Preliminary environmental impact assessment for the development of Buranga geothermal prospect, Uganda

Abstract

Geothermal investigations have been carried out in Buranga geothermal prospect in Uganda. Various analytical methods including geological, geochemical, hydrological and geophysical have been used to determine the subsurface temperatures, geological structures and flow characteristics of the surface and ground waters in this systems. The results of these studies will be used to site deep exploration wells and then install a geothermal power plant. In this study, the current status of Buranga environment, environmental effects of drilling and operation, and mitigation measures to be considered were predicted and analysed. The environmental regulations of Uganda were used as a guideline. The results indicate that the Buranga prospect should be subjected to a more stringent environmental impact assessment study and that its development has potential cumulative impacts. The adverse environmental impacts of drilling are expected to be minimal, temporary and mitigable to the level of insignificance. The physical impacts on the geology and the landscape relate to construction activities and the abstraction of water from the reservoir. Given the chemical concentration of the geothermal fluids, the risk of contaminating the groundwater by waste water disposal is considered low. Air emissions during operation are expected to cause no significant contamination of the air. All the impacts are predictable and can be mitigated with careful management of the resource and implementation of appropriate environmental protection measures and standards with the cooperation of all stakeholders. A detailed Environmental Impact Assessment based on the evaluation of additional data is recommended as a first step of the feasibility study to provide a better understanding of the potential impacts and mitigating measures that will be continuously upgraded during development.