l Landscape and visual amenity Enter Go back to contents l . Al mA en nD iTsc yA p e A n D v is u A l Gas Field Development Project Landscape Character and Visual Amenity Technical Report Santos GLNG 2014 Rev1a Gas Field Development Project – Landscape and Visual Amenity 2014 Contents 1 Introduction 1 1.1 GFD Project overview 1 1.2 Scope of this assessment 4 2 Regulatory and policy framework 5 2.1 Regulatory framework 5 2.2 Santos GLNG policy framework 5 2.2.1 Post-EIS field planning process 6 3 Assessment methodology 9 3.1 Stage 1: Baseline study 9 3.1.1 Desktop study 9 3.1.2 Field study 9 3.2 Stage 2: Impact assessment 9 3.2.1 Assessment framework 9 3.2.2 Landscape character and visual absorption capacity 12 3.2.3 Receptor sensitivity 13 3.2.4 Significance assessment 14 3.3 Stage 3: Evaluation and mitigation of potential impacts 16 4 Landscape and visual amenity values 17 4.1 Existing landscape character of the GFD Project area 17 4.2 Landscape character zones 17 4.2.1 Visual absorption capacity 19 4.2.2 Arcadia gas field 23 4.2.3 Fairview gas field 26 4.2.4 Roma gas field 28 4.2.5 Scotia gas field 31 5 Potential impacts 35 5.1 Primary infrastructure 36 5.1.1 Wells 36 5.1.2 Gas and water gathering lines and transmission pipelines 37 s nt 5.1.3 Gas compression facilities 39 e t on 5.1.4 Water management facilities 41 C ii JVP Visual Planning and Design Gas Field Development Project – Landscape and Visual Amenity 2014 5.2 Supporting infrastructure 43 5.3 Management and mitigation 50 5.4 Impact assessment 55 5.5 Residual impacts 56 6 Cumulative impacts 63 6.1 Methodology 63 6.2 Cumulative impact area and project inclusion 64 6.3 Cumulative impact assessment 72 7 Conclusion 74 8 References 75 Tables Table 3-1 GFD Project constraints (current at March 2014) 10 Table 3-2 Sensitivity criteria - receptors 13 Table 3-3 Visual sensitivity of receptors within the GFD Project area 14 Table 3-4 Sensitivity criteria 14 Table 3-5 Magnitude criteria 15 Table 3-6 Significance matrix 15 Table 3-7 Significance classifications 15 Table 4-1 Landscape character zones – topography visual absorption capacity 20 Table 4-2 Landscape character zones – vegetation visual absorption capacity 21 Table 4-3 Landscape character zones – receptors visual absorption sensitivity 22 Table 5-1 Management measures 53 Table 5-2 Visual impact and management summary 57 Table 6-1 Relevance factors for assessing cumulative impact 63 Table 6-2 Impact significance for assessing cumulative impact 63 Table 6-3 Project inclusion criteria – cumulative impact assessment 64 Table 6-4 Projects included in the cumulative impact assessment 66 Table 6-5 Significance of cumulative residual impacts 72 Figures Figure 1-1 GFD Project area and major infrastructure 2 s t Figure 1-2 Proposed GFD Project development schedule 3 n e t n Figure 2-1 Field development process 8 o C JVP Planning and Design iii Gas Field Development Project – Landscape and Visual Amenity 2014 Figure 3-1 Vegetation screening and visual absorption capacity 12 Figure 4-1 GFD Project landscape character zones 18 Figure 5-1 Landholder engagement process 52 Figure 6-1 Projects within 50 km of the GFD Project 65 Plates Plate 4-1 LCZ A1 Steep hills and mountains of the Blackdown Tableland National Park 23 Plate 4-2 LCZ A1 Mesas 24 Plate 4-3 LCZ A2 Prominent ridgelines within Arcadia gas field 24 Plate 4-4 LCZ A3 Undulating hills to east of Arcadia gas field 25 Plate 4-5 LCZ A4 Riparian areas and lower slopes within the Arcadia gas field 25 Plate 4-6 LCZ A4 Views towards the east within Arcadia gas field 26 Plate 4-7 LCZ F1 View of mixed Eucalypt/Cypress Pine forest within Hallett State Forest 26 Plate 4-8 LCZ F2 Tree lined local roads 27 Plate 4-9 LCZ F3 Extensive broad valley grassland and cattle grazing 28 Plate 4-10 LCZ R1 Irrigated croplands and grazing lands 28 Plate 4-11 LCZ R1 Remnant woodland 29 Plate 4-12 LCZ R2 Hills slopes, grazing land and remnant woodland 