Environmental Impact Assessment: Frank Van Gemert

Environmental
Impact
Assessment
Frank van Gemert

NRG, Radiation & Environment
The Netherlands
Eundetraf II - Environmental Impact Assess 2
ment
Contents
• Introduction
• Why ?
• How ?
• Who ?
• When ?
• €, £, $ ?
• Conclusions

ment
Introduction
Environmental Impact Assessment

=
EIA

ment
Why ?
• Regulatory requirements
• Public Involvement

ment
Regulatory requirements
• COUNCIL DIRECTIVE 97/11/EC of 3 March 1997
amending DIRECTIVE 85/337/EEC of 27 June
1985 on the assessment of the effects of
certain public and private projects on the
environment.
• …
• See Chapter 5

ment
Public involvement
• Takes a lot of time

• Creates additional burdens
• Environmental issues are for
experts
But
:
ment
Public involvement
• Brings additional expertise in the

decision making process
• Results in better implemented and
respected decisions
• Makes environmental legislation
more effective

ment
How ?
• A phased process
Screening
Scoping
Impact Evaluation
Impact Statement
Review and decision

ment
How ?
Screening
Scoping
Impact Evaluation
Impact Statement
Review and decision

ment 0
Screening
• Determine if an EIA is required

• EU guidance to facilitate the
screening process

ment 1
Steps in screening
Annex I yes
Mandator no
Exclusio no
Case-by-
or II ? y list ? n list ? case; sign.
effect ?
no
yes yes no yes
Natura 2000;
sign. effect ?
X X
no yes
Record the decision
X
ment 2
Selection criteria
case by case screening
• Characteristics of projects
• Location of Projects
• Characteristics of the potential
impact

ment 3
Screening tools
• Screening checklist
• Checklist of criteria for evaluating
the significance of environmental
effects

ment 4
Screening checklist
• Characteristics of projects
• Location of Projects
• Characteristics of the potential
impact

ment 5
Characteristics of projects
• Size of the project

• Cumulation with other projects
• Use of natural resources
• Production of waste
• Pollution and nuisances
• Risk of accidents

ment 6
Location of projects
• Existing land use

• Relative abundance, quality and
regenerative capacity if natural
resources in the area
• Absorption capacity of the natural
environment

ment 7
Characteristics of the
potential impact
• Extent of the impact (area, size of
population)
• Transfrontier nature of the impact
• Magnitude and complexity of the impact
• Probability of the impact
• Duration, frequency and reversibility of
the impact

ment 8
How ?
Screening
Scoping
Impact Evaluation
Impact Statement
Review and decision

ment 9
Scoping
Must ensure that the environmental

studies provide all the relevant
information on:
• The (most important) impacts
• The alternatives to the project
• Any other matter to be included

ment 0
Scoping
• On request of the developer

or
• Mandatory (in some member
states)

ment 1
Requested scoping
• Only when requested by the EIA developer

• Is undertaken by the Competent Authority
• Requires consulting of environmental
authorities
• May involve consultation of other interested
parties and the general public
• Results in a “Scoping Opinion” which forms
the terms of reference for the EIA

ment 2
Mandatory scoping
Is undertaken by:
(a) the Competent Authority
or
(b) the EIA developer

ment 3
Mandatory
scoping by
developer
• A draft “Scoping Report” is prepared
authorities
• May involve consultation of other
interested parties and the general
public
• Results in a “Scoping Report” which
forms the terms of reference for the EIA

ment 4
Mandatory scoping by CA
• Undertaken by the Competent authority

or by an independent body on behalf of
the CA
authorities by the CA
• May involve consultation of other
interested parties and the general public
• Results in a “Scoping Opinion” which
forms the terms of reference for the EIA
ment 5
Scoping
Reports and
• Identify the types of environmental impacts to
be investigatedOpinions
and reported
and may also cover:
• Alternatives to consider
• Baseline surveys & investigations to carry out
• Methods & criteria to be used for prediction &
evaluation of effects
• Mitigation measures to consider
• Organisations to consult
• Structure, content and length of the
Environmental Information (EIS)
ment 6
but:
The provision of a Scoping Opinion
does not preclude the competent
authority from subsequently requiring
the developer to submit further
information if the CA considers that it
is necessary.

ment 7
Good scoping:
Will involve the CA and
the developer in a
dialogue about the
project and the issues it
raises.
Does not end with the

delivery of the Scoping
Report or Opinion.

ment 8
Information for scoping
• Preliminary data collection and

field work;
• Checklists;
– Scoping checklist part 1 & 2;
– Criteria for evaluation the significance
of impacts;
– Potential alternatives and mitigation
measures.
ment 9
Scoping checklist
part 1 – project characteristics
• Physical changes in the locality;
• Use of natural resources;
• Harmful materials or substances;
• Produce of wastes;
• Emissions to air;
• Noise, light, electromagnetic radiation etc.;
• Contamination of land or ground or surface water;
• Risk of accidents;
• Social changes;
• Other factors.

ment 0
Scoping checklist

ment 1
Include:
• Secondary or higher order effects

• Indirect effects
• Cumulative effects
• Temporary or intermittent effects
• Effects resulting from abnormal
events

ment 2
Scoping checklist
part 2 – characteristics of the
environment
• Protected or sensitive species or fauna;
• Routes or facilities used by the public;
• Location to extreme climatic conditions;
• Employment;
• Community cohesion;
• Plans for future land use around the
location;
• ….
ment 3
ment 4
ment 5
Consultation
• Environmental authorities
– Regional, local
– Pollution control
– Health & safety……..
• Interested parties
– Environmental & social interest groups
– Employees’ organisations (e.g. unions)
– Research institutes…
• General public
– Residents
– Local community groups….

ment 6
Effective consultation
• Provide enough information;
• Make clear scoping is not about selling a
project, but about hearing and
understanding views;
• Provide sufficient time;
• The scoping stage does not preclude
from making comments in a later stage;
• Ensure that views expressed are taken
into account.

ment 7
Scoping - key questions
• What effects could this project

have on the environment?
• Which effects need particular
attention in the environmental
studies?
• Which alternatives and mitigating
measures ought to be considered?

ment 8
How ?
Screening
Scoping
Impact Evaluation
Impact Statement
Review and decision

ment 9
Environmental impact
evaluation
• Description of the environmental
baseline
• Impact identification
• Assessment of significance of
impacts
• Mitigation measures
• Monitoring plan
ment 0
Environmental baseline
• Describes the environment prior to

decommissioning:
– Natural environment (e.g. air and
water quality, flora and fauna)
– Socio-economic factors (e.g. land use,
infrastructure, economy)

ment 1
Impact identification
• Actions in the decommissioning

project (with potential to cause
impact)
• Environmental factors (potentially
affected by these impacts)
• Identification matrix

ment 2
Impact identification matrix
(example)

ment 3
Assessment of
significance of impacts
• Impact weighting schemes
• Take account of opinions of
stakeholder groups
• Risk perception
– Professionals: probabilistic approach
– Other stakeholders: consequences of
potential effects (even with very low
probability
ment 4
Mitigation measures
• Determine potential effectiveness

for each scenario
• Demonstrate that further
improvements are not justified
• Re-assess the environmental
impact of the project

ment 5
Development of a
monitoring plan
• Objective : Measure the impact of
the decommissioning project
– Real impact vs. estimated impact
– Effectiveness of mitigating measures
• Parameters
• Methods
• Frequency
• Expected values
ment 6
How ?
Screening
Scoping
Impact Evaluation
Impact Statement
Review and decision

ment 7
Environmental impact
statement (EIS)
Provide information to:
•Decision makers
•People potentially effected by the
project

ment 8
EIS = tool to communicate
• Clear structure
• Description of procedure
• Concise, comprehensive and
objective
• Consistent terminology, glossary
• References to information sources
• Description of methods used for
studies
• Clear discussion of alternatives4
Eundetraf II - Environmental Impact Assess
ment 9
•
How ?
Screening
Scoping
Impact Evaluation
Impact Statement
Review and decision

ment 0
Review before decision
making
• Mandatory or ‘only’ good practice
• By competent authority or by
independent organisation
• Aims:
– Information adequate for decision
making?
– Complies with requirements of
legislation?
ment 1
Review checklist
• Description of the project
– Objectives and physical
characteristics of the project
– Size of the project
– Production processes and resources
used
– Residues and emissions
– Risks of accidents and hazards
– Other questions

ment 2
Review checklist
• Consideration of alternatives
• Description of the environment
likely to be affected
– Aspects of the environment
– Data collection and survey
methods
– Other questions

ment 3
Review checklist
• Description of the likely effects

– Scoping of effects
– Prediction of direct effects
– Prediction of other effects
– Evaluation of significance of effects
– Impact assessment methods
– Other questions

ment 4
Review checklist
• Description of mitigation
• Non technical summary
• Quality of presentation

ment 5
Use of review checklist
1. Briefly overview the EIS

2. Decide which questions are
relevant for the project
3. Indicate special features not
identified in the checklist
4. Review the EIS for the relevant
questions
5. Specify missing information
ment 6
EIS decision
Competent
authority:
Are the environmental
implications of the
planned
decommissioning
project acceptable?
ment 7
Who ?
stakeholders
independent
organisation
competent
developer
& general
authority
project
public
screening X input
scoping X X B input
impact evaluation X B input
EIS X B
review X B
decision X
B = on behalf of CA or developer

ment 8
When ?
• Typical duration of EIA preparation for

NPP decommissioning:
– Detailed assessment and preparation of EIS:
9-15 months
– Full EIA: 1-3 years
• To reduce the overall level of resources:
– Involvement of competent authorities as
soon as possible
– Initial feasibility studies as soon as possible

ment 9
€, £, $ ?
• Depends on e.g.:
• Size and complexness of the
installation
• Approach to scoping
– Number of options in detailed assessment
– Identification of key impacts
• Approach to public involvement
• Availability of existing data
ment 0
€, £, $ ?
• EIA costs are typically 1 % of the
total project costs
• Range: 0.01 – 5 %
• Typical cost of an EIA for NPP
decommissioning:
M€ 1 – 1.5
• Up to M€ 5 if existing information is
inadequate or significant
environmental monitoring is required
ment 1
Conclusions
• Why ?
– Regulatory requirements
– Public involvement
• How ?
– Phased process
• Screening
• Scoping
• Impact evaluation and EI Statement
• Review (and decision)
ment 2
Conclusions
• Who ?
– Competent authorities
– Project developer
– Independent organisation
– Stakeholders
– General public
Dialogue to reach consensus

ment 3
Conclusions
• When ?
– Start dialogue early
– Typical duration for NPP 1-3 years
• Costs ?
– Depends on project scale, available
information, dialogue
– 1 % (0.01 – 5 %) of project costs
– Typical costs for NPP M€ 1 – 1.5

ment 4
Frank van Gemert
NRG Radiation & Environment
vangemert@nrg-nl.com

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Frank van Gemert

Eundetraf II - Environmental Impact Assess 3