Environmental Assessment
Volume D-3.3
Process Plant
Climate and Air Quality
on environmental receptors such as human health, wildlife health, aquatic
resources and terrestrial resources are addressed in other appropriate sections of
Volume D.
3.3.2
Assessment Boundaries
3.3.2.1 Temporal Scope
Temporal considerations for the EA are based on the Ambatovy Project
description and they vary among EA components because of the different ways
the project components interact with the environment. The air assessment does
not represent fixed points in time. Rather, it was completed for the operations
phase of the process plant during maximum production. Air emissions from the
tailings facility and the port expansion during the operations phase were
considered to be negligible compared to the process plant emissions; therefore,
they were not included in the assessment.
3.3.2.2 Spatial Scope
The study area selected for the air quality assessment of the process plant, port
expansion and tailings facility is 26 x 23 km in size, centred on the process plant
site, as illustrated in Volume A, Section 7, Figure 7.2-3. It includes the tailings
facility and the city of Toamasina. Within this 598 km² study area is where the
majority of the air quality effects associated with the process plant, tailings
facility and port expansion are expected to occur. The study area has also been
used when presenting the air quality predictions graphically.
One of the objectives of the air quality evaluation is to help address questions
from regional stakeholders regarding the possible effects of the project on the air
quality in their communities. To facilitate this, air quality predictions were made
for each of the community receptors indicated in Table 3.3-1.
Ambatovy Project
27
January 2006
