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Initial Environmental Examination Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Mazar IPP Transmission Line Project (From Kodebarq Mazar IPP to existing Sheberghan-Mazar transmission line) Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) December, 2018 Public Disclosure Authorized Prepared by: Dynamic Vision Public Disclosure Authorized I 1. Executive Summary 1. The Mazar Independent Power Plant (IPP) construction is supported by International Finance Corporation (IFC) and investment from the private sector. The gas powered plant will have the capacity of 50 megawatts (MW) and is expected to provide electricity to around 1 million people in the country. 2. The Mazar IPP is going to be the first project in the energy generation involving the private sector. The project will use domestic natural gas resources in the north of the country to generate affordable electricity. Furthermore, this project will pave way for larger cooperation between the government and the private sector in the country to develop key infrastructures. 3. A transmission line is required to connect this Mazar IPP with the existing Sheberghan-Mazar 220 kV transmission line. This IEE is mainly focused on this transmission line which starts from Kode Barq Factory area and ends in Balk District where it will connect with Sheberghan-Mazar Transmission line 4. The length of this transmission line is approximately 12 km and passes through governmental and privately owned lands. Around 10.5 km of the transmission line goes in the private land mainly agricultural land and the remaining goes through the bare governmental land. Approximately 53 towers will be installed for this transmission line. 5. This project is assessed to be a Category B project according to the ADB Safeguard Policy Statement (SPS) (2009), for which the Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) is required. The IEE and Environmental Management Plan (EMP) are prepared following the ADB SPS (2009) and the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) guidelines. The purpose of this IEE is to assess environmental impacts of this transmission line project, including the environmental legal framework, environmental baseline, project alternatives, its potential impacts and mitigation measures, the institutional requirements, Environmental Management Plan (EMP) and environmental monitoring plan for the project. 6. The line routing was assessed considering environmental and social aspects as well as technical and economic aspects. The detailed design of the transmission line and substation including the final land survey is shifted to the turnkey contractor and will be part of the tender documents. In the initial phase of the project preparation, the focus was on the line routing that is feasible from a technical point of view, avoids significant adverse and increase positive environmental and social impacts of the project, specifically: ▪ Technically feasible route and avoid crossing other high voltage lines in the area to a possible extent; ▪ Avoid ecologically sensitive zones as well as cultural and historical areas; ▪ To a high extent possible avoid the need for resettlement actions; ▪ Consideration of security and accessibility on the line route; ▪ Less interference with other power and radio infrastructure; 7. However, not all impacts in the line routing can be avoided such as: ▪ The line crosses the Band Amir River twice. ▪ It passes through agricultural lands which are privately owned. ▪ The line will pose visual effects to some extent on the topography of the area. II ▪ Some land acquisition and resettlement activities are required before the start of project construction. 8. The 50 MW electrical energy will be transmitted from Mazar IPP gas power plant to Sheberghan and Mazar via a 220 kV overhead line. The proposed line will be approximately 12 km long. 9. The following are the high-level design components of Transmission Line: ▪ The Transmission Line is proposed on steel lattice towers ▪ Required power transmission capacity is about 50 MW. ▪ The Approximate Line length is: 12 km ▪ Approximate number of towers: 58 ▪ The Voltage level: 220 kV ▪ Insulator: Composite, alternatively cap and pin toughened glass or porcelain; ▪ Foundations: Concrete, cast in-situ, concrete shaft or pad and chimney; or concrete cap with rock anchors for firm rock sub-base ▪ The right of Way: 20 m 10. The transmission line starts from Kodebarq area and moves in the flat uncultivated government- owned land for one kilometer. After AP2 the Transmission line crosses the Bande Amir River in two points at (Lat: 36.637995°; Lon: 66.931173°) and (Lat: 36.637995°; Lon: 66.931173°). The rest of the line goes through the agriculture land cultivated with different crops species. 11. The first well-documented earthquake in A.D. 819 occurred in northern Afghanistan. An earthquake of moment magnitude (Mw) 7.4, with an epicenter close to Mazar, occurred and heavy casualties and damages were reported in several villages many tens of kilometers apart. And the recent studies indicate that there is seismic fault zone in the province, therefore, seismic impacts consideration is necessary for the design of the project facilities. 12. Careful line routing during the detailed design will help to minimize resettlement needs. Involuntary displacement and relocation shall be mitigated to an absolute minimum. If the priority to avoid involuntary displacement is respected by the construction contractor and bypasses are carefully designed, involuntary displacement is likely to be totally avoided. Adjustments to the route shall be considered during the detailed design to minimize or avoid the impacts listed above. 13. The exact location of the towers will be decided at the detailed design stage by the turnkey contractor. It is relevant to note that the location of 220 kV towers can safely be adjusted by 10 - 15 meters to minimize the resettlement impact as the average distance between two transmission towers ranges from 200-225 meters. 14. The anticipated impacts and mitigation measures of this project have been discussed considering the following four key phases of the project: ▪ Design Phase ▪ Construction Phase ▪ Operation Phase ▪ Decommissioning Phase 15. There are sensitive receptors located near the transmission line such as schools and clinic and construction noise will disturb the education process. These schools are mostly morning time (8 AM to 12 PM) therefore it is recommended to schedule the construction of the poles located in the 500- meter distance to these schools during off time in the afternoon. III 16. Consultation meetings were held with the potentially affected people along the transmission line route. The objectives of the meetings were to share the project relevant information with communities and understand their concerns. Almost all the community elders along the project route have expressed their willingness to support the implementation of the project. The main concerns raised by the community elders were about the access to energy for those villages located near the line, job opportunities for the local people and the resettlement compensation. 17. The climate in the project area is known as a local steppe climate. There is slight rainfall throughout the year. The Köppen-Geiger1 climate classification of the area is BSk. In Mazar, the average annual temperature is 17.4 °C. Precipitation in the province averages 180 mm. 18. Impacts on ecological resources will be minimal and localized in all phases of the project because the line doesn’t pass through ecologically sensitive areas. In the meantime, there is a risk of birds’ collision with the transmission line. Based on the IBAT database the transmission line route is located Amudarya floodlands and migrating birds might pass the line route. Therefore, for the safety of avifauna and to minimization fatal bird collision with power lines, the birds’ repellent installation mentioned mitigation measures must be applied to the power lines to a possible extent. 19. The archeological impacts of the project are very low as the line does not pass near any historical site and no archeological finding has been reported in the past too. For any chance find artifacts the recommended chance find procedure mentioned in this IEE should be followed to further minimize the impact. 20. The EMP covers all the potential impacts and mitigation measure during design, construction, operation and decommissioning phases of the project. The turnkey contractor will have the responsibility to implement the EMP during the design and construction phase. Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS or National Electricity Utility) Project Management Office (DABS-PMO) will supervise the EMP implementation and compile reports on environmental performance, as well as in conducting training. Environmental monitoring and implementation during the operation phase is the responsibility of DABS. 21. The project will overall have lesser environmental impacts in case the proposed mitigation measures and EMP are implemented properly. The transmission line site evaluation and design impacts such as site characterization, line route survey, and monitoring are generally temporary and of relatively lesser magnitude. The possible impacts include ground clearing (removal of vegetative cover), vehicular and pedestrian traffic, borings for geotechnical surveys, and drilling to characterize subsurface conditions (e.g., soils, depth to groundwater). In some places the excavation or access road construction is necessary
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