The environmental impact assessment (EIA) study was executed within
the framework of the 20 MW Tejona Wind Power Project of the energy utility
company, Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE), in Costa Rica.
The project is located on an extremely wind-resourceful site (annual
average wind speed in excess of 13 m/s) in the province of Guanacaste
in the North of Costa Rica.
The contents and scope of the study follow relevant EIA requirements
in Costa Rica, and some EIA requirements from the government of the
Netherlands. The study provides an update to the original EIA study
(1993) taking into account developments in the legal requirements, the
methods and tools for environmental assessments, and adjusted to the
present conditions and wind turbine technology actually used.
The report gives a detailed description of the Tejona 20 MW Wind Power
Project. Besides technical specifications, details are given about the
parties involved, organisation, resources used, regulatory framework
and financial aspects. Site-specific characteristics relevant for environmental
consideration in Tejona are described and briefly analysed. Besides
climatic parameters, these include the geological, soil, vegetation,
fauna, and archaeological and socio-economic characteristics. The study
provides systematic analysis of environmental impacts of the 20 MW Tejona
wind power project. The beneficial influence of greenhouse gas abatement
is described.
Aspects of land use, acoustic noise emissions, visual impacts, safety,
impact on soil and vegetation, impacts on birds and wildlife and archaeological
features are discussed. A summary of the impacts is given. The planning
aspects in view of an environmental management plan are listed but are
not analysed in detail. The findings are influenced by the fact that
wind energy already is integrated in the local environment in the form
of a number of large projects. It is concluded that the environmental
impact of the project is positive in several important aspects. The
few detrimental impacts that occur are considered to be negligible or
limited.