Red Sea Copper (RSC) was planning to establish a new facility for copper smelting and refining in Sokhna industrial area, Gulf of Suez, which was to perform the main operations of smelting, converting, blister copper refining, and electrolytic refining.
RSC contracted Environics to carry out the ESIA for the copper smelting facility.
Environics conducted the ESIA, which evaluated the project’s potential environmental impacts in its area of influence and identified ways of improving its environmental performance throughout its stages.
The ESIA covered the site preparation; construction; startup, and operation phases of the proposed plant, which included the smelting and refining processes, the sulphuric acid production plant, and the industrial water treatment plant.
A detailed legislative framework and a comprehensive project description were typically included in the ESIA.
The baseline study surveyed the physical, biological, and socio-economic environmental aspects of the project, and employed tools such as air dispersion modeling. The project’s numerous alternatives were analyzed to select the best option according to the environmental and social implications. The environmental impacts were identified and an assessment of the negative impacts was presented along with the suitable mitigation measures. An environmental management plan was recommended, and interagency coordination and public consultation activities were held and reported on.
Conducting this ESIA necessitated continuous cooperation and coordination with the project’s designer to discuss and include the modifications required to comply with the national and international laws and regulations, particularly the guidelines of the International Finance Corporation (IFC).