Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) For Photovoltaic Power Plant Sainshand, Mongolia 30/9/2016 By Desert Solar Power One LLC 1 Table of Contents 1. Introduction and Project Background………………………………………….9 1.1 Introduction………………………………………………………………. …..9 1.2 Project Background …………………………………………………….........10 1.3 Scope of the ESIA…………………………………………………………..11 1.4 Methodology for the ESIA…………………………………………………12 1.4.1 Scoping……………………………………………………………..…13 1.4.2 Baseline Data Collection….……………………………………….…..15 1.4.3 Methodology and approach of ESIA…………………………….…15 1.4.4 Environmental Mitigation and Enhancement………………………...18 1.4.5 Environmental Monitoring ………………………………………..….19 1.5 Organization of this Report…………………………………………...……..19 2. The Proposed Project…………………………………………………………..21 2.1 Project Location………………………………………………...……………21 2.2 Accessibility & Transportation……………………………………………....22 2.3 Project components………………………………………………………..…23 2.3.1 PV Modules..................................................................................…...24 2.3.2 Mounting System….…………………………………………...…… 24 2.3.3 Inverters……………………………………………………………...26 2.4 Monitoring and Controlling system………………………………………….27 2.5 Civil engineering………………………………………………………….….28 2.6 Area Layout…………………………………………………………….…….29 2.7 Waste consumption and waste generation……………………………….…..29 2.8 Construction and Implementation schedule………………………………….30 2.8.1 Implementation schedule…………………………………………...…31 2.8.2 Plant operation and maintenance………………………...……………32 2.9 Power Transmission Line ………………...………………………………….32 3. Legal and Institutional Framework……………………………………......….35 3.1 Key Mongolian Laws and Policies in the Energy Sector and Key Governmental Institutions…………………………………………………..35 3.2 Energy Law………………………………………………………………….38 3.3 Renewable Energy Law……………………………………………………..39 3.4 Environmental Policies and Laws Related to the Sector……………………39 3.5 International Requirements……………………………………………...…..41 3.6 Current Legal Status of Sainshand Solar PV Power Plant……………...…...41 2 4. Environmental and Socioeconomic Baseline Conditions.………....................43 4.1 Climate…………………………………………………………………….43 4.1.1 Temperature…………………………………………………….……43 4.1.2 Precipitation…………………………………………………….……44 4.1.3 Wind………………………………………………………………….45 4.1.4 Air Quality………………………………………………….………..47 4.1.5 Solar irradiation……………………………………………………...48 4.2 Landscape and Geology……………………………………………………..48 4.2.1 Landscape……………………………………………………...………48 4.2.2 Geological structure and stratigraphy of the region……………………49 4.3 Noise……………………………………………………………………...….53 4.4 Soils………………………………………………………………………....55 4.5 Water bodies…………………………………………………………………56 4.6 Biodiversity …………………………………………………………………58 4.6.1 Environment Climate Conditions, Methods and Methodologies.........59 4.6.2 Plant Communities, State of Pasture Condition …….………………60 4.6.3 Summary of Research on Vertebrate Species……………….…………61 4.7 Historic and cultural resources……………………………………………….73 4.8 Social and economic conditions…………………………………………...…73 4.8.1 Population and Demographics…………………………………...……73 4.8.2 Employment……………………………….…………………………...78 4.8.3 Economic Development Level……………………………..…………78 4.8.4 Health Level……………………………………….…………………..80 4.8.5 Land Use…………………….…………………….…………………..80 4.8.6 Social infrastructure Development Level…….……………………..…81 5. The Analysis of Alternatives………………………………….………………..86 5.1 Site selection…………………………………………………………………86 5.2 „With Project‟ VS „Without Project‟ Alternative………………………..…87 5.3 Electricity Sources Alternatives……………………………………………..88 6. Environmental and Social Impacts Assessment and Mitigation measures...90 6.1 Introduction………………………………………………………………….90 6.2 Impact on the climate and air quality and mitigation measures……………...90 6.2.1 Assessment of impacts on the climate and air quality………………....90 6.2.2 Mitigation and elimination of the impacts on climate and air quality…93 6.3Impact on the Geological condition and the mitigation measures…………...94 6.3.1 Impact on the geological condition…………………………………….94 3 6.3.2 Mitigation of the negative impact on the geological condition..………94 6.4 Impact on the soil layer and the mitigation measures………………………..95 6.4.1 Impact on the soil layer………………………………………………...95 6.4.2 Mitigation and elimination of the negative impact on the soil layer…..96 6.5 Impact on water bodies and mitigation measures …………………………97 6.5.1 Impact on the water reserves, its quality and its assessment……...…97 6.5.2 Mitigation of the impact on the water reserves and its quality……...97 6.6 Impact of noise and mitigation measures………………………………….98 6.7 Impact on visual amenity and mitigation measures………………………98 6.8 Impact on biodiversity and Mitigation measures…………………………..99 6.8.1 Impact on the flora and the mitigation measures…………………..99 6.8.2 Impact on the fauna and the mitigation measures…………………101 6.9 Impact on historical and cultural memorabilia and mitigation measures.