7.0.

Monitoring and Maintenance

Monitoring and maintenance is an important part of the project. It ensures that the project is
being implemented and operated as described in the EIA and all terms and conditions related
with the proposed project are being abided by. The future maintenance requirement are also
appraised and its environmental impact observed.

The monitoring takes place during project implementation where on-site supervision is being
done regarding site preparation and construction.

Monitoring also takes place during the operation phase to assess whether the proposed
development is operating as expected without any adverse effect on the environment that was
not foreseen during the preparation of the EIA report. Any negative impact will have to be
addressed accordingly.

The monitoring exercise is achieved through an Environment Monitoring Plan (EMP). The
EMP take into account the construction and operation phase. Public consultation is also carried
out with different stakeholders for ensuring the proper operation of the project with minimum
disturbance to the community.

7.1. The construction Phase

The construction of the power plant will require site clearing and earthworks,
construction of concrete building, fencing of site, some road works, placing of metal
racks and fixing of PV arrays, which will be carried out by Synnove Energy Ltd and
several sub-contractors.

During the construction of the project, the EMP will take into account the following;

• The dust emission and its mitigating measures.

• The noise generation and its impact.
• Site and project management to ensure targeted quantity and quality are
achieved.
• Waste management including its disposal.
• Oil spills from construction vehicles.
• Socio-economics activities related with the construction activities.

Table 2 below provides a brief description of the monitoring programme to be carried

out to mitigate the different items raised.

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 Table 2: EMP for Construction phase

Receptor Location Monitoring Monitoring and

Mechanism reporting
frequency
Dust emission At project location Visual inspection to Daily during the
assess the level of construction phase.
dust emanation
Noise generation At project location 1. Noise level Daily.
monitoring using
noise meters.
2. Regular
maintenance of
machineries.
Solid waste At project location Waste segregation Daily.
generation and disposal as per
regulations.
Liquid waste At project location 1.Wastewater Daily.
generation generation rate.
2. Integrity and
maintenance of
septic tank and soak
pits
Oil spills At project location 1. Inventory of all oil Daily.
spills/leakages and
quantity of each spill
2. Availability of
shovels, sands and
native soil at camp
sites and well site
4. Presence of oil
drip pans in potential
oil leakages areas.
Socio-economics At project location Local people During the
recruited for all construction phase.
manual labour and
other jobs for which
local skill are
available.
Quantity and quality At project location Timing and Contractor and
management supervision of work. consultant.

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7.2. The operation phase
The power plant will have to be operated by professionals who have been properly
trained. The plant manager will be responsible for its daily operation and maintenance
through a dedicated team. The daily operation will consist of the following;

• The power plant is operating as intended with adequate power supply to the
grid.
• The cleanliness of the premises.
• The prevention of soil contamination from solid and liquid waste.
• Maintenance of the PV arrays regarding cleanliness.
• De-weeding the project area.
• The security of the power plant.
• Effectiveness of firefighting facilities.

Table 3 highlights the different items that will be included during the monitoring
programme for the operation phase.

One of the most important activities of the maintenance operations is the de-weeding
process. The site being bounded by bare land indicates that shrubs and other plants will
have a tendency to grow, which might cause damage to the PV arrays as well as cast
shadows over the solar modules. Shadows over the solar modules will lead to lower
power production, cause over heating of the modules and therefore hinder the proper
operation of the solar farm.

Figure 24: Problem arising with no de-weeding activity

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 Table 3: EMP for the Operation phase

Receptor Location Monitoring Monitoring and

Mechanism reporting
frequency
Dust emission At project location Visual inspection to Daily during the first
ascertain that dust month and then
emanation is weekly.
controlled from
moving vehicles.
Noise generation At project location Noise level Weekly.
monitoring using
noise meters.
Solid waste At project location Waste disposal as Daily and/or twice
generation per prevailing weekly depending
regulation. on frequency of local
government waste
collection schedules.
Wastewater At project location 1. Liquid effluent Weekly for liquid
generation generation waste generation and
monitored. yearly for
2. the integrity of desludging.
septic tank and
desludging.
De-weeding At project location Height of weeds to Monthly.
operation be below PV arrays.
PV arrays cleansing At project location Dust blanket on Twice yearly.
surface of PV cells.
Power plant At project location Amount of energy Daily.
operation produced
Fire-fighting At project location 1. Availability of Monthly for fire
provisions fire- fighting equipment and twice
equipment. yearly for fire drills.
2. Regular drills
training for
personnel.
Security At project location Training of All year round.
personnel regarding
health and safety
aspect involved in
electric power.

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7.3. Maintenance
The maintenance of the project is very important because it is through a proper
maintenance plan that the project can operate at its optimum capacity. Maintenance
should form part of the EMP because it has environmental impact such as use of water
and generation of waste. The maintenance plan should consist of the following;

• Preparation of the maintenance schedules.

• Distribution of work to different teams.
• The periodic maintenance of infrastructure such as buildings, access roads, PV
arrays, racks and de-weeding to avoid proliferation of bushes that may hinder
the operation of the arrays by casting shades.
• Organization of meetings with the maintenance team and other stakeholders.

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