International Journal of Environmental Planning and Management Vol. 1, No. 5, 2015, pp. 144-156 http://www.aiscience.org/journal/ijepm ISSN: 2381-7240 (Print); ISSN: 2381-7259 (Online) * Corresponding author E-mail address: mselbisy@uqu.edu.sa (M. S. Elbisy), eamlybari@uqu.edu.sa (E. A. Mlybari) Comprehensive Environmental Management of the Construction of the Marine Works of the Rabigh Coastal Power Plant Project on the Red Sea, Saudi Arabia Moussa S. Elbisy 1, * , Ehab A. Mlybari 2 1 Civil Engineering Dept., Higher Technological Institute, 10 th of Ramadan City, Egypt 2 Civil Engineering Dept., College of Engineering and Islamic Architecture, Umm Al Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia Abstract Construction of coastal power plants provides significant environmental benefits in comparison to conventional energy sources, thus contributing to the sustainable development of human activities. The construction of coastal power plants has considerable anticipated and unanticipated impacts on local hydrological and ecological conditions, soil and geology, marine water quality, air quality, hydrology, seabed sediment and hydrodynamics, human health and safety and environmental implications. To cope with these problems, this paper identifies broader environmental management issues that arise because of the marine construction works of coastal power plants and the incorporation of appropriate mitigation measures to achieve sustainable development. The case study is the Rabigh Coastal Power Plant No. 2 project, located on the Red Sea coast approximately 150 km to the north of the city of Jeddah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The environmental management study assures compliance with the regulatory requirements; identifies and analyzes sensitive components of the existing environment; determines the type, nature and importance of the probable environmental impacts during construction and operation; identifies and recommends practical, effective mitigation measures; recommends a framework for an environmental management and monitoring plan for the project; and ensures that all stakeholders deemed to be influenced by the projects or activities are fully considered. Keywords Environmental Management Plan, Construction, Marine Works, Power Plant Project, Safety, Mitigation Measures, Monitoring Plan Received: October 26, 2015 / Accepted: November 19, 2015 / Published online: December 14, 2015 @ 2015 The Authors. Published by American Institute of Science. This Open Access article is under the CC BY-NC license. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ 1. Introduction Energy from various sources is a necessity for our daily survival. Energy provides for essential services to humans, including lighting, cooking, manufacturing, power for transport, etc. Presently, energy to provide for these essential services comes from fuels: oil, gas, coal, nuclear, wood and other primary sources, such as solar, wind, or water power. The primary sources of energy are mainly nonrenewable: natural gas, oil, coal and conventional nuclear power. In real terms, energy is in such a high demand that any development surely depends on its availability in abundant quantities but from sources that are unsustainable! They are not dependable; some are environmentally unsound. The energy sources mentioned and those that are being experimented with today have environmental costs and risks. In recent decades, the coastal zone has become an increasingly attractive location for industries, especially