Technical guide to renewable energy approvals

2011·3.1 MB·English

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ministère de l’Environnement au 1-800-565-4923.
Ministry of the Environment
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telephone: [phone]
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e-mail: [email protected]
www.Ontario.ca/Environment
PIBS 8472e
© Queen’s Printer for Ontario, 2011
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Overview of the Renewable Energy
Approval Application Process and the Requirements
For Submitting a Complete Application
List of Acronyms/Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
1 . Purpose of this Technical Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
1.1. A Note about Regulatory Amendments ................................................15
1.2. A Note about Offshore Wind Facilities .................................................15
1.3. Documents Referenced in this Guide ..................................................15
2 . Key Definitions and Interpretations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
3 . REA Process Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
4 . Scoping the Project Concept . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
4.1. Determining the Class of Project ......................................................22
4.2. Defining the Project Location and Preparing a Draft Project Description Report .........24
4.3. Additional Guidance for Determining the Project Scope ...............................24
4.3.1. Scope of Transmission or Distribution Lines Ancillary to the Project ...............................25
4.3.2. Scope Related to Distribution of Gas to Biogas Facilities ..........................................26
4.3.3. Scope when Two or More Projects May be Integrated or Aggregated ............................26
4.3.4. Meteorological Towers related to Wind Facilities .................................................27
5 . Meeting with Key Agencies and Commencing Additional Approvals . . . . . . . . 28
5.1. Determining if Additional Permits are Required .......................................28
5.1.1. Timing of Multiple Permits .......................................................................32
5.2. Additional Authorization from MOE for Unique Circumstances .........................32
5.2.1. Projects Requiring a Deviation from Policy 2 .....................................................32
5.2.2. EPA Section 46 Approval for Former Disposal Sites ...............................................33
6 . Conducting Site Assessments and Other Studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
6.1. Cultural Heritage Assessment ........................................................33
6.1.1. Project Located on a Protected Property .........................................................34
6.1.2. Identification and Assessment of Archaeological and Heritage Resources ........................34
6.1.3. Obtaining a Letter with Comments from the Ministry of Tourism and Culture .....................36
Table of Contents iii
6.2. Natural Heritage Assessment ........................................................36
6.2.1. Bird and Bat Monitoring Plans for Wind Facilities .................................................37
6.2.2. Obtaining a Letter of Confirmation and Comments from the Ministry of Natural Resources ........38
6.3. Water Assessment ...................................................................38
6.4. Additional Requirements for Land Use Planning Areas .................................39
7 . Completing REA Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
7.1. Report Content ...................................................................... 41
7.2. Report Timing ....................................................................... 41
7.2.1. The Project Description Report ..................................................................41
7.2.2. All Other REA Documentation ...................................................................43
8 . Consultation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
8.1. Consultation Overview ...............................................................44
9 . Application Submission and Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
9.1. Application Fees .....................................................................46
9.2. Completeness Check ................................................................46
9.3. Application Review ..................................................................46
9.3.1. Environmental Registry Posting and Public Notification ..........................................47
9.3.2. Director May Request More Information .........................................................47
9.4. Director Issues a Decision ............................................................48
10 . Hearing by the Environmental Review Tribunal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Chapter 2: Consultation Requirements and
Guidance for Preparing the Consultation Report
PART 1: Consultation Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
1 . Goals of Consultation under the REA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
1.1. Consultation Requirements Overview .................................................50
2 . Aboriginal Consultation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
2.1. Ministry Guidance on Aboriginal Consultation .........................................52
2.2. Brief Overview of Regulatory Requirements for Aboriginal Consultation ................52
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3 . Notices of the Project and of Public Meetings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
3.1. Notice of Proposal to Engage in a Project ..............................................53
3.2. Notice of Public Meeting(s) ...........................................................53
3.3. Distribution of Notices ...............................................................54
4 . Public Meetings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
4.1. First Public Meeting ..................................................................55
4.2. Additional Public Meetings ..........................................................56
4.3. Final Public Meeting .................................................................56
5 . Consultation with Municipalities and Other Local Authorities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
5.1. Provision of Draft Documents ........................................................ 57
5.2. Municipal Consultation Form .........................................................58
6 . Issuing a Draft Site Plan for Class 4 Wind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
7 . Consultation through the Environmental Registry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
PART 2: Guidance for Preparing the Consultation Report . . . . . . . 60
1 . Purpose of the Consultation Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
2 . Report Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