…102 6.10 Impact on the society and economy and mitigation measures…………….102 6.10.1 Traffic………………………………………….……………………103 6.10.2 Employment Opportunities………………………………………104 6.10.3 Economy …………...……….…………………………………...….104 6.10.4 Human Health……...……………….…………………………....….105 6.10.5 Occupational and Public Health and safety………….………….….109 6.11 Impacts of Power Transmission Line ………………………………....111 6.11.1Technical Characteristics of the Overhead Line (OHL)……………..111 6.11.2Construction Works for the OHL…………………………………….113 6.11.3 Access to Construction Sites of the OHL ………………………......113 6.11.4 Impacts and mitigation measures on Archaeology and Cultural Heritage …………………………………………………………....113 6.11.5 Impacts and mitigation measures on Air Quality…………………...113 6.11.6 Noise and Vibration……………………………………………...….114 6.12 Summary of Cumulative Impacts…………………………………………116 7. Environmental and Social Management Plan……………………………..118 7.1 Introduction……………………………………………………………….119 7.2 Objectives…………………………………………………………...…….119 7.3 Environmental and Social Management Plan……………………………..119 7.4 Environmental Monitoring Program 2014-2018…………………….……134 References Cited…………………………………………………………….....139 4 Figures Figure 1-1: Map of Mongolia with Project Location Figure 1-2: Overall ESIA process Figure 1-3: Product Results for Consequence & Likelihood Categories Figure 2-1: Overview of proposed PV Area Figure 2-2: Railroad Mongolia-China Figure 2-3: Route from rail station to PV site Figure 2-4: System design Figure 2-5: Sun Orbit Diagram Sainshand Figure 2-6: Typical sketch for changing table inclinations Figure 2-7: Conceptual Area Layout Figure 2-8: Distance of substation - PV site Figure 2-9: Power Transmission Concept Figure 2-10: Existing local substation Figure 4-1: Repetition of the wind speed Figure 4-2: Map of Mongolia - Dornogovi province Figure 4-3: On site view in south-west direction Figure 4-4: On site view in west direction Figure 4-5: Trial pits Figure 4-6: Soil profiles Figure 4-7: Administrative-territorial boundaries of Dornogovi Province Figure 4-8: Population of Sainshand soum Figure 4-9: Population and households‟ number shown by bags Figure 4-10: Family Housing Conditions/census in 2010/ Figure 4-11: Employees by branch, at the end of the year 2013 Figure 4-12: Livestock number by types of animal husbandry Figure 5-1 Power supply and Demand Mongolia Tables Table 1-1: Sainshand PV Power Project milestone Table 1-2: Overall Environmental Impact Findings Table 1-3: Consequence Categories and Rankings Table 1-4: Likelihood Categories and Rankings Table 1-5: Significance Categories Table 2-1: Electrical Data at Standard Test Conditions Table 2-2: Temperature Characteristics Table 2-3: Inverter DC 5 Table 2-4: Inverter AC Table 2-5: Inverter Efficiency Table 4-1: Average weather data of Sainshand city for 1970-2012 Table 4-2: Temperature and precipitation data for Sainshand city (1961-1990) Table 4-3: Average wind speed (m/second) Table 4-4: Highest wind speed (m/second) Table 4-5: Repetition of the wind speed at the Sainshand Power Plant (%) - 2008-2012 Table 4-6: Average data of the air pollution for the 3rd of October Table 4-7: Typical Sound Pressure Levels Associated with Common Noise Sources Table 4-8: Guideline Values for Community Noise in Specific Environments Table 4-9: Plant Communities in Project Area Table 4-10: Prominent species in Project Area Table 4-11: Species of Amphibia and Reptilia Table 4-12: Aves Table 4-13: Mammalia Table 4-14: Indicators by Bags Table 4-15: Number of Operating Entities and Organizations by Bags Table 4-16: Regional Development Outlook of Sainshand Soum Table 4-17: Information about the infrastructure project near Sainshand Table 5-1: Energy production capacity of various sites examined Table 5-2: Evaluation Symbols for Levels of Environmental and Social Impact Table 5-3: Comparison of overall environmental impacts as a result of the Proposed Project against the „Without Project‟ Alternative Table 6-1: Mongolian standard for the air quality in cities and settlements MNS 4585-98 Table 6-2: Air Quality Standard of the World Bank Table 6-3: Impact on the weather quality and its assessment Table 6-4: Assessment of the impact on the soil layer Table 6-5: Assessment of the project impact on the vegetation Table 6-6: Assessment of the project impact on the fauna of the project area Table 7-1: Measures to be taken in order to reduce the impact on ambient air Table7-2: Measures to be taken in order to reduce the impact on soil Table 7-3: Measures to be taken in order to mitigate the impact on water Table 7-4: Measures to be taken in order to reduce the physical impact Table