Mexico unveils EIA for Santa Lucía airport

The project to turn the Santa Lucía military air base in Mexico state into a mixed-used international airport continues advancing, with updates made to the master plan and the environmental impact assessment already unveiled.

The price tag of the project is set to increase by 11.7% from the 70.3bn pesos (US$3.71bn) originally estimated to 78.5bn pesos, based on the airport’s updated master plan, local paper El Economista reported.

The document, being prepared by French airport operator and engineering firm Groupe ADP, notes that the increase is due to the 1,284ha of land that will have to be purchased for safety purposes and as it will be impacted by noise from the airport, as well as the cost of relocating existing military facilities.

The original master plan was unveiled by the transition team of then-president-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) in August, and did not take into account the expenses related to the relocation, according to the report.

The final version of the master plan is set to be concluded by the second half of this year.

Santa Lucía, which is located in the municipalities of Tecámac and Zumplango, forms part of a three-airport system the federal government is proposing to deal with saturation at the existing Mexico City international airport AICM. The international airport serving Mexico state capital Toluca will also form part of the system. The initiative will replace the doomed 285bn-peso international airport that was being built in Texcoco, which was cancelled following an unofficial referendum.

Construction of the airport is expected to take three years and will be the responsibility of the engineering directorate of defense ministry Sedena.

Based on the initial master plan, in its first phase of operations Santa Lucía would be equipped with a two-level terminal building, with three ground floors, and two runways for civil operations. The air base’s existing runway is expected to be preserved for military operations. In a first phase, the airport will have capacity to handle 18mn passengers.

ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT

Meanwhile, an EIA for the project has already been submitted to environment ministry Semarnat for approval.

The document, prepared by the engineering institute of public university UNAM, includes a map showing the location of the air base, as well as the land that will be purchased, as indicated in the updated master plan.

Based on the assessment, Santa Lucía will be built in three stages. The third phase, to be developed in 30 years, contemplates the operation of four terminal buildings and the capacity to handle up to 100mn passengers per year.

The project includes the construction of a 45.7km road to link Santa Lucía and the AICM. This road would have two lanes for the exclusive use of airport users. It would run from the AICM’s terminal No.2 following a similar route to the Periférico and Circuito Exterior Mexiquense urban highways until reaching Santa Lucía.

Of the 78.5bn pesos contemplated in the updated master plan, US$68.3bn pesos will be invested in construction, while 3bn pesos will be used to buy land. Another 885mn pesos will be used for pre-investment studies. The use of the remaining 6.2bn pesos appear as confidential information on the assessment.

The document notes that the investment necessary to carry out the project’s environmental mitigation and prevention actions has yet to be estimated.

WATER AND WASTE

Operations at the airport will require 70l/s of water exclusively for passenger services, while green areas will use treated water from a 52l/s plant to be built at the site.

Water will be supplied from existing water wells, with the approval of concessions for their use still needing to be requested from national water authority Conagua.

The waste produced at the airport once it starts operations will be collected and sorted for final disposal at a treatment plant. The specifics of the plant will be listed in the final master plan.

Some of the measures to be implemented to prevent or mitigate the environmental impact of the project include the creation of areas covered in grass to stabilize soil, as well as to ensure that soil pollution levels do not exceed those permitted by existing regulations.

Some rainwater harvesting areas will also be built to feed existing aquifers, while a solid waste management program will be implemented.

Semarnat has 60 days to approve the assessment or require more information from Sedena.

For access to the full EIA, in Spanish, click here.