Amendment of the Environmental Management Programme (EMPr) for the Authorized Photovoltaic (Solar) Energy Facility on Remainder of Farm Du Plessis Dam No. 179 near De Aar, Northern Cape

AMENDMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME (EMPr) FOR THE AUTHORIZED PHOTOVOLTAIC (SOLAR) ENERGY FACILITY ON REMAINDER OF FARM DU PLESSIS DAM NO. 179 NEAR DE AAR, NORTHERN CAPE

(DEA Ref No: 12/12/20/2498) (NEAS Ref No: DEA/EIA/0000609/2011)

On 28 September 2012, the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) granted Du Plessis Solar PV4 (Pty) Ltd (i.e. the Applicant) Environmental Authorisation (EA) for the authorized photovoltaic (solar) energy facility on the Remainder of Farm Du Plessis Dam No. 197, near De Aar in the Northern Cape. The authorized PV facility consists of a 19.9MW photovoltaic solar energy plant and associated infrastructure on the Remainder of Farm Du Plessis Dam No. 179 within the Emthanjeni Local Municipality in the Northern Cape Province.

In terms of Condition 13 of the EA dated 28 September 2012: “The Environmental Management Programme (EMPr) submitted as part of the Amended Basic Assessment Report (BAR) dated August 2012 must be amended to include measures as dictated by the final site lay-out plan and micro-siting; and the provisions of this environmental authorisation. The EMPr must be submitted to the Department for written approval prior to commencement of the activity. Once approved, the EMPr must be implemented and adhered to.”

Holland & Associates Environmental Consultants has been appointed to update and amend the EMPr as required by Condition 13 of the EA dated 28 September 2012. The EMPr for the project has now been amended to include (amongst others) the information requirements stipulated within Condition 18 of the Environmental Authorization. The Amended EMPr also contains the Final Site Layout Plan for the Project that has been compiled in compliance with Condition 12 of the Environmental Authorization. In addition, please note that the EMPr also contains an Addendum to the original Avifauna Report (as included within the Amended Final Basic Assessment Report (BAR) of August 2012), which has been issued to clarify certain recommendations within the Amended Final BAR of August 2012. Notice is hereby given of the commencement of a 30 day Public Participation Process in respect of the amended EMPr.

The EMPr was compiled during the Basic Assessment (BA) process of the aforementioned authorised project to provide a link between the mitigation measures identified for the assessed project impacts and the actual environmental management on the ground during project implementation and operation. In this regard, the purpose of the EMPr is to provide for environmental management throughout the Planning & Design, Pre-construction and Construction, Operation and Decommissioning life-cycle stages of the authorised development.

Interested and Affected Parties (I&APs) are invited to register as I&APs and to provide comment on the proposed EMPr Amendment. A Copy of the amended EMPr is available for review for a period of 30 days from 1 April 2016 – 6 May 2016 and is available for download via the link below.

I&APs must provide their comments together with their name, contact details (including their preferred method of notification, e.g. e-mail, post or fax number) and an indication of any direct business, financial, personal or other interest which they have in the application, to Ross Holland by 6 May 2016. The DEA reference number indicated above must be referred to in all correspondence submitted by I&APs. All comments received will be submitted to DEA, together with the Amended EMPr, in order to assist in informing their decision on whether or not to approve the Amended EMPr document.

Comments are to be submitted in writing via post, e-mail or fax to Mr Ross Holland of Holland & Associates Environmental Consultants (Fax: 086 653 1765, email: ross@hollandandassociates.net or post: PO Box 31108, Tokai, 7966).