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Initial Environmental Examination May 2012 Kingdom of Tonga: Outer Island Renewable Energy Project – Phase 1 (200 KWp ‘Eua Solar Power Plant) Prepared by Tonga Power Limited (TPL), Government of Tonga for the Asian Development Bank. This 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. CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS (as of 31 March 2012) Currency Unit = Tonga: pa'anga (TOP) TOP1.00 = US$ 0.59 US$1.00 = TOP 1.67 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ADB - Asian Development Bank CFC - Chlorofluorocarbons EA - Executing Agency EIA - Environmental Impact Assessment EMP - Environmental Management Plan GoT - Government of Tonga GFP - Grievance Focal Points GHG - Green House Gases GRC - Grievance Redress Commission IA - Implementing Agency IEE - Initial Environmental Examination MECC - Ministry of Environment and Climate Change PCBs - polychlorinated biphenyl REA - Rapid Environmental Assessment SPS - Safeguard Policy Statement TA - Technical Assistance TERM - Tonga Energy Road Map TPL - Tonga Power Limited NOTES (i) The fiscal year (FY) of the Government of Tonga ends on 31 December. FY before a calendar year denotes the year in which the fiscal year ends, e.g., FY2011 ends on 31 December 2011. (ii) In this report, "$" refers to US dollars 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page A. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 B. POLICY, LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE FRAMEWORK 2 1. Government of Tonga Environmental Policies, Laws and Regulations 2 2. Environmental Assessment Process in Tonga 3 3. ADB’s Environmental Safeguard Requirements 3 4. Institutions 4 5. Extent of IEE Study 4 C. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT 4 1. Project Background 4 2. Need of the Project 5 3. Location of Project 5 4. Project Components and Activities 5 5. Local Infrastructure Required 6 6. Implementation Arrangement 6 7. Project Benefits and Justification 6 D. DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT 11 1. Physical Resources 11 2. Ecological Resources 12 3. Socio-economic Resources 14 E. ANTICIPATED ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND MITIGATION MEASURES 14 1. Impacts and Mitigation Measures Due to Construction Activities 14 2. Impacts and Mitigation Measures from Operation 15 3. Cumulative Impacts 16 4. Social Impact 16 F. ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVES 16 G. CONSULTATIONS AND INFORMATION DISCLOSURE 17 1. Stakeholder / Community Consultations 17 2. Information Disclosure 19 H. GRIEVANCE REDRESS MECHANISM 19 I. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN 19 1. Mitigation Measures 19 2. Monitoring and Reporting 20 3. Implementation Arrangement 24 4. Environmental Management Budget and Resources 24 J. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMONDATION 24 APPENDIX 1: PHOTOGRAPHS (FIELD AND CONSULTATIONS) 25 A. Photographs (site and consultations) 25 APPENDIX 2: REA CHECKLIST 29 A. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. The proposed Outer Islands Renewable Energy Project (the Project) will assist the government’s efforts to reducing the country’s heavy reliance on imported fossil fuels for power generation. It will provide a secure, sustainable and environmentally-sound source of electricity for private and commercial consumers, by implementing 0.8 MWp solar power capacity connected to the existing diesel networks of Tonga’s outer islands of Vava’u, ‘Eua, and Ha’apai. 2. This is the Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) prepared for a 200 KWp ‘Eua Solar Power Plant proposed under this Project, located at Ohonua Village of ‘Eua Island. Based on the Government’s and Asian Development Bank’s (ADB’s) environmental policies, the proposed ‘Eua solar plant project is categorized as environmental category B project considering the most sensitive component. This IEE is prepared to meet the requirements of the Kingdom of Tonga as well as ADB’s Safeguard Policy Statement 2009 (SPS 2009) requirements. The scope of this IEE is limited to the proposed solar power plant only. 3. The project will construct and operate 200KWp solar power plant. The plant will consist in a set of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules, power inverters, switchgear, associated protection, control and monitoring equipment, and associated civil works. The electricity output will be directly fed into existing distribution network of Tonga Power Limited (TPL). 