Part 2 - Eskom
Part 2 - Eskom
Part 2 - Eskom
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ENVIRONMENTAL SCOPING REPORT FOR THE PROPOSED 40MW OPEN CYCLE GAS TURBINE POWER<br />
PLANT IN THE AMERSFOORT AREA, MPUMALANGA<br />
Bohlweki-SSI Environmental<br />
Farming on or near the project site is characterised by both dryland crop farming, and<br />
animal husbandry (mostly cattle farming). There are several small communities of<br />
workers living in the area in addition to landowners or tenants. The new plant will<br />
occupy a small footprint but the gas cleaning and distribution facilities will be spread<br />
over a large area. This may increase the negative economic impact of the project.<br />
7.2.5. Heritage<br />
• Stone Age<br />
No information about Stone Age habitation of the area is available. There might<br />
be two reasons for this. Firstly, it is unlikely that Stone Age people would have<br />
occupied the area specific, as it would have been to cold and no shelters or<br />
caves exists locally that could be used to shelter in. Secondly, no systematic<br />
survey of the area has been done and, as a result, no sites have been reported.<br />
• Iron Age<br />
Iron Age people started to settle in southern Africa c. AD 300, with one of the<br />
oldest known sites at Silver Leaves, south east of Tzaneen dating to AD 270.<br />
However, Iron Age occupation of the eastern highveld area (including the study<br />
area) did not start much before the 1500s. Some sites dating to the Late Iron Age<br />
is known to exist to the north west of the study area.<br />
• Historic period<br />
The historical period in this area starts with the arrival of early missionaries,<br />
hunters and traders, followed later by the Voortrekkers, who settled permanently<br />
and started to farm in the area and developed a number of towns. The town of<br />
Amersfoort was founded in 1876 and proclaimed in 1888. During the Anglo Boer<br />
War (1899-1902), some skirmishes took place in the region 7 .<br />
7.2.6. Noise<br />
The noise climate (ambient noise condition) in the Amersfoort area is quiet and is<br />
representative of a rural (farming) noise district (SANS 10103). There are a number<br />
of major noise sources in the area namely the existing Majuba Power Station, the<br />
traffic on the main roads, coal trucks transporting coal to Majuba Power Station and<br />
the coal supply railway line to the power station. The noise sensitive sites/areas are<br />
Amersfoort town (approximately 12 km from the Majuba Power Station) and various<br />
farm houses and farm labourer residences in the surrounding area (on farms<br />
Palmietspruit; Strydkraal; Tweedepoort, Koppieskraal, Rietfontein; Weiland and<br />
Bergvliet).<br />
7.2.7. Traffic<br />
There are a number of major roads and secondary roads servicing the study area.<br />
These include:<br />
i) National Road N11, which links Amersfoort to Volksrust is aligned in a northsouth<br />
direction through the eastern sector of the study area.<br />
7 Cloete, P.G, 2000. The Anglo-Boer War: A Chronology. Pretoria: JP van der Walt. Pp. 243.<br />
E02.JNB.000308<br />
ESKOM HOLDINGS LIMITED<br />
01<br />
55<br />
08/10/2009