ASB Biodiesel (
ERM-Hong Kong, Ltd (ERM) has been commissioned by the
Project Proponent to undertake an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Study
in accordance with the EIA Study Brief (No. ESB-178/2007) issued under the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (EIAO) and the guideline on assessment
methodology provided in the Technical
Memorandum on Environmental Impact Assessment Process (EIAO-TM).
This EIA Report
addresses the nature and extent of the potential environmental impacts associated
with the construction and operation of the proposed biodiesel plant. The assessments in this EIA Study are
conducted using well-proven and internationally accepted methods based on reasonable
worst-case conditions.
The Project is classified as a Designated
Project under the Schedule 2 Part I
of the EIAO and therefore the
construction and operation of the Project will require an Environmental Permit
(EP). The overall objectives of the EIA
Study are to provide information on the nature and extent of potential environmental
impacts arising from the Project; to recommend appropriate mitigation measures
to control the potential environmental impacts so that it complies with the
requirements of the EIAO-TM, and to confirm the environmental acceptability of
the Project.
The
specific objectives of the EIA Study described in the EIA Study Brief are
listed below:
(i)
to
describe the Project and associated works together with the requirements and
environmental benefits for carrying out the Project;
(ii)
to
identify and describe elements of community and environment likely to be
affected by the Project and/or likely to cause adverse impacts to the Project,
including both the natural and man-made environment, and associated
environmental constraints;
(iii)
to
consider alternative options with a view to avoiding and minimizing the
potential environmental impacts to sensitive receivers;
(iv) to evaluate the potential risk of off-site
population due to the Project operation as shown in the Project Profile
(including but not limited to biodiesel production process, storage and
pipeline transfer of raw materials, immediate products and final products and
Dangerous Goods involved);
(v)
to
identify and quantify emission sources and determine the significance of
impacts on sensitive receivers and potential affected uses;
(vi) to propose the provision of mitigation
measures so as to minimize pollution, environmental disturbance and nuisance
during construction and operation of the Project;
(vii) to investigate the feasibility,
practicability, effectiveness and implications of the proposed mitigation
measures;
(viii) to identify, predict and evaluate the
residual environmental impacts (i.e. after practicable mitigation) and the
cumulative effects expected to arise during the construction and operation of
the Project in relation to the sensitive receivers and potential affected uses;
(ix) to identify, assess and specify methods,
measures and standards, to be included in the detailed design, construction and
operation of the Project which are necessary to mitigate these environmental
impacts and cumulative effects and reduce them to acceptable levels;
(x)
to
investigate the extent of the secondary environmental impacts that may arise
from the proposed mitigation measures and to identify constraints associated
with the mitigation measures recommended in the EIA study, as well as the
provision of any necessary modification; and
(xi) to design and specify environmental
monitoring and audit requirements to ensure the effective implementation of the
recommended environmental protection and pollution control measures.
The remainder of this report is organised as
follows.
·
Section 2 discusses various construction and operation
arrangements considered in the design in order to avoid or minimise adverse
environmental impacts;
·
Section 3 describes the proposed construction and operation
activities;
·
Section 4 presents the air quality assessment;
·
Section 5 presents the noise assessment;
·
Section 6 presents the water quality assessment;
·
Section 7 presents the marine ecological assessment;
·
Section 8 presents the hazard to life assessment;
·
Section 9 presents the environmental monitoring and auditing
requirements; and
·
Section 10 presents the conclusions and summary of the
environmental outcomes.