Contents
1.1 Purpose of the Report
1.2 Structure of the Report
2.1 Background
2.2 Works Programme and Works Locations
2.3 Construction Activities
2.4 Status of Environmental Approval Documents
3.1 Cable Installation Water Quality Monitoring
3.2 Marine Mammal Observation (MMO)
3.3 Coral Monitoring
3.4 Site Inspection and Audit
5 Environmental Non-Conformance
5.1 Summary of Environmental Non-compliance
5.2 Summary of Environmental Complaint
5.3 Summary of Environmental Summon and successful
prosecution
6.1 Key Issues for the Next
Reporting Period Error!
Bookmark not defined.
6.2 Monitoring Schedule for the Next Reporting Period
LIST OF TABLES
Table
2.1 Summary
of Landing Point Construction Activities Undertaken during Reporting Period
Table 2.2 Summary
of Current Environmental Licensing, Notification and Permit Status
Table 6.1 Construction
Works to Be Taken For the Next Reporting Period
LIST OF ANNEXES
Annex A Proposed ASE Submarine Cable System
(Layout Plan)
Annex B Location of ASE Landing Point and
Terrestrial Cable Route
Annex C Completed Site Inspection Log
Annex D Photographic Records on Site
NTT Com Asia (NTTCA) proposes to install a
telecommunication cable (Asia Submarine-cable Express (ASE) cable) of
approximately 7,200 km in length, connecting Japan and Singapore with branches
to the Philippines, Hong Kong SAR (HKSAR) and Malaysia. A Project Profile (PP-452/2011) which
includes an assessment of the potential environmental impacts associated with
the installation of the submarine telecommunications cable system was prepared
and submitted to the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) under section 5.
(1)(b) and 5.(11) of the Environmental Impact
Assessment Ordinance (EIAO) for the application for Permission to apply
directly for Environmental Permit (EP).
The Environmental Protection Department, subsequently issued an
Environmental Permit (EP- 433/2011).
This
is the Fifteenth Weekly Site Inspection
Report that presents the findings of the site inspection and other EM&A activities undertaken during the period from 29 April 2013
to 5 May 2013.
Environmental Site
Inspection
A
weekly environmental site inspection was carried out by the representative of
the Environmental Team (ET).
Environmental performance complied with the environmental requirements and
all necessary mitigation measures were properly implemented.
Environmental Complaints,
Non-compliance & Summons
No
non-compliance with PP recommendations, EP conditions and other requirements
associated with the construction of the Project was recorded in the reporting
period.
No
environmental complaint was received in this reporting period.
No environmental summons
was received in this reporting period.
Upcoming Works for the Next
Reporting Period
It is
advised that all the construction works of this project have been completed, no further weekly site inspection will be carried
out.
1
Introduction
ERM-Hong Kong, Limited
(ERM) was appointed by NTT Com Asia (NTTCA) as the Environmental Team to
conduct regular site inspections and audit the implementation of all
environmental monitoring and mitigation measures recommended in the Project
Profile (PP) (Register No. PP – 452/2011) for the Proposed
Asia Submarine-cable Express (ASE) – Tseung Kwan O
(the Project).
1.1
Purpose
of the Report
This is the Fifteenth Weekly Site Inspection Report
(the Report), which summarises the inspection findings for the period from 29
April 2013
to 5 May 2013 and the implementation
status of the EM&A recommendations on environmental protection and
pollution control mitigation measures and monitoring.
1.2
Structure
of the Report
The structure of the Report
is as follows:
Section 1
: Introduction
Details the scope and structure of the
Report.
Section 2 : Project
Information
Summarises background and scope of the Project, site
description, construction programme, the construction works undertaken and the
status of Environmental Permits/Licenses during the reporting period.
Section 3 : Environmental
Monitoring
Summarises
the monitoring programmes as recommended in the PP and the monitoring
undertaken during the reporting period.
Section 4
: Site Inspection Results
Summarises the findings of the weekly
site inspection undertaken within the reporting period.
Section 5 : Environmental Non-conformance
Summarises any exceedances
of environmental performance standard, environmental complaints and
environmental summons received within the reporting period.
Section 6 : Upcoming
Works for the Next Reporting Period
Summarises the impact
forecast and monitoring schedule for the next reporting week.
Section 7 : Conclusions
2
Project
Information
2.1
Background
NTT
Com Asia (NTTCA) proposes to install a telecommunication cable (Asia
Submarine-cable Express (ASE) cable) of approximately 7,200 km in length,
connecting Japan and Singapore with branches to the Philippines, Hong Kong SAR
(HKSAR) and Malaysia. NTTCA is
responsible for securing the approval to land the ASE cable in Tseung Kwan O, Hong Kong SAR (HKSAR). The proposed landing site will be at a
new Beach Manhole (BMH) and ultimately connect with a Data Centre in Tseung Kwan O (TKO) Industrial Estate which is scheduled
for completion in 2012. From Tseung Kwan O, the cable will extend eastward approaching
the Tathong Channel. Near to Cape Collinson,
the cable is approximately parallel to the Tathong
Channel until north of Waglan Island where the cable
travels eastward to the boundary of HKSAR waters where it enters the South
China Sea. The total length of
cable in Hong Kong SAR waters is approximately 33.5 km. A map of the proposed cable route is
presented in Annex A.
