Impact Assessment
We have produced technical reports on carbon emissions and their abatement, climate change impacts and energy efficiency
These have been used for various purposes
- input into impact assessment processes
- review and assessment of specific components of impact assessments
- provision of expert witness
Whenever necessary during the impact assessment process
- we have provided specialist input to other parts of the impact assessment
- used information generated by subject matter experts from other aspects of the assessment process to inform our recommendations
This ensures that our component of the impact assessment adds to a coherent outcome
New South Wales
Experience of impact assessment of infrastructure projects in NSW
- a major water infrastructure project
- a major infrastructure project
- three separate, temporary desalination plants
Part of the review process of each project’s Statement of Environmental Effects (SEE), we provided specialist input on their carbon emissions and how to mitigate these, as well as energy efficiency issues
- each of the original SEEs were improved by the review process
- recommendations targeted their inventories, monitoring and reporting as well as mitigation actions
The process ultimately led to commitments by each project to utilise electricity sourced from renewable energy supplies, at a time of significantly higher costs for renewable energy
Victoria
Produced documentation for the Supplementary Environmental Effects Statement (SEES) for the major infrastructure project, Port of Melbourne’s Channel Deepening Project
We contributed the Head Technical Report on emissions and climate change
Port of Melbourne Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate Change Head Technical Report for the Port of Melbourne Corporation’s Channel Deepening Project (Supplementary Environment Effect Statement, Technical Appendix 65, pp. 5675–5766)
What was in the Report
Discussions of the Report’s methodology to determine the emissions inventory and undertake the risk assessment
- selecting the boundary
- estimating energy consumption
- calculating emissions)
Review of the key features and existing conditions within Port Phillip Bay
- tidal range
- recent sea level rise
- emissions from international shipping
- sequestered carbon dioxide in the Bay’s waters
Examination of the impacts from predicted climate change
- future global sea level rise
- recommendation regarding the sea level rise in Port Phillip Bay over the project’s life
- subsequent tidal level changes within the Bay
Determination of the climate impacts from the project
- emissions from dredging
- changes in sequestered carbon dioxide in the Bay
- electricity used by the Project’s office-based workers
- projected emissions from international shipping and land-based freight transport
Assessment of the project’s carbon footprint and its overall climate impacts
- a series of mitigation and abatement recommendations and possible additional options were presented
After the Report
Subsequent to producing the Head Technical Report, additional Statements were provided to the Inquiry and Panel Hearing
Supplementary Statement on the Entrance Channel Depth
- used as input into the Inquiry on the Port Phillip Bay Channel Deepening Project, set up by Victoria’s Minister for Planning
Expert Witness Statement
- provided to the Port Phillip Channel Deepening Project SEES Panel Hearing to address issues raised in public submissions after the SEES was made available for public comment
