comparison of environmental aspects of geothermal ... - Orkustofnun

Report 17
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Mwawughanga
3.2 Environmental legislation of Kenya and its role in project development
The Kenyan environmental legislation is still in its infancy. The Environmental Management and
Coordination Act was passed in 1999. Before then, environmental matters were addressed by different
Acts in the various sectors, such as agriculture, forestry, physical and land use planning, water and other
resources. The 1999 Act deals with environmental matters in a holistic manner.
From the early 1990s, major projects – especially those that relied on financing from multilateral financial
institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund – were subject to EIA as a
primary precondition for funding. Therefore, all power development projects in Kenya implemented after
1991 had EIAs done before implementation. However, the public had little awareness of the process and
thus made no contribution. The new Act requires public participation, there is greater scrutiny, and there
are well defined implications in case the law is not followed.
The Act contains twelve sections, with section six dealing with EIA. Other sections deal with
environmental audit, monitoring, protection, conservation, quality standards, restoration, conservation
easements and offences, among others. In addition there are schedules, one of which (Schedule 2) outlines
the type of projects for which EIA is mandatory. Thus, any development projects, including hydropower
and geothermal power plants, that fit a category listed in Schedule 2 have to be subject to EIA. All the
sections affect projects at different stages of implementation and understanding the entire Act is important
for project developers.
The National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) is the body charged with ensuring the
proper administration of the Act through supervision and coordination of all environment management
activities being undertaken by the lead agencies. NEMA promotes the integration of environmental
considerations into development policies, plans and programmes, while ensuring sustainable utilization
of resources for the improvement of the well-being of the people. EIA is one of the vital environmental
planning and management tools available to NEMA. The EIA application for the licence process is shown
in Figure 2.
4. GEOTHERMAL ELECTRIC POWER DEVELOPMENT
4.1 General environmental impacts due to geothermal electric power development
Geothermal power development, though dubbed a “clean energy” source, has some negative impacts
associated with its development, although most of them can be mitigated. Most of these environmental
impacts are associated with high-temperature systems, but there are potential impacts in both low- and
high-temperature systems. While some impacts can be mitigated successfully, others may not, and may
be permanent. The impacts shown in this section are based extensively on Hunt (2001).
Destruction of forests and soil erosion. These impacts are due to creation of access and field
development. Construction of roads to drilling sites can cause damage to forests and vegetation, which
in the tropics can lead to soil erosion and large amounts of silt being washed down by streams and rivers
draining the development area. This may in turn affect aquatic organisms downstream in rivers and
coastal waters near river mouths. Silt deposits near river mouths may raise the river bed, thus making the
surrounding area susceptible to flooding during high rainfall and interfering with navigation.
Noise. Drilling involves noise, fumes, and dust, which can disturb animals living nearby. Site topography
and meteorological conditions influence noise levels, which vary from 120 dB(A) for air drilling (reduced
with muffling) and well discharge; 70–110 dB(A) for well testing (if silencers are used); 90 dB(A) for
heavy machinery during earth movement; 85 dB(A) for well bleeding (reduced by muffling); and 45–55
dB(A) for diesel engines used for operating compressors (if suitable muffling is used). The pain threshold
is at 120 dB(A) (at 2 to 4,000 Hz).