A
Project Profile (PP-452/2011) which includes an assessment of the potential
environmental impacts associated with the installation of the submarine
telecommunications cable system was prepared and submitted to the Environmental
Protection Department (EPD) under section 5.(1)(b) and
5.(11) of the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (EIAO) for the
application for Permission to apply directly for Environmental Permit (EP). The Environmental Protection Department,
subsequently issued an Environmental Permit (EP- 433/2011).
Under the requirements of
Condition 2.4 of the EP, an EM&A programme as set out in the revised
Environmental Monitoring and Audit Manual (EM&A Manual) is required to be
implemented. The EM&A programme
includes water quality monitoring, marine mammal observation, coral monitoring
and weekly site inspection.
2.2
Works
Programme and Works Locations
The location of the cable
installation works within the boundary of Hong Kong SAR waters is shown in Annex A, while the location of the landing point (ie new Beach Manhole (BMH) in TKO Industrial Estate) is
shown in Annex B.
2.3
Construction
Activities
Submarine
Cable Installation
Starting
from 8 October 2012, the submarine-cable laying works in Zone A, Zone B and
Zone C have been largely finished and the installation barge reached the
boundary of Hong Kong marine waters on 24 October 2012. All marine works associated with the
Project were finished in late January 2013.
Landing
Point Construction
The
construction works of the landing point, which included the beach manholes and
the land duct, commenced on 4 October 2012, and were completed in late December
of 2012, dismantlement of the site hoarding fence were completed in late
February. During the reporting
period, BMH fences construction work was conducted and was completed on 3 May 2013 (Table 2.1).
Table 2.1 Summary of Landing Point
Construction Activities Undertaken during Reporting Period
2.4
Status of Environmental Approval Documents
A summary of the relevant
permits, licences, and/or notifications on environmental protection for this
Project is presented in Table 2.2.
Table 2.2 Summary of Current
Environmental Licensing, Notification and Permit Status
|
Permit/
Licences/ Notification |
Reference |
Validity Period |
Remarks |
|
Environmental
Permit |
EP-433/2011 |
Throughout
the construction and operation of the Project |
Permit
granted on 20 December 2011 |
|
Construction
Noise Permit |
GW-RE0774-12 |
18 Sep 2012 – 31 Jan 2013 |
Permits
granted on using of registered powered mechanical equipment for 07:00-23:00 hrs on general holidays (including Sundays) and
19:00-23:00 hrs on any day not being a general
holiday for Sub-marine cable laying works of the Project |
3
Environmental
Monitoring
3.1
Cable
Installation Water Quality Monitoring
As all marine works
of the Project were finished in late January 2013, post project water quality
monitoring in Zone A, Zone B and Zone C was conducted
in February 2013. Post Project
Water Quality Monitoring Reporting summarizing the findings of the water
quality monitoring in the three zones were submitted on 28 February 2013.
3.2
Marine
Mammal Observation (MMO)
Daily
marine mammal exclusion zone monitoring is required to be conducted during the
cable installation works taking place in daylight hours along the sections
outside Zone A to Zone B (ie Zone C and from C to the
boundary of HKSAR waters). This
monitoring was completed on 24 October 2012.
3.3
Coral Monitoring
Post-project
coral monitoring was conducted within one month after completion of the marine
works of the Project in late January.
The Post-Project Coral Monitoring Survey Report was submitted to EPD and
AFCD on 28 February 2013.
3.4
Site Inspection and Audit
In
accordance with the revised EM&A Manual, a weekly site inspection should be
undertaken at the landing point (ie new Beach Manhole
(BMH) in TKO Industrial Estate) to ensure that the appropriate environmental
protection and pollution control mitigation measures are properly implemented
in accordance with the Project Profile (PP-452/2011). Results of the site inspection in the
reporting period are provided in Section
4.
4
Site
Inspection Results
The weekly site inspection
is required to be carried out by the representative of the Contractor and the
Environmental Team (ET). A Site
Inspection Log was completed by the ET representative to record
whether the Contractor is compliant with environmental regulations in terms of
noise, water quality and housekeeping etc. (Annex C).
During the reporting
period, the site inspection was conducted on 3
May 2013. Construction works for the new beach manhole fence has been completed. (Annex D Photos Nos. 2). There was no non-compliance recorded during the site
audit.
5
Environmental
Non-Conformance
5.1
Summary of Environmental Non-compliance
No
non-compliance of PP/ EM&A/ EP/ legislative requirements was recorded
during the reporting period.
5.2
Summary of Environmental Complaint
No
complaint was received during the
reporting period.
5.3
Summary of Environmental Summon
and successful prosecution
No
summons was received during the reporting period.
6
Future Key Issues
6.1
Monitoring
Schedule for the Next Reporting Period
All of the construction works have been
completed. No further inspection
will be required.
7
Conclusions
This Fifteenth Weekly Site Inspection Report presents the findings of
the site inspection and other EM&A activities
undertaken during the period from 29 April 2013 to 5
May 2013,
in accordance with the PP (Register No. PP – 452/2011),
revised EM&A Manual and the requirements of Environmental Permit (EP- 433/2011).
A weekly environmental site
inspection was conducted on 3 May 2013
during the reporting period. It
confirmed that the environmental mitigation measures recommended in the PP were
properly implemented by the Contractor.
No
non-compliance event was recorded during the reporting period.
No complaint and
summons/prosecution was received during the reporting period.
It is advised that all the
construction works of this project have been completed,
no further weekly site inspection will be carried out.