Luxembourg, 26 June 2015 Environmental and Social Data Sheet Overview Project Name: IMWIND WIND POWER II Project Number: 2014-0629 Country: Austria Project Description: Construction and operation of 11 wind parks for a total capacity of 183 MW located in the Austrian Federal States of Lower Austria and Burgenland. This would be the second operation with the promoter. EIA required: multi-investment project, EIA requirements vary 1 Project included in Carbon Footprint Exercise : yes (details for projects included are provided in section: “EIB Carbon Footprint Exercise”) Summary of Environmental and Social Assessment, including key issues and overall conclusion and recommendation The wind farms are located on agricultural land. Their locations are in-line with the applicable spatial development plans. Corresponding authorisation processes have been pursued based on initial environmental assessments and public consultation. Due to their technical characteristics, wind farms fall under Annex II of the EIA Directive. 2011/92/EU. Therefore, they can be subject to a full EIA on a case by case decision by the competent authority (the government at federal state level). All but one wind farm of this project have been screened-in. At the time of appraisal, all wind farms including their grid connections have completed their environmental approval processes. Their minimum distance to Natura 2000 sites ranges between 0.2 and 6 km, respectively. Those 10 wind farms that were subject to an EIA underwent comprehensive environmental impact assessments, Appropriate Assessments of potential impacts on nearby Natura 2000 sites, and public consultation, all in line with the relevant EU directives. The competent authorities confirmed that these projects have no significant negative impacts when all mitigation measures are implemented. The most relevant residual impacts are temporary nuisance during construction and visual impacts during operation. Noise levels during operation must be below defined levels. Residual impacts on birds and bats are mitigated by appropriate siting of the wind turbines and the installation of new bird and bat habitats in the project areas, where this is deemed necessary to protect the potentially affected species. The promoter is in the process of applying for amendment to the permits of two wind farms with respect to key mitigation measures. It is suggested that the promoter undertakes to send the Bank any amended permit, if such amendment relates to key mitigation measures of the underlying permit. The single wind farm that was permitted without an EIA concerns the installation of three individual turbines inside an existing wind farm that was authorised in 2010 on the basis of an EIA. The environmental analysis and consultations pursued during the permit amendment process and the quality of the underlying EIA process are both satisfactory to the Bank. In summary, this operation is considered acceptable under environmental and social aspects, with the above condition. 1 Only projects that meet the scope of the Pilot Exercise, as defined in the EIB draft Carbon Footprint Methodologies, are included, provided estimated emissions exceed the methodology thresholds: above 100,000 tons CO2e/year absolute (gross) or 20,000 tons CO2e/year relative (net) – both increases and savings. Luxembourg, 26 June 2015 Environmental and Social Assessment Environmental Assessment The operation comprises the below wind farms: Wind farm name Located inside the following municipalities Capacity (federal state) (MW) Trautmannsdorf Nord, Trautmannsdorf an der Leitha, 18 Trautmannsdorf Nord G Göttlesbrunn-Arbesthal (Lower Austria) Groβkrut-Hauskirchen- Groβkrut, Hauskirchen, Wilfersdorf (Lower 19 Wilfersdorf Austria) Höflein Ost Höflein (Lower Austria) 6 Ladendorf Ladendorf (Lower Austria) 18 Paasdorf-Lanzendorf Mistelbach, Gaweinstal (Lower Austria) 16 Andlersdorf-Orth Andlersdorf, Orth an der Donau (Lower Austria) 30 Parndorf V Parndorf (Burgenland) 15 Bruckneudorf Bruckneudorf (Burgenland) 3 Karlwald/Nick Erweiterung Nickelsdorf (Burgenland) 7 Edmundshof Gols, Mönchhof (Burgenland) 24 Loidesthal Loidesthal, Groβinzernsdorf (Lower Austria) 26 All wind farms have completed their spatial planning (re-zoning) process prior to environmental authorisation. This process was based on a preliminary environmental assessment and included consultation with neighbouring municipalities and the wider public. Amongst other considerations, minimum distances to residential areas are respected. Re-zoning decisions in Austria are made in-line with regional wind farm development plans where such plans exist. The re-zoning of land for the wind farms in Lower Austria was executed primarily at a time before a wind farm development plan at the federal state level existed. Nevertheless, their individual locations respect key spatial planning aspects such as minimum distances to residential areas and the positioning of new wind farms close to existing ones (densification). The Andlersdorf-Orth wind farm (Lower Austria) is located in a preferential development zone of a regional development plan of several municipalities which was supported by a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). The Loidesthal wind farm is the only Lower Austrian project of this operation that has been re-zoned on the basis of the new regional wind farm development plan which entered into force in 2014 on the basis of an SEA. All wind farms in Burgenland were re-zoned on the basis of a dedicated wind farm development plan that had been issued by the government of Burgenland on the basis of an SEA (last update took place in 2014). After re-zoning, the wind farms were subject to environmental authorisation. The corresponding EISs assess potential impacts on human beings (in particular noise and shadow flicker), species and habitats (with a focus on protected sites, birds and bats), soil and agriculture, water, forests, hunting, landscape, air and climate, and cultural habitat. Impact analyses on birds and bats were based on onsite observations by experts over a full year. Cumulative impacts were taken into consideration in view of the density of wind farm development in the project areas. The single wind farm that was screened out is the extension to an existing wind farm. The corresponding authorisation process was about the amendment of the initial permit that had undergone an EIA. The permit amendment process further included an updated environmental assessment, focussing on the additional wind turbines’ potential impacts on protected sites, birds and bats. The granted environmental permits generally oblige the promoter to implement the projects as described in the EISs and to apply additional mitigation measures, e.g. on health and safety, ground water protection, noise and traffic during construction, and noise, shadow flickering and icing risks during operation. Bird and bat habitats, where required, must be created and monitored for the whole operating lifetime of a wind farm and in accordance with detailed requirements that are specific to the target species. Luxembourg, 26 June 2015 Supplementary information related to the fully permitted wind farms is provided below (it is noted that authorisations often relate to wind farms that are being developed jointly by several promoters. That is why in several cases the permitting procedure relates to more wind turbines than those owned by the promoter of this operation): Trautmannsdorf Nord/ Trautmannsdorf Nord: The authorisation process relates to a wind farm of 11 wind turbines out of which 6 are attributed to this project. The wind turbines are located outside protected nature areas. The closest Natura 2000 site is the Site of Community Interest (SCI) and Special Protection Area (SPA) “Feuchