FCC   FCCIS      

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Abstract (D3.S5)

A report will describe the approach and intermediate status of the environmental initial state studies as the legally required pre-condition for the environmental evaluation process in both France and Switzerland. The initial state studies rely on the selection of a preferred scenario in order to be able to control the time, efforts and costs of the initial study. These studies, scheduled to be carried out over a period of three years until the completion of the Feasibility Study, record the environmental aspects in the locations that will be concerned by FCC-related construction and operation activities. They also include a high-level forecast of the evolution of the affected places with and without an FCC project. Aspects are recorded and analysed using a combination of map, database and field investigations.

They include:

▪ the physical environment, including climatic and meteorological conditions, topography of sites and access points, geology, surface water, hydrology, soil profile, land cover and land use and existing soil pollution;

▪ the natural environment, including flora, fauna, biodiversity, presence and relevance of habitats, presence and conditions of forests, existence and evolution of protection zones;

▪ heritage and landscape, including viewpoints and sites of cultural, natural importance and historical importance;

▪ the human environment, including an agricultural economic study comprising an assessment of the loss of the affected spaces, transport infrastructures, constructed areas and their evolution, technical and strategic infrastructures of national interest, demography and development, analysis of risks relating to technical infrastructures;

▪ public health and emergency services, security, education, housing, industry and commerce and cultural and religious activities; ▪ air, including air quality and types of pollutants;

▪ noise, including level, frequency and places of occurrence;

▪ light, in particular artificial light pollution, including source, type, intensity, direction, places of occurrence and duration;

▪ vibration, including source, type, level, frequency, places of occurrence and duration;

▪ non-ionising radiation, including source, type, level, frequency, places of occurrence and duration; ionising radiation, including source, type and level.

Analysis of this data will indicate the level of sensitivities in the affected zones and allow a statement to be made, at an early stage, about the in-principle feasibility of constructing and operating a new research infrastructure in the local region; it will also allow avoidance, reduction and compensation measures to be developed thereby allowing the feasibility conditions to be determined.