1 Introduction and Description of the Project 7

ERM Environmental Resources Management SRL ESIA REPORT Bucharest 21 Constantin Daniel Street, Building A, Sector 1, 010631 Chirnogeni Wind Farm Bucharest, Romania T: +40 (0) 31 405 1680 Constanta County, Romania F: +40 (0) 31 405 1681 E: [email protected] http://www.erm.com Supplementary Information to Chirnogeni Wind Farm Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Report Chirnogeni-Cobadin-Basarabi High-voltage Transmission Line Rehabilitation August 2011 Administrators/Board Peter Temesvary Dr. Walter Heinz Martin Gundert Nr. de ordine în registrul comertului: J40/11533/14.06.2007 Prepared for: Codul de Înregistrare Fiscală (C.I.F.) RO21931265 EP WIND PROJECT (ROM) SIX SRL 16 Albinelor Street, Chirnogeni Commune Please remit to UniCredit Ţiriac Bank, Constanţa County Branch Rosetti, Bucuresti Romania RON account: IBAN RO14 BACX 0000 0001 3825 3001 EUR account: IBAN RO84 BACX 0000 0001 3825 3002 SWIFT: BACXROBU PROJECT NO. 0093210 Member of the Environmental Resources Management Group ERM Environmental Resources Management SRL This report has been prepared by ERM Environmental Resources Management S.R.L. (ERM) with all reasonable skill, care and diligence within the terms of the Contract with the client, incorporating Environmental Resources Management’s General Terms and Conditions of Business and taking account of the manpower and resources devoted to it by agreement with the client. ERM Environmental Resources Management S.R.L. Bucharest, August, 2011 Peter Temesvary Dana Afrenie Managing Partner Senior Consultant P0093210, EP WIND PROJECT (ROM) SIX SRL ESIA REPORT AUGUST 2011 HIGH VOLTAGE TRANSMISSION LINE, CONSTANŢA, ROMANIA 2 ERM Environmental Resources Management SRL TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION AND DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT 7 1.1 BACKGROUND OF ASSIGNMENT 7 1.2 GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT 8 1.3 TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE EXISTING TRANSMISSION LINE AND PROPOSED REHABILITATION WORKS 10 1.4 TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE EXISTING SUBSTATIONS AND PROPOSED REHABILITATION WORKS 12 1.4.1 110/20 kV Basarabi Substation 12 1.4.2 110/20 kV Cobadin Substation 13 1.4.3 110/20 kV Chirnogeni Substation 14 1.5 DESCRIPTION OF THE MAIN ALTERNATIVES TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW 20 KV UNDERGROUND LINE 15 1.5.1 Zero-option / No action 15 1.5.2 Other route 16 1.6 MANAGEMENT OF REHABILITATION WORKS 17 2 SOILS, GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES 21 2.1 INTRODUCTION AND SCOPE 21 2.2 BASELINE ENVIRONMENT 21 2.2.1 Topography 21 2.2.2 Soils 21 2.2.3 Geology 22 2.2.4 Seismicity 22 2.2.5 Groundwater 22 2.2.6 Surface water 22 2.3 CONSTRUCTION IMPACTS 23 2.3.1 Assessment of Impacts to Soils 23 2.3.2 Assessment of Impacts to Groundwater 25 2.3.3 Assessment of Impacts to Surface Water 26 2.4 OPERATIONAL IMPACTS 26 2.4.1 Assessment of Impacts to Soils 26 P0093210, EP WIND PROJECT (ROM) SIX SRL ESIA REPORT AUGUST 2011 HIGH VOLTAGE TRANSMISSION LINE, CONSTANŢA, ROMANIA 3 ERM Environmental Resources Management SRL 2.4.2 Assessment of Impacts to Groundwater 26 2.4.3 Assessment of Impacts to Surface Water 26 3 NOISE AND VIBRATION 28 3.1 INTRODUCTION AND SCOPE 28 3.2 METHODOLOGY 30 3.2.1 Noise Standards 30 3.2.2 Noise Goals 30 3.2.3 Noise Prediction Model 31 3.3 BASELINE ENVIRONMENT 31 3.3.1 Construction Impacts 33 3.3.2 Construction Traffic 35 3.3.3 Vibration from Construction 36 3.4 MITIGATION 36 3.5 SUMMARY 37 4 ECOLOGY AND NATURE CONSERVATION 39 4.1 INTRODUCTION AND SCOPE 39 4.2 METHODOLOGY 40 4.2.1 Sources of information 40 4.2.2 Assessment Methodology 41 4.3 ECOLOGICAL BASELINE ENVIRONMENT 42 4.3.1 Protected Areas 42 4.3.2 Habitat Context within the Project Area 48 4.3.3 Flora 49 4.3.4 Terrestrial Fauna within the Project Area 52 4.4 IMPACTS DURING THE REHABILITATION PHASE 59 4.4.1 Introduction 59 4.4.2 Habitats 60 4.4.3 Flora 60 4.4.4 Fauna 61 4.4.5 Protected Areas 63 P0093210, EP WIND PROJECT (ROM) SIX SRL ESIA REPORT AUGUST 2011 HIGH VOLTAGE TRANSMISSION LINE, CONSTANŢA, ROMANIA 4 ERM Environmental Resources Management SRL 4.5 PERMANENT AND OPERATIONAL IMPACTS 64 4.5.1 Introduction 64 4.5.2 Habitat 65 4.5.3 Flora 65 4.5.4 Fauna 65 4.6 MITIGATION AND ENHANCEMENT 67 4.6.1 Rehabilitation 67 4.6.2 Operational 68 4.6.3 Residual Impacts after Mitigation 68 4.7 CUMULATIVE IMPACT ASSESSMENT 68 4.7.1 Introduction 68 4.7.2 Description of Projects 69 4.7.3 Conclusion 71 5 SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT 72 5.1 INTRODUCTION AND SCOPE 72 5.2 SOURCES OF INFORMATION 72 5.3 AREA OF INFLUENCE AND BOUNDARIES 73 5.4 SOCIOECONOMIC BASELINE 73 5.4.1 Local Context 73 5.4.2 Demography 74 5.4.3 Religion 75 5.4.4 Infrastructure 75 5.4.5 Education 76 5.4.6 Employment 76 5.4.7 Unemployment 78 5.4.8 Public Health Infrastructure 79 5.4.9 Land Use and Property 79 5.4.10 Recreation and Community Facilities 81 5.4.11 Archaeology and Cultural Heritage 81 5.5 IMPACT METHODOLOGY 81 P0093210, EP WIND PROJECT (ROM) SIX SRL ESIA REPORT AUGUST 2011 HIGH VOLTAGE TRANSMISSION LINE, CONSTANŢA, ROMANIA 5 ERM Environmental Resources Management SRL 5.6 REHABILITATION IMPACTS 82 5.6.1 Impacts to Land Use 82 5.6.2 Impact on Livelihoods 83 5.6.3 Impacts on Health 83 5.6.4 Impacts on Infrastructure 84 5.6.5 Impacts on Archaeology and Cultural Practices 84 5.7 OPERATIONAL IMPACTS 85 6 OTHER IMPACTS ASSOCIATED TO REHABILITATION ACTIVITIES 86 6.1 INTRODUCTION AND SCOPE 86 6.2 IMPACTS TO AIR AND CLIMATE 86 6.2.1 Introduction 86 6.2.2 Assessment of impacts and mitigation measures 86 6.3 IMPACTS TO LANDSCAPE AND VISUAL 89 6.3.1 Introduction 89 6.3.2 Assessment of Impacts 89 7 ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL MITIGATION PLAN (ESMP) 90 7.1 INTRODUCTION 90 7.2 EP GLOBAL ENERGY 90 7.3 PURPOSE OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL MITIGATION PLAN (ESMP) 91 7.4 ROLES, RESPONSIBILITIES AND REPORTING 91 7.4.1 EPGE‟s role during the rehabilitation/ construction and operation of the HV line 91 7.4.2 The role of ENEL and ENEL‟s contractors during the rehabilitation/ construction of the HV line 92 7.4.3 Ongoing stakeholder engagement 92 7.5 ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL MITIGATION PLAN (ESMP) 93 ANNEXES P0093210, EP WIND PROJECT (ROM) SIX SRL ESIA REPORT AUGUST 2011 HIGH VOLTAGE TRANSMISSION LINE, CONSTANŢA, ROMANIA 6 ERM Environmental ERM Environmental Resources Management SRL Resources Management SRL 1 INTRODUCTION AND DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT 1.1 BACKGROUND OF ASSIGNMENT EP Global Energy (EPGE), the ultimate parent company of EP Wind Project (ROM) SIX SRL (hereafter referred to as EPWP6 - the Project Beneficiary) is proposing to develop a wind farm with a total capacity of 80 MW located in Independenta and Chirnogeni Communes, Constanţa County, southeast Romania (hereinafter referred to as Chirnogeni Wind Farm 80 MW). As part of this project, EPGE is required to rehabilitate the existing 110 kV high- voltage transmission line Chirnogeni-Cobadin-Basarabi (hereinafter referred to as HV line) which feeds the energy generated by the wind farm into the National Power Distribution Grid. The HV line is owned by S.C. ENEL Distributie Dobrogea S.A. (“ENEL”), which is the operator of the National Power Distribution Grid in the area. The responsibility for the rehabilitation works belongs to ENEL. These works will be carried out by a subcontractor approved by ENEL and financed by EPGE. The design of the rehabilitation works of the HV line was carried out by S.C. PET Communications S.R.L. EPGE will appoint and finance ENEL‟s approved designer for the HV line rehabilitation works. Consequently, EPGE will control the design, with ENEL‟s approval, and will influence how the rehabilitation works will be carried out. EPGE is considering obtaining financing for the construction of the Chirnogeni Wind Farm 80 MW and rehabilitation of the HV line from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (“EBRD”). Consequently, the scope of works of this Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (“ESIA”) is designed to comply with the international best practices for ESIA, including the EBRD‟s Social and Environmental Policy 2008(1). (1) Refer to http://www.ebrd.com/downloads/about/sustainability/esprom.pdf P0093210, EP WIND PROJECT (ROM) SIX SRL ESIA REPORT AUGUST 2011 HIGH VOLTAGE TRANSMISSION LINE, CONSTANŢA, ROMANIA 7 ERM Environmental ERM Environmental Resources Management SRL Resources Management SRL At the time this ESIA was produced, no permitting process according to Romanian Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) legislation had been started because these works were considered by the Local Environmental Protection Agency (LEPA) Constanta to be regular maintenance works for the proper operation of the HV line, which do not require an EIA. Consequently, this ESIA was not produced to serve as application for the relevant permitting procedure. This ESIA report will form the basis for specifying the environmental and social provisions applicable only for the rehabilitation and operation of the HV line. However, it is important to note that EPGE is not the owner of the HV line and will not operate it after the completion of the rehabilitation works. However, taking into account that the rehabilitation project will apply for funding from EBRD, EPGE will have to monitor environmental and social impacts associated to the operation and maintenance of the HV line (this measure was included in the Environmental and Social Mitigation and Management Plan presented in section 7).

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