Environmental Assessment
Volume C-1
Slurry Pipeline
Alternatives Considered
Ambatovy Project
1
January 2006
1
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED
Much attention has been given to considering route alternatives for the slurry
pipeline, including focused consultations for routing via the Mantadia-Zahamena
forest corridor (Volume A, Section 6). This section describes the chronology of
analyses that led to the choice of routing assessed in this Environmental
Assessment (EA). Additional route refinement that is ongoing as of November
2005 is also discussed, along with the means by which any change will be
assessed in an EA Addendum to be issued separate from this main EA.
Initial investigations of a pipeline route from the mine site to the Port of
Toamasina followed an existing railway line from the mine site to Brickaville
and then on to the process plant. This was defined as the ‘Railway Route’.
Subsequent investigations identified a possible alternate or more direct route
across country between the mine site and process plant. This was defined as the
‘Direct Route’. As a result of a favaourable outcome of this investigation the
Base Case was modified to reflect the Direct Route.
The selected Base Case pipeline will run adjacent to the CIBA (forest) railway
line from the mine site to near the town of Andasibe where it turns east
circumventing the National Park before heading north to the town of Fitanisirana.
Here it turns east to the north of Lanonana up to south of Ankarefa, past
Androsalabo and generally follows the RN2 National road to the Toamasina
plant site terminal station, resulting in a total pipeline length of about 195 km.
A pipeline is required to transport the ore in a slurry from the ore processing
facility to the plant site on the coast. It will be 55 cm in diameter and will be
buried for most of its length. This section describes the alternative selection
process for the “railway route” and a variety of route options for the western
portion of a more “direct route”.
Table 1-1 summarizes the engineering, social, environmental and cost criteria
and conclusions for the pipeline options, while Figure 1-1 outlines the route
alternatives.