4. The project will require about 2000 sq.m (0.2 hectares) or 0.5 acre1 of land to install a 200 kWp capacity solar power plant and associated facilities. The site proposed for the solar power plant is located at Ohonua Village of ‘Eua Island which is located only 17.5 km southeast of Tonga’s main island, Tongatapu covering a total land area of 87 sq. km with 5011 population. The site is adjacent to the existing power plant of Tonga Power Limited. The land use around the proposed site is rural with flat to undulating topography. The potential site is an open land adjacent (within existing premises) to the existing power station and it is owned by Tonga Power Limited. There is no encroachment on this site. The size of available plot is sufficient to accommodate the proposed 200 KWp solar power plant which will require about 0.2 hectare of land. 5. There are no sensitive areas on and around the proposed site. ‘Eua National Park, the only sensitive areas of ‘Eua Island is about 7 km away from the proposed site. Coastline is about 1.5 km away from the proposed plant and there is no history of any flooding or water logging. There is no physical infrastructure of public interest, archaeological / religious importance in and around the proposed site. 6. The project does not have any significant long term impact. Some short-term impacts related to construction stage are expected. Short-term impacts from noise and dust emissions are expected due to increase in traffic for transportation of equipments and construction material as well as operation of construction machineries. Operational impact includes visual effects due to installation of solar panels. All these impacts are manageable by implementing mitigation measures proposed in the environmental management plan. 7. Local communities and stakeholders were involved in process of preparing the IEE through on-site discussions. Views expressed were incorporated into the IEE and the planning and development of the project. As the project will have insignificant environmental and social impact, local communities and community leaders did not oppose to the project. They, however, sought assistance in community development and support for community cultural events. The IEE will be made available at public locations and will be disclosed to a wider audience via the ADB website. 1 Land requirement is estimated based on assumption that 1 KWp solar power requires about 8 sq.m. area for solar PV installation and space of access and distance between rows of panels. 2 The consultation process will be continued and expanded during the project implementation to ensure that stakeholders are fully engaged in the project and have the opportunity to participate in its development and implementation. 8. The proposed ‘Eua solar power plant project will not cause any significant, lasting environmental and social impacts during construction, operation and decommissioning. Only minor and transient environmental disturbances would be experienced at the project site during construction and operation, and they will be minimized through implementation of the Environmental Management Plan (EMP). It is then recommended that the Project be considered environmentally and socially feasible, and that this IEE is adequate to justify environmental and social feasibility of the Project. There is no need for further analysis and the environmental and social assessment of the Project is considered complete. B. POLICY, LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE FRAMEWORK 9. Environmental assessment of proposed project has been carried out in compliance with ADB and Government policies, legislation and requirements. Relevant international agreements have also been followed in the process of environmental assessment. 1. Government of Tonga Environmental Policies, Laws and Regulations 10. Some of the important laws relevant to the proposed renewable energy project focusing on environmental assessment are summarized in Table 1. Table 1: Summary of Relevant Environmental Laws and Regulations of Government of Tonga Environmental Year Objective Legislation Passed Environmental Impact To provide for the application of environmental impact 2003 Assessment (EIA) assessment to the planning of development in Tonga. Act 2003 Environmental Impact To regulate major development projects and the 2010 Assessment (EIA) applications of notification consistent with the EIA Act 2003. Regulations 2010 Waste To manage and oversee the function of the Waste Management Act 2005 Management Board. 2005 1976 Parks and To provide for the establishment of Parks and Reserves (amende Reserves Act Authority and for the establishment, preservation and d in 1979 1976 administration of Parks and Reserves. & 1988) To regulate living modified organisms and the applications Biosafety Act 2009 2009 of modern biotechnology consistent with Tonga’s obligations and rights under the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Cartegena Protocol. Ozone Layer To regulate the use of ozone depleting substances
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