Environmental Assessment
Volume D-3.9
Process Plant
Visual Aesthetics
A particular emphasis will be placed on vegetation along the Pangalanes Canal,
which is used by tourists and other small watercraft users.
Pipelines to and from the process plant will be buried.
Fully shielded light fixtures will be used and directed away from nearby
populated areas.
The facilities and grounds of the plant site will be kept in an orderly state.
3.9.5.4 Results
A viewshed evaluation for the process plant buildings is presented in
Figure 3.9-1. The viewshed evaluation shows that the plant facilities, especially
the tops of the taller facilities such as major plant facilities, boilers, tanks and
stacks, will be visible throughout much of the LSA. The assumed heights of key
facilities for the purpose of this analysis are listed in Table 3.9-3.
Table 3.9-3 Structure Heights (Process Plant)
Structure
Height Above Ground (m)
vent scrubber
30
raw liquor heater
40
sulphide area flare
40
hydrogen plant
50
acid plant
60
coal-fired boiler
80
The visibility of many plant site structures will be relatively high due to their size
and the flat terrain surrounding the site. However, the viewshed area shown in
Figure 3.9-1 is conservative in that it does not include the effects of vegetation or
structural features which obscure views in many locations. Based on the
conservative viewshed shown, one or more plant site facilities are visible from
72% of the study area (including virtually all of the Indian Ocean that is within
5 km). Within Toamasina, the viewshed does occur, but views from the city are
expected to be negligible in magnitude as a result of the distance to the site and
prominence of other, closer, urban and industrial development.
Ambatovy Project
85
January 2006
