage Region. Figure 8 shows the outer border lines of the northern section of the Farm Bokpoort and the surrounding quaternary drainage regions. Figure 8: The northern border lines of the Farm Bokpoort and the associated drainage regions of the area The water availability of the catchment is based on the inflow of water from Lesotho and the Vaal River catchments. The flow of the Orange River fluctuates due to seasonal changes but the river is largely controlled by the releases from the upstream Van Der Kloof Dam, Bloemhof Dam and Gariep Dam all upstream of the Lower Orange WMA. It was stated that the median annual flow of the Upington gauging station is million m³ per annum but varies from million m³ per annum to a minimum of m³ per annum (Hatch, 2010). The main water uses in the Lower Orange WMA are to municipalities and the agricultural sector. The Department of Water Affairs gave the delegated power of controlling all water Page 26 of 74

28 use in certain parts of a catchment to Water Use Associations (WUA). This application falls within the ambit region of the Boegoeberg Water Use Association. 1.1 The Boegoeberg Water Use Association The Boegoeberg Dam (weir structure) supplies water for irrigated farming through a channel system to the local farmers. Figure 9: Boegoeberg Dam situated in the Lower Orange Water Management Area (Google Earth, 2005) The Boegoeberg Dam is situated a few kilometres upstream of the Farm Bokpoort, thus the Boegoeberg WUA will have to regulate the proposed CSP s water abstraction as one of its water users (Table 3 summarises the contact details for this association). Table 7: Association Contact details for Boegoeberg Water Use Contact Name Delegated Power Contact Details Johan Botha Corporate Executive Officer ceo@boegoebergwua.co.za Page 27 of 74

29 1.2 Water Requirements for the Lower Orange Water Management Area The water requirements for the Lower Orange WMA are divided into the following categories: Irrigation; Urban; Rural; Mining and Bulk Industrial; and Transfers out of the catchment. For the year 2000, the following water requirements in million cubic meters (m³) per annum were given (DWAF, 2003): Table 8: Water requirements per sector for the Lower Orange Water Management Area (DWAF, 2003) SECTORS VOLUME (MILLION M 3 / ANNUM) Irrigation Urban 11 Rural 9 Mining & Bulk Industrial 7 Transfers Out Inter-catchment Transfer Schemes The Lower Orange WMA is dependant on water from the Upper catchments as well as water from Lesotho. In 2004, the Department of Water Affairs stated that approximately 280 million m³ per annum was required to meet the ecological requirements of the management area. This water was released from the Van Der Kloof Dam and forms the main inter basin transfer to the Lower Orange WMA (Figure 10). Water released from the Van Der Kloof Dam will form one of the major sources of water for this application, especially if there is not enough water in the current system to support the CSP abstraction volumes. Page 28 of 74

30 Figure 10: The Lower Orange Water Management Area and associated water transfers in and out of the Catchment Management Area (DWAF, 2004) 1.4 Other water resource availability in the Lower Orange Water Management Area The applicant considered alternative water resources such as groundwater resources as well as allocated water that is not utilised. Table 5 provides a breakdown of the alternative resources that were evaluated as well as the outcome of the assessment: Page 29 of 74

31 CONCENTRATING SOLAR THERMAL POWER PLANT ON THE FARM BOKPOORT IN THE!KHEIS LOCAL Table 9: Assessment on the feasibility of water resources in the Orange River Water Management area in terms of the CSP requirements for water ASSESSMENT OF UTILISATION OF ALTERNATIVE WATER RESOURCES AND ALLOCATIONS WITHIN THE LOWER ORANGE WATER MANAGEMENT AREA ITEM RESOURCE ALLOCATION OUTCOME 1. Groundwater Resource The outcome of the groundwater resource assessment indicated that the current groundwater resource can be considered very scarce. Fluctuating water tables occur regularly due to over utilisation of this resource by rural and agricultural communities. The applicant could not prove that the resource will supply a continuous yield of water needed to operate the CSP plant, primarily due to the fluctuating water table. The local cattle farming community is situated further away from the river and does not have access to the riparian water resources and rely on groundwater resources for drinking and domestic use. It was concluded that ground water will not be seen as a feasible source of water due to low groundwater levels and the dependence of local farmers on this resource. 2. Municipal Allocation The!Kheis Local Municipality was not consulted to identify the possible allocation of water due to the distance of the Groblershoop urban area to the Farm Bokpoort. The Khara Hais Local Municipality (Upington) indicated that they do have spare allocation of water of approximately 20 ml per day which can be bought from the municipality. The applicant would however have to construct all necessary infrastructure from the local water works, situated in the Upington urban area to the CSP site. The Municipality was however not in favour of the idea of giving the applicant some of the spare allocated Page 30 of 74