3 . Summary of Consultation Activities and Timing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
4 . Reporting on Aboriginal Consultation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
5 . Reporting on Public Consultation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
5.1 Reporting on Consultation with Other Stakeholders ....................................64
6 . Reporting on Municipal Consultation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Chapter 3: Required Setbacks for Wind Turbines
1 . Purpose of this Chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
1.1. Measuring Setback Distances .........................................................68
2 . Noise-Based Setbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
2.1. Minimum Setbacks ..................................................................68
Table of Contents v
2.2. Definition of Noise Receptors ........................................................68
2.2.1. Participating vs. Non-Participating Land Owners .................................................69
2.2.2. Vacant Lots .....................................................................................71
2.2.3. Noise Receptors on Crown Land .................................................................71
2.3 Multiple/Louder Turbines ............................................................. 71
2.4 Exception when Ambient Noise is >40 dBA due to Road Traffic ..........................72
2.5. Issuance of a Draft Site Plan to Clarify Noise Receptor and Turbine Locations ............72
2.5.1. Rights to Private Land Must be Secured ..........................................................75
2.5.2. Draft Site Plan Content ..........................................................................75
2.5.3. Content and Dissemination Requirements for the Public Notice of a Draft Site Plan ...............75
2.5.4. Dissemination of the Draft Site Plan .............................................................76
2.5.5. Limitations on the use of Draft Site Plans ........................................................76
3 . Setbacks from Property Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
4 . Setbacks from Roads and Railways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
5 . Setbacks for Associated Transformer Substations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
6 . Guidance for Demonstrating Adherence to Setbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Chapter 4: Guidance for Preparing the
Project Description Report
1 . Purpose of the Project Description Report (PDR) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
2 . Overview of PDR Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
2.1 Use of the PDR as a Draft Document ..................................................83
2.1.1. Draft Content .................................................................................. 84
2.1.2. Specific Guidance for the Preparation of a Draft PDR to
Obtain a List of Communities for Aboriginal Consultation ........................................85
2.2. PDR Structure .......................................................................86
3 . General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
3.1. Name of the Project and Applicant .................................................... 87
3.2. The Project Location ................................................................. 87
3.3. Description of the Energy Source, Nameplate Capacity, and Class of Facility ............. 87
3.4. Contact Information .................................................................88
3.5. Other Approvals Required ...........................................................88
3.6. Federal Involvement .................................................................88
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4 . Project Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
4.1. Facility Components .................................................................89
4.2. Project Activities ....................................................................90
4.3. Project Location Map ................................................................90
4.4. Land Ownership .....................................................................90
5 . Description of Environmental Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
5.1. Cultural Heritage (Protected Properties, Archaeological and Heritage Resources) .......92
5.2. Natural Heritage ....................................................................92
5.3. Impacts on Surface Water and Groundwater ..........................................93
5.4. Emissions to Air including Odour and Dust ...........................................95
5.5. Noise ...............................................................................95
5.6. Local Interests, Land Use and Infrastructure ...........................................95
5.7. Other Resources ..................................................................... 97
5.8. Public Health and Safety ............................................................. 97
5.9. Areas Protected under Provincial Plans and Policies ................................... 97
Chapter 5: Guidance for preparing
the Construction Plan Report
1 . Purpose of the Construction Plan Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
2 . Overview of Construction Plan Report Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
3 . Description of Construction and Installation Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
3.1. Materials Brought on Site ...........................................................102
3.2. Construction Equipment Used ......................................................102
3.3. Timing and Operational Plans .......................................................102
3.4. Temporary Uses of Land ............................................................102
3.5. Temporary Water Takings ..........................................................103
3.6. Materials/Waste Generated at, or Transported from, the Project Location ..............103
4 . Description of Negative Environmental Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
4.1. Dust and Noise Emissions ...........................................................104
4.2. Destruction of Vegetation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104
4.3. Impacts to Water Resources .........................................................105
4.4. Spills ...............................................................................107
Table of Contents vii
4.5. Impacts on Cultural Heritage (Protected Properties,
Archaeological and Heritage Resources) .............................................107
4.6. Impacts on Local Roads and Traffic ..................................................107
5 . Mitigation Measures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
6 . Environmental Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Chapter 6: Guidance for Preparing the
Design and Operations Report
