GAZETTE NOTICE NO. 4298

PURSUANT to regulation 21 of Environmental (Impact Assessment and Audit) Regulations, the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) has received an Environmental Impact Assessment Study Report for the implementation of the proposed 100MW wind energy project. The primary components of the proposed project will include the construction of a wind energy facility including up to sixty seven (67) wind turbines, one on-site sub-station, underground electrical cabling between turbines and the sub-station, internal access roads and an office/maintenance building on the facility site. Each turbine will be 1.6MW in capacity. The proposed project will be on a land area of about 70km2 within the Esilanke area, Oloyangani (Kipeto) sub- location, south Keekonyokei location in Kiserian, Kajiado District. The following are the anticipated impacts and proposed mitigation measures: Possible Impact Mitigation measures Archeology and cultural heritage  Consider engaging an archeologist during the construction phase to monitor excavated areas for potential archeological finds around each wind turbine location. Terrestrial ecology  Where possible avoid destruction of trees.  Use dust suppression methods such as watering down excavated areas during dry periods to avoid dust generation impacts on ecology.  Livestock and wild-herbivores should be allowed to graze/browse over most of the landscape to sustain dispersal and spatial recruitment of plant species.  Micro-siting of the turbines should be done away from riverine areas which support habitats.  No construction activities shall occur within a radius of 500m from priority plant species such as OsyrisLanceolata trees. Surface water and groundwater  Stockpiles of excavated soil should be bunded to prevent erosion and sedimentation which would lead to silt laden run-off.  Silt laden run-off should be directed to settlement/silt ponds to remove suspended solids prior to discharge to nearby watercourses.  Any on-site refueling operations of construction plant and equipment shall be carried out in bunded areas.  Construction plant and equipment will be maintained in a good state of repair with minimal leaks.  Storage of hydrocarbons and chemicals on site shall be in bunded areas of sufficient capacity to prevent surface water and groundwater contamination. Noise  The Proponent to ensure that all construction and operational phase activities comply with the requirements of L.N. 25: Factories and Other Places of Work (Noise Prevention and Control) Regulations, 2005 and L.N. 61: (Environment Management and Coordination) (Noise and Excessive Vibration Pollution) Regulations, 2009  Ensure that a 500m buffer zone is maintained between a wind turbine and the nearest household. Ornithology (avifauna)  Critical devices such as the rotor, generator, gearbox and cooling system should be equipped with protection systems to ensure safe and proper shutdown of equipment in sensitive periods and avoid bird collisions.  Tree clearing (bird habitats) should be minimized by siting access tracks to the wind turbines away from the natural habitats such as woodlands.  Tree clearing should be completed prior to or after the core bird breeding season for woodland and grassland birds.  Ensure that good site practices (waste disposal of litter, dust control, stabilization of disturbed areas, etc.) and procedures are used to reduce adverse environmental effects on avifauna Socio-economic  Give priority to youths from the area in jobs to be created during the construction and operational phase of the project.  Endeavor to use locally available construction materials and suppliers for the project construction activities.  Engage the local community and acquire approval from relevant lead agencies prior to upgrading the existing E407 road and new access tracks to each wind turbine.  Provide prudent advice to the community trust fund on types of projects community should engage in to uplift their livelihood. Transport  Ensure that all wind turbine components are transported in accordance with axle load limits.  Ensure that relevant lead agencies and Kenya Police are involved for the safe transportation of abnormal loads from Mombasa to the project site.  All construction related plant and equipment should adhere to stipulated speed limits during the construction and operational phases respectively. Visual impact  Maintain uniform size and design of wind turbines (hub height, rotor diameter, etc.)  Paint turbines a uniform, matt non- reflective color while observing air navigation marking regulations Shadow flicker  Ensure that shadow flicker does not exceed international guidelines of either 30 hours per year or 30 minutes day at the households within the project footprint area. Health and safety  Proponent to comply with the OSHA, 2007 and relevant subsidiary legislation throughout the construction and operational phase of the project.  Contractor to undertake appropriate health and safety risk assessments and THE KENYA GAZETTE 5th April, 2012 1168 1168 produce a safety method statement for the construction of the project.  Provide health and safety induction and ongoing refresher training during the construction phase of the project. The full report of the proposed project is available for inspection during working hours at: (a) Director-General, NEMA, Popo Road, off Mombasa Road, P.O. Box 67839 - 00200, Nairobi. (b) Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources, NHIF Building, Community, P.O. Box 30521, Nairobi (c) Provincial Director of Environment, Rift Valley Province. (d) District Environmental Officer, Kajiado District. The National Environment Management Authority invites members of the public to submit oral or written comments within thirty (30) days from the date of publication of this notice to the Director-General, NEMA, to assist the Authority in the decision making process of the plan. B. M. LANGWEN, for Director-General, MR/9098963 National Environment Management Authority.