Mainstream Damlaagte and Ilikwe OHPL, Freestate Province

South Africa Mainstream Renewable Power Developments (Pty) Ltd (Mainstream) is proposing the construction of a 132kV Overhead Powerline (OHPL) to connect the two approved Solar PV Facilities i.e. the IIikwa Solar PV Facility (14/12/16/3/3/2/2078) and the Damlaagte Solar PV Facility (14/12/16/3/3/1/2432) to the existing ESKOM Scafell Main Transmission Substation (MTS). The proposed project is located 19 km west of Sasolburg and 22 km north-east of Parys, within the Ngwathe Local Municipality of the Fezile Dabi District Municipality in the Free State Province. The proposed 132 kV OHPL and internal access roads, hereafter referred to as “the proposed project”, forms this application and Basic Assessment process

The proposed project will include the following infrastructure, namely:

• 132kV overhead powerline
• Internal access roads

The proposed project requires Environmental Authorisation (EA) subject to a Basic Assessment (BA) Process from the Free state Department of Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (DESTEA). Mainstream appointed SLR Consulting (South Africa) Pty Ltd as the independent Environmental Assessment Practitioner (EAP) to undertake the required BA for the proposed project which was previously submitted to the DFFE in September 2021. In March 2022, the DFFE refused the Scafell Solar PV Project and associated Grid project based on, inter alia, issues with information presented in the reports, information contained in specialist studies and comments from Interested and Affected Parties (I&APs).

Due to the initial refusal of the Damlaagte and Ilikwa grid connections, Mainstream in collaboration with Eskom, undertook to find an alternative means to connect to the grid and have thus proposed a new approx. 2.1km overhead alignment. This alignment that will connect both Damlaagte and Ilikwa Solar PV Facilities to the existing Scafell MTS, by following an existing Eskom powerline servitude.

Status

Notice is hereby given, in terms of the EIA Regulations, 2014 promulgated under NEMA, that the Basic Assessment Report (BAR) prepared for the above-mentioned project has been made available for a 30-day public review and comment period from 04 August 2023 to 04 September 2023.

Should you and/or your organisation wish to comment on any aspect of the BAR, comments should be forwarded to SLR at the email address and telephone number shown above. For comments to be included in the BAR prepared for the decision-making purposes, they should reach SLR by no later than 04 September 2023.

By providing your personal information to submit a comment, you will be included in the SLR an Interested and Affected Party (I&AP) database, and you consent to SLR managing your information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013. It is assumed that as an I&AP for this Project you authorise SLR to retain and use your Personal Information as part of a contact database for this and/or other Social and Environmental Impact Assessments (ESIA) and that you confirm your acceptance for SLR to contact you regarding this and/or other ESIA processes. SLR will not process your Personal Information, other than as permitted or required by ESIA processes, or as required by law or public policy. SLR will use reasonable, appropriate security safeguards to protect Personal Information, and to reasonably prevent any damage to, loss of, or unauthorised access or disclosure of Personal Information, other than as required for ESIA processes or as required by any Law or public policy. You may request for your Personal Information to be deleted from the I&AP database at any time by contacting SLR.