1 . Purpose of the Design and Operations Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
1.1. Outline of Report Contents .......................................................... 112
1.2. Chapter Organization ............................................................... 113
1.3. Integration of Additional Reports .................................................... 113
2 . Site Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
2.1. Site Plan Format ....................................................................114
2.2. Facility Components ................................................................114
2.2.1. Associated Transformers .......................................................................115
2.3. Cultural Heritage ................................................................... 115
2.4. Natural Heritage ................................................................... 115
2.5. Water Bodies .......................................................................116
2.6. Noise/Odour Receptors .............................................................116
3 . Facility Design Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
4 . Facility Operations Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
5 . Guidance for Key Process Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
5.1. Water Taking .......................................................................118
5.2. Sewage/Stormwater Management ..................................................120
5.3. Discharge of Contaminants to Air .................................................... 121
5.4. Waste and Biomass Management Equipment ........................................122
6 . Technology-Specific Guidance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
6.1. Solar Projects .......................................................................124
6.2. Wind Projects ......................................................................124
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6.3. Bio-Energy Projects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125
6.3.1. Anaerobic Digestion Facilities ..................................................................125
6.3.2. Thermal Treatment Facilities ...................................................................125
7 . Environmental Effects Monitoring Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
7.1. Monitoring Requirements for Bird and Bat Impacts from Wind Facilities ................129
8 . Emergency Response and Communications Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
9 . Considerations for Projects Subject to Specific Land Use Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
9.1. Niagara Escarpment ................................................................ 131
9.2. Lake Simcoe Watershed ............................................................. 131
9.3. Oak Ridges Moraine ................................................................132
9.4 Greenbelt ..........................................................................132
10 . Requirements for the Design and Operations
Report in Table 1 of O . Reg . 359/09 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Chapter 7: Guidance for Preparing the
Decommissioning Plan Report
1 . Purpose of the Decommissioning Plan Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
2 . Determining the Probable Future Use for the Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
3 . Content Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
4 . Description of Decommissioning Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
4.1. Procedures for Dismantling and Demolishing ........................................140
4.1.1. Above-ground Structure Decommissioning .....................................................141
4.1.2. Below-ground Structure Decommissioning .....................................................141
4.2. Site Restoration .................................................................... 141
4.3. Managing Excess Materials and Waste ...............................................142
5 . Emergency Response and Communications Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
6 . Public, Municipal and Aboriginal Community Notification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
7 . Other Approvals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
8 . Ongoing Compliance Monitoring and Financial Assurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Table of Contents ix
Chapter 8: Guidance for Preparing the Water
Assessment and Water Body Reports
1 . Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
2 . Key Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
3 . Regulation Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
3.1. Potential Additional Requirements .................................................. 147
3.1.1. Conservation Authorities Act .................................................................. 148
3.1.2. Fisheries Act .................................................................................. 148
3.1.3. Endangered Species Act, 2007 ................................................................. 148
4 . Water Assessment Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
4.1. Water Body Definitions .............................................................149
4.2. Project Location and Water Body Boundaries ........................................149
4.3. Water Assessment Requirements ...................................................150
4.3.1. Records Review ............................................................................... 150
4.3.2. Site Investigation ............................................................................. 150
4.3.3. Baseline Information ...........................................................................152
5 . Water Body Report Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
5.1. Setbacks ..........................................................................154
5.1.1. Section 39 ..................................................................................... 154
5.1.2. Section 40 .....................................................................................155
5.2. Addressing Potential Negative Environmental Effects on Water Bodies ................157
5.2.1. Water Body Report Study ......................................................................157
5.3. Construction Plan Report and Environmental Effects Monitoring Plan ................. 161
6 . Areas with Additional Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
6.1. Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan Area .........................................162
6.2. Lake Simcoe Protection Area .......................................................162
6.3. The Great Lakes ....................................................................162
Chapter 9: Additional Reports That May Be
Required as Part of a REA Application
1 . Purpose of This Chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
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