29 Plate 4-13 LCZ R3 Tree cover along road easements 30 Plate 4-14 LCZ R3 Rolling grazing lands to distinctive rocky outcrops and ridgelines 30 Plate 4-15 LCZ R4 Wallumbilla along on the Warrego Highway 31 Plate 4-16 LCZ S1 Undulating hills and contour cropping 32 Plate 4-17 LCZ S1 Broad flat grasslands with scattered trees 32 Plate 4-18 LCZ S2 Views along Juandah Creek from Roma – Taroom Road 33 Plate 4-19 LCZ S3 Isolated vegetated hills 33 Plate 4-20 LCZ S4 Wandoan township approach view from west 34 Plate 4-21 LCZ S4 Wandoan township - streetscape 34 Plate 5-1 Well lease construction 36 Plate 5-2 Example of production well located within woodland areas 37 Plate 5-3 Construction of gathering lines 37 Plate 5-4 Construction of transmission pipeline 38 Plate 5-5 Gas gathering line corridor post-construction 39 s Plate 5-6 Construction footprint of a gas compression facility for the GLNG Project 40 t n e nt Plate 5-7 Construction of gas compression and water management facility in Fairview gas field 40 o C iv JVP Visual Planning and Design Gas Field Development Project – Landscape and Visual Amenity 2014 Plate 5-8 Example of a gas compression facility 41 Plate 5-9 Example of GLNG Project water management facilities 42 Plate 5-10 Example of GLNG Project water storage dams 43 Plate 5-11 GLNG Project semi-permanent construction accommodation facility layout 44 Plate 5-12 GLNG Project operations accommodation facility layout 45 Plate 5-13 Existing access road for the GLNG Project 46 Plate 5-14 GLNG Project laydown area 47 Plate 5-15 Current 33 kV above ground power lines 50 Plate 5-16 Current 11 kV above ground power lines 50 s t n e t n o C JVP Planning and Design v Gas Field Development Project – Landscape and Visual Amenity 2014 Abbreviations Abbreviation Definition 2009 EIS GLNG Project EIS Constraints protocol GFD Project Environmental Protocol for Constraints planning and Field Development DAMP Decommissioning and Abandonment Management Plan EHS Environment Hazard Standards EHSMS Environment, Health and Safety Management Standard EIS Environmental impact statement EP Act Environmental Protection Act 1994 (Qld) EPBC Act Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth) GFD Project Gas Field Development Project GLNG Project Gladstone Liquefied Natural Gas Project Ha Hectare JVP JVP Visual Planning and Design km Kilometre LCZ Landscape character zone m Metre ML Megalitres Mtpa Million tonnes per annum SIMP Social impact management plan ToR Terms of reference URS URS Australia Pty Ltd s t n e t n o C vi JVP Visual Planning and Design Gas Field Development Project EIS 2014 1 Introduction JVP Visual Planning and Design (JVP) was engaged by URS Australia Pty Ltd (URS), on behalf of Santos GLNG, to conduct an assessment of the potential impacts on landscape character and visual amenity associated with the construction, operations, decommissioning and rehabilitation of the Santos GLNG Gas Field Development Project (the GFD Project). This assessment responds to section 4.2.5 of the Terms of reference (ToR) for an environmental impact statement (EIS) issued March 2013. 1.1 GFD Project overview Santos GLNG intends to further develop its Queensland gas resources to augment supply of natural gas to its existing and previously approved Gladstone Liquefied Natural Gas (GLNG) Project. The Santos GLNG Gas Field Development Project (the GFD Project) is an extension of the existing approved gas field development and will involve the construction, operation, decommissioning and rehabilitation of production wells and the associated supporting infrastructure needed to provide additional gas over a project life exceeding 30 years. Specifically, the GFD Project seeks approval to expand the GLNG Project’s gas fields tenure from 6,887 km2 to 10,676 km2 to develop up to 6,100 production wells beyond the currently authorised 2,650 wells; resulting in a maximum of up to 8,750 production wells. The GFD Project will continue to progressively develop the Arcadia, Fairview, Roma and Scotia gas fields across 35 Santos GLNG petroleum tenures in the Surat and Bowen basins, and associated supporting infrastructure in these tenures and adjacent areas. The location of the GFD Project area and primary infrastructure is shown on Figure 1-1. The GFD Project will include the following components: • Production wells • Fluid injection wells, monitoring bores and potentially underground gas storage wells • Gas and water gathering lines • Gas and water transmission pipelines • Gas compression and treatment facilities • Water storage and management facilities • Access roads and tracks • Accommodation facilities and associated services (e.g. sewage treatment) • Maintenance facilities, workshops, construction support, warehousing and administration buildings • Utilities such as water and power generation and supply (overhead and/or underground) • Lay down, stockpile and storage areas • Borrow pits and quarries • Power lines and communications. w e vi r e v o ct e oj r P D F G JVP Planning and Design 1 Gas Field Development Project EIS 2014 Figure 1-1 GFD Project area and major infrastructure n o Source: URS, 2014; File No: 42627064-g-1051b.mxd ti c u d o r nt I 2 JVP Planning and Design Gas Field Development Project EIS 2014 The final number, size and location of the components will be determined progressively over the GFD Project life and will be influenced by the location, size and quality of the gas resources identified through ongoing field development planning processes, which include consideration of land access agreements negotiated with landholders, and environmental and cultural heritage values. Where practicable, the GFD Project will utilise existing or already approved infrastructure (e.g. accommodation camps, gas compression and water management facilities) from the GLNG Project or other separately approved developments. The GFD Project may also involve sourcing gas from third- party suppliers, as well as the sharing or co-location of gas field and associated facilities with third parties. For the purposes of transparency this EIS shows an area off-tenure that may be used for infrastructure such as pipelines and temporary camps (supporting infrastructure area). While not assessed specifically in this EIS, any infrastructure that may be located within this area would be subject to further approval processes separate to this EIS. Approved exploration and appraisal activities are currently underway across the GFD Project’s petroleum tenures to improve understanding of the available gas resources. As the understanding of gas resources increases, investment decisions will be made about the scale, location and timing of the next stages of field development. For the purposes of this EIS, a scenario based on the maximum development case was developed at the approval of the Terms of Reference. This scenario assumed that production from the wells and upgrading of the gas compression facilities in the Scotia gas field would commence in 2016, followed by the GFD Project wells in the Roma, Arcadia and Fairview gas fields in mid-2019. This schedule is indicative only and was used for the purpose of the impact assessment in this EIS. The potential GFD Project schedule is outlined in Figure 1-2. This schedule provides an overall field development scenario for the purposes of assessment in this EIS. Figure 1-2 Proposed GFD Project development schedule w To minimise the disturbance footprint of the GFD Project, decommissioning and rehabilitation will e occur progressively throughout the life of the GFD Project as construction activities cease and vi r e exhausted gas wells are decommissioned. However, final decommissioning and rehabilitation will v o occur at the end of gas production in accordance with relevant approvals and regulatory requirements. ct e oj r P D F G JVP Planning and Design 3