32 CONCENTRATING SOLAR THERMAL POWER PLANT ON THE FARM BOKPOORT IN THE!KHEIS LOCAL ASSESSMENT OF UTILISATION OF ALTERNATIVE WATER RESOURCES AND ALLOCATIONS WITHIN THE LOWER ORANGE WATER MANAGEMENT AREA ITEM RESOURCE ALLOCATION OUTCOME raw water, due to the administrative processes required before such transfer of power is authorised. This alternative was thus not seen as feasible by the applicant due to the distance with which the water would need to be transported between the Upington Water Works and the Farm Bokpoort. This would have a huge financial implication, both initially due to the development of the pipeline as well as ongoing due to continued maintenance required on the line. 3. Existing - Agriculture Allocation Agriculture is the single biggest economic sector in the Northern Cape Province. Irrigation farming along the banks of the Orange River is also a common occurrence with the production of grapes and other fruit. The agriculture sector is also the single biggest water user in the Northern Cape Province. There is the possibility of purchasing allocated water from the agricultural sector. Boegoeberg WUA was consulted and it was indicated that the administration process will have the same time, human and process resource requirements and a normal Water Use License Application. It can be concluded that the probability of obtaining an existing agricultural allocation can be seen as very unlikely and is not preferred by the competent authority. 4. Orange River Raw water can be abstracted from the Orange River by an individual. In the Northern Cape it is a common occurrence to find an irrigation channel which serves a cluster of farmers along the Orange River. All abstractions in the Lower Vaal WMA are authorised and regulated by the Department of Water Affairs and associated Water Use Associations due to the regulation of the river flow from the upstream water management areas. Page 31 of 74

33 CONCENTRATING SOLAR THERMAL POWER PLANT ON THE FARM BOKPOORT IN THE!KHEIS LOCAL ASSESSMENT OF UTILISATION OF ALTERNATIVE WATER RESOURCES AND ALLOCATIONS WITHIN THE LOWER ORANGE WATER MANAGEMENT AREA ITEM RESOURCE ALLOCATION OUTCOME The Boegoeberg WUA indicated that they do not foresee any problems in the supply of raw water from the Orange River and that it will be in the best interest of the applicant to apply for their own abstraction allocation under the National Water Act, 1998 (Act No 36 of 1998). Assessment Outcome: Based on the consultations with numerous water users and water use authorities, the applicant decided that the most feasible option to allocate water for the construction and operation of the CSP is to apply for a Section 21 (a) water use license for the abstraction of raw water from the Orange River. Page 32 of 74

34 CONCENTRATING SOLAR THERMAL POWER PLANT ON THE FARM BOKPOORT IN THE!KHEIS LOCAL MUNICIPALITY, NORTHERN CAPE PROVINCE 2 THE PROCESS FOLLOWED DURING THE WATER USE LICENSE APPLICATION 2.1 Pre-Application Consultation with the Department of Water Affairs: Upington Regional Office The Environmental Assessment Practitioner (EAP) had a Pre-Application Consultation meeting with officers from the Department of Water Affairs on 3 March 2010 to discuss the proposed water uses and to receive guidance from the officials on the type of application required and the approach to be undertaken. A second meeting was held with the Department of Water Affairs: Upington Regional Offices on 19 May 2010 to discuss the outcomes of the meeting that was held with the following authorities: The Khara Hais Local Municipality: Technical Director; The Boegoeberg Water Use Association ; The Upington Eilande Water Use Association; and The Swartkop Water Use Association. The outcome of the second meeting with DWA: Upington Region led to the following actions: The applicant should apply for an Integrated Water Use License for Section 21 (a), (b), (c), (i) and (g) water uses respectively before the activity can commence. Section 21 (a) Taking water from a water resource Section 21 (b) Storing water Section 21 (c) Impeding and diverting the flow of water in a watercourse Section 21 (i) Altering the bed, banks, course and characteristics of a watercourse Section 21 (g) Disposing of waste which may detrimentally impact on a water resource The applicant should compile a Technical Report in which all water uses are addressed according to the requirements of Section 28 and Section 29 of the NWA as well as include a Section 27 motivation for the water uses. The applicant should undergo a Public Participation Process (PPP) in terms of the EIA Regulations, published in Government Notice R The official at DWA indicated that a pre-submission information session should be arranged by the applicant whereby all regional officers are present and can provide input into the application prior to the submission of the application. The focus group meetings held with responsible authorities in terms of the water uses that can be associated with a CSP and addressed the following points: Will there be enough water within the catchment to supply water for the activity? What alternative water resources were considered during this application? Page 33 of 74