The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the US$900 million gas-to-energy project should begin shortly after the Terms of Scope (ToS) for its conduct is issued to the consultants who will be facilitating the process.
With the deadline for public submissions of questions or concerns to be considered in the ToS having passed, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently in the process of developing the ToS for the EIA’s conduct, Executive Director of the Agency, Kemraj Parsram told Stabroek News yesterday.
A series of public scoping meetings intended to help craft the terms of scope for the EIA’s conduct was held earlier this month after Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) and its co-venturers applied to the EPA for environmental authorisation to construct and operate an offshore and onshore pipeline, a natural- gas process plant, and a temporary materials offloading facility. After screening the application, the EPA had determined that an EIA was required. Parsram said that the potential impact of the project is not yet known, hence the requirement of an EIA.
At least five to six recommendations were submitted for consideration to the EPA. Some of the submissions have the signatures of multiple persons.
“The 25th was the last day for submissions so right now we are taking those into considerations and meeting with the consultants that were approved to discuss and take suggestions that are critical for guidance,” the Director said.
According to Parsram, once the process is not hindered, the first draft of the ToS should be completed sometime next week. The draft will then be subjected to review and once finalised, it will be given to the consultants, paving the way for the EIA to begin. The EIA includes an assessment of the potential impact that the project may have on the environment, baseline studies, and further consultations with persons who may be affected.
The companies which have been approved to conduct the EIA are: Environmental Resource Management (ERM), Ground Structures Engineering Consultants, the University of Guyana Faculty of Earth and Environmental Science, Leon Moore Nature Experience, E&A Consultants, Caribbean Engineering and Management Consultants, and internationally-recognised, SLR Consulting.
Meanwhile, noting that concerns have been raised that the withdrawal of the 2020 EIA guidelines might affect the EIA process, Parsram assured that it will not, saying that the ToS to be developed is the main guiding factor for the conduct of the EIA as per the Environmental Protection Act. He pointed out that the ToS requires public input and therefore it is developed by taking into consideration the submissions that are made within the stipulated timeframe. ‘We are guided by the [Environmental Protection] Act and public input,” he stressed.
Further, the consul-tants would have to follow international best practices on how an EIA should be conducted, and given their experience and qualifications, it is expected that they will not only be guided by the Act and the ToS, but by international best practices as well.
Parsram noted that the EPA has been using guidelines in the past to help scope the terms of reference for an EIA and will continue to do so but as it is now, the 2020 guidelines will have to include public input before it is used in the future.
However, he pointed out that in its absence, the EPA will use the Act and the ToS, which would have public input, as a guide for the conduct of EIAs. He noted also that the outdated guidelines will not be used.
EEPGL notes in its project summary that the project entails the construction and operation of a 12-inch pipeline, approximately 220 kilometers long, from the Liza Phase 1 and Liza Phase 2 Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels in the offshore Stabroek Block, to an onshore natural gas liquids (NGL) and natural gas processing plant (NGL Plant) located at Wales. The pipeline is expected to transport up to approximately 50 million standard cubic feet per day (MMSCFD) of dry gas to the Natural Gas Liquid Plant but has a maximum flow of approximately 120 MMSCFD.
Additionally, residents were informed that the project site will be located 11 kilometers from Patentia and will be at least one to two miles inland from the Demerara River.
The project is expected to begin operations in 2024 with construction expected to commence by mid-2022. In a public notice, the EPA stated that the project, with attendant onshore and offshore components, could have possible effects on the environment, including impacts to marine water quality, air quality, marine and terrestrial flora and fauna, and socio-economic resources, among others.
As a result, it has determined that an EIA must be undertaken before an environmental permit is issued.
The planned government-owned power plant is not included in the scope of the project’s application, except for its consideration when addressing cumulative impacts for the project.
EEPGL will pay for the environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) and other studies. It has selected the consultants for the project since, according to this country’s current EPA Act, the contractor has to choose the consultant from an EPA-approved list of persons. (Laurel Sutherland)
