Environmental Audit Report: Environmental Compliance Monitoring of Muzaffargarh Thermal Power Station

The facility is undergoing repair and rehabilitation work, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the USAID Energy Policy Program. Advanced Engineering Associates International, Inc. (AEAI) is providing monitoring and implementation support to USAID for the project, and Hagler Bailly Pakistan (HBP) has been contracted to undertake environmental compliance monitoring of the project. The purpose of environmental compliance monitoring is to assess the performance of the implementation team of the project at MTPS against the Environmental Monitoring and Mitigation Plan (EMMP) during the rehabilitation and repair work. HBP undertook the fourth environmental audit at MTPS on April 17, 2013, which included opening and closing meetings with the plant management, a walk-through of the plant to inspect storage of equipment and sites, and a general review of existing site conditions and Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) practices. During the audit, major overhauling was underway of Unit 4's turbine, and a brief status of the project was provided by AEAI and MTPS management. An effective mechanism for implementation of EMMP during the life cycle of the project is essential, and the designated Environmental Team (ET) or HSE officer should prepare EMMP-related reports and submit them to AEAI, the project implementation unit of USAID, and other stakeholders on a regular basis. The audit results showed that out of 11 issues from the third visit, two were addressed, and the remaining issues were discussed with the management of the plant, who promised to close them along with new non-compliance observations at the earliest. A summary of new, pending, and closed issues is presented in Exhibit 1.4. The visit-wise trend of recorded non-compliances showed an increase in the number of non-compliances corresponding to the previous visit period, indicating a lack of interest in environment-related issues of the project. The project is currently in the rehabilitation and repair phase, with various work items underway, including the rehabilitation of boiler super heater tubes, special cooling water treatment, use of fuel oil additive, replacement of cold layer elements, modification of excitation systems, and electric motor replacements. The project management has provided a brief status of the project, which is presented in Exhibit 1.3. The waste generated from these activities has been stored in the yard until disposal, as per the EMMP, to be finalized by the plant management. The EMMP implementation team should take notice seriously for early closure of the issues pending from previous visits, and the plant management should ensure that the EMMP-related reports are prepared and submitted to AEAI and other stakeholders on a regular basis. The project management should also ensure that the environmental compliance monitoring is carried out effectively to ensure that the project is implemented in accordance with the EMMP and the National Environmental Quality Standards (NEQS).