Integrating environmental and social safeguards in regional power projects

Darryll Kilian, Partner and Principal Consultant

Natasha Anamuthoo, Senior Environmental Scientist

 

SRK developed an environmental and social management framework (ESMF) for the Southern African power pool (SAPP). The framework will facilitate the screening of key power projects in line with lenders’ requirements. A key obstacle to energy access is the existing power grid. SAPP, which coordinates and plans electricity supply to consumers in twelve countries in the Southern African Development Community, is busy improving the grid. In 2009, SAPP identified priority projects including hydropower schemes, wind and solar plants and transmission interconnectors to improve the Southern African region’s power grid. 

 

By 2011 many of these projects needed more developmental work. In response, with financial assistance from the World Bank, SAPP set up a project advisory unit to accelerate implementation. One of this unit’s first tasks was to commission technical specialists to help prepare an ESMF, to act as a reference manual for the high level environmental and social screening of projects – to strengthen assessment, mitigation and management of risks and impacts. 

 

Developing the ESMF required consulting with all relevant SAPP structures and stakeholders throughout Southern Africa. Between June and October 2016 and May and June 2018 the SRK team consulted with stakeholders in power utilities, independent power producers, government institutions, international financial institutions, civil society organisations and research institutions. SRK’s team held workshops, in-country site visits, focus group meetings, face-to-face meetings, telephone interviews and public hearings. 

 

The resulting framework provides a baseline for the SAPP region, an overview of regulations, and a method to identify, categorise and rate risks and impacts with procedures to assess environmental and social impacts assessment and prepare cost estimates for implementation. The framework is particularly relevant where project loans are required from international financial institutions that apply policies, standards and guidelines to safeguard environmental and social sustainability. Providing a practical solution, the ESMF incorporates a set of tools to guide personnel including checklists, examples of management plans, and lists of national, regional and international environmental and social requirements. SAPP power utilities and independent power producers will implement the ESMF on the ground to ensure alignment in screening and scoping priority power projects. The above-mentioned project advisory unit will co-ordinate and facilitate capacity building and training of personnel at SAPP power utilities and independent power producers. 

 

In April 2018, SRK updated the ESMF and translated it from English to French and Portuguese to ensure that the ESMF was accessible to non-English speaking countries, namely Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo and Mozambique. The document was sent to all SAPP power utilities and independent power producers and is available on the SAPP and World Bank sites. 

 

http://www.sapp.co.zw/sites/default/files/499745_Final%20SAPP%20ESMF%20R...): (http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/583041538426822183/pdf/SFG4655...)

 

Darryll Kilian: dkilian@srk.co.za

Natasha Anamuthoo: nanamuthoo@srk.co.za