Mannvit offers comprehensive, cross-disciplinary environmental services in the fields of biology, geology, geography, chemistry, planning and engineering.
Environmental specialists at Mannvit have years of experience in the environmental impact assessment and mitigation of project activities relating to power intensive industries, hydropower and geothermal power stations, overhead transmission lines, mining, infrastructure and growth management planning.
The company’s environmental specialists also provide consultation, and supervision of environmental monitoring and research related to industrial operations, and projects requiring assessment and green audits.
Closely related to environmental impact assessment is the issuing of operational licenses and other licenses related to project operations. Mannvit specialists have extensive experience in the drafting of operational licenses for company’s whose activities may involve the emission of pollutants.
Mannvit employs a team of highly experienced specialists providing a wide range of professional services relating to environmental affairs. Drawn from a variety of disciplines, the team includes biologists, geologists, geographers, social scientists and environmental engineers. Since environmental legislation was first introduced in Iceland, Mannvit has played a leading role among those consultancies involved in the preparation of environmental impact assessment reports. We can offer a wide range of environmental consulting services which, broadly speaking, may be divided into five main categories:
Environmental Impact Assessment
Mannvit employees are specialists in the production of environmental impact assessment (EIA) reports for construction projects and general public planning. By its nature, EIA is a multi-disciplinary process based on research in several different fields. In each case, efforts are made to find solutions that serve to mitigate and/or compensate for the potential effects of a development on its surroundings during both its construction and operational phases. Frequently referred to as counter-measures or mitigating action, these solutions are often central to the assessment process itself. Mannvit has participated in a wide variety of environmental impact assessments arising from the wide range of construction projects handled by the company itself including, harbor construction, high-voltage transmission lines, diatomite production, landfills, quarrying, traffic structures, avalanche protection, waste disposal, heavy industry as well as hydropower and geothermal plants.
Green Audits
In recent years, Mannvit has been increasingly involved in green audits, which play an important role in EIA. Reports of this type include a description of environmental and social conditions as they exist on a site before a project commences and focuses on factors such as flora, fauna, geological status, noise levels, and social issues. And, depending on the nature of the project, a variety of other factors may also be taken into account.
Environmental Monitoring
Environmental monitoring involves the systematic, on-going registration of those aspects of a company's external environment that may be affected by its operations, the aim of which is to observe its impact on the important aspects of its surroundings. Mannvit has handled environmental monitoring for, among others, the Icelandic Alloys ferrosilicon plant, the Nordic Aluminum smelter at Grundartangi and has formulated proposals regarding the Fjarðaál (Alcoa) smelter in Reyðarfjörður.
Operational Licenses
Mannvit drafts operating licenses for companies whose activities may involve the emission of pollutants. And, as the granting of such licenses is often dependent on the EIA report, the two are often closely tied together.
Education
Education in the area of environmental issues plays an important role in Mannvit’s operations. Company employees regularly attend courses and seminars on environmentally-related issues in order to increase the level of knowledge and expertise within the company. Mannvit employees also act as educators in the community, holding lectures at conferences and in schools.