47296-001: Northwest Region Power Transmission Line Project

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47296-001: Northwest Region Power Transmission Line Project Initial Environmental Examination Supplemental Report – Framework Biodiversity Action Plan Document: Initial Environmental Examination (Draft) Date: November 2020 Loan 3285-UZB: Northwest Region Power Transmission Line Project: Guzar-Regar 500 kV Power Transmission Line Rehabilitation Project Prepared by the Joint-Stock Company National Electrical Networks of Uzbekistan (NENU) for Asian Development Bank (ADB), Uzbekistan. The Initial Environmental Examination is a document of the borrower. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of ADB's Board of Directors, Management, or staff, and may be preliminary in nature. In preparing any country program or strategy, financing any project, or by making any designation of or reference to a particular territory or geographic area in this document, the Asian Development Bank does not intend to make any judgments as to the legal or other status of any territory or area. Preparing Sustainable Energy Investment Projects, Regional Energy Transmission and Dispatch Enhancement, Uzbekistan Guzar-Regar 500 kV Power Transmission Line Rehabilitation Project Framework Biodiversity Action Plan (F-BAP) Date: November 2020 Prepared by the Joint-Stock Company National Electrical Networks of Uzbekistan (NENU) for Asian Development Bank (ADB), Uzbekistan. The Framework Biodiversity Action Plan is a document of the borrower. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of ADB's Board of Directors, Management, or staff, and may be preliminary in nature. In preparing any country program or strategy, financing any project, or by making any designation of or reference to a particular territory or geographic area in this document, the Asian Development Bank does not intend to make any judgments as to the legal or other status of any territory or area. Guzar-Regar 500 kV Power Transmission Line Project Critical Habitat Scoping Report Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 3 1.1. OVERVIEW .................................................................................................................... 3 1.2. SCOPE ......................................................................................................................... 3 1.3. PURPOSE ..................................................................................................................... 5 1.4. PROJECT OVERVIEW ..................................................................................................... 5 1.5. APPLICATION OF THE MITIGATION HIERARCHY................................................................. 5 2. F-BAP IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS .............................................................................. 6 3. BIODIVERSITY CONTEXT ................................................................................................. 9 3.1. SENSITIVE HABITAT AND SPECIES ................................................................................ 10 4. ACTION PLANS FOR SENSITIVE SPECIES ................................................................... 12 4.1. EGYPTIAN VULTURE ACTION PLAN ............................................................................... 12 4.1.1. Egyptian Vulture Current Status ............................................................................ 12 4.1.2. Project Approach to the Egyptian Vulture .............................................................. 13 4.2. SAKER FALCON ACTION PLAN ...................................................................................... 19 4.2.1. Saker Falcon Current Status.................................................................................. 19 4.2.2. Project Approach to the Saker Falcon ................................................................... 20 4.3. STEPPE EAGLE ACTION PLAN ...................................................................................... 24 4.3.1. Steppe Eagle Current Status ................................................................................. 24 4.4. PALLAS’S FISH EAGLE ACTION PLAN ............................................................................ 26 4.4.1. Pallas’s Fish Eagle Current Status ........................................................................ 26 4.5. ASIAN HOUBARA ACTION PLAN .................................................................................... 27 4.5.1. Asian Houbara Current Status ............................................................................... 28 5. F-BAP MONITORING AND EVALUATION ...................................................................... 30 5.1. AIM AND OBJECTIVES .................................................................................................. 30 5.2. MONITORING, EVALUATION AND DISSEMINATION ........................................................... 30 5.3. RESOURCES ............................................................... ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED. F-BAP INDICATIVE COSTS .................................................................................................... 31 2 Guzar-Regar 500 kV Power Transmission Line Project Critical Habitat Scoping Report 1. Introduction 1.1. Overview 1. National Electricity Networks of Uzbekistan (NEGU), the executing agency, is seeking to construct and upgrade electricity transmission infrastructure in the Denau area, south-east Uzbekistan. The project comprises the rehabilitation of the partially deconstructed 500 kV Power Transmission Line between Guzar (Uzbekistan) and Regar (Tajikistan). [Note: The NEGU’s investment will be solely on the Uzbekistan side of the border between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.] 2. The project will be financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) under Loan 3285- UZB: Northwest Region Power Transmission Line Project. An Initial Environmental Evaluation (IEE) has been prepared together with a critical habitat screening. The IEE and critical habitat screening confirmed that the project will not result in any significant residual adverse effects or trigger project classification as affecting a Critical Habitat; however, the regional population of the endangered Egyptian vulture is present in numbers that are close to triggering the project’s classification as affecting a Critical Habitat. Any material changes in this population may therefore trigger such classification. Further, this work confirmed the likely presence of endangered and vulnerable species that could be adversely affected by the project. 3. The IEE provides mitigation that will help avoid and minimise significant effects but ADB Safeguard Policy Statement 2009 (SPS) requires that the project also avoids a reduction in the population of any recognized endangered or critically endangered species (no net loss, NNL). The IEE and critical habitat screening both recommended a Framework Biodiversity Action Plan (F-BAP) to ensure the project achieves NNL for all species, and net gain for Egyptian vulture, if relevant. 1.2. Scope 4. The IEE identified a large number of notable ecological receptors that are present or potentially present near the project. The CHA confirmed eight internationally vulnerable or endangered species that are likely to be present in the project’s area of influence (AoI) and may be affected; Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus: EN) Saker falcon (Falco cherrug: EN) Asian houbara (Chlamydotis macqueenii: VU) European turtledove (Streptopelia turtur: VU) Yellow-eyed pigeon, (Columba eversmanni: VU) Goitered gazelle, (Gazella subgutturosa: VU) Marbled polecat (Vormela peregusna: VU) a fungi (Picipes rhizophilus: VU) 5. Migratory Birds were also identified as being of particular concern, namely: Steppe eagle (Aquila nipalensis: EN) 3 Guzar-Regar 500 kV Power Transmission Line Project Critical Habitat Scoping Report Pallas’s fish eagle, (Haliaeetus leucoryphus: EN) Sociable lapwing (Vanellus gregarious: CR) White-headed duck (Oxyura leucocephala: EN) 6. As well as being potentially resident, the European turtledove and yellow-eyed pigeon may also migrate across the project AoI. 7. The mitigation described in the IEE is sufficient to ensure NNL for most species present. Several species including birds are, however, particularly susceptible to the risks associated with transmission lines. High voltage transmission lines typically pose less risk of electrocution to birds than lower voltage power lines (e.g. distribution lines), mainly due to the size and the spacing between the transmission wires. Nonetheless, most size birds are still at risk of electrocution during a short circuit and large birds, birds with poor manoeuvrability, narrow visual field or birds that fly at night are at particularly at risk of collision. 8. The endangered Egyptian vulture has been identified as resident, and potentially breeding in the project area, as well as being at significant risk from electrocution. Further, it was close to triggering International Finance Corporation (IFC) thresholds for Critical Habitat1. Therefore, both increases and decreases in its population may require the project to take measures to ensure net gain (NG) and / or NNL, as appropriate. 9. Special provisions are also provided for other endangered species at risk from electrocution and collision, namely, saker falcon, steppe eagle and Pallas’s fish eagle to monitor changes in local abundance and ensure NNL from the project. 10. Asian houbara is a large bird that is slightly better understood in the project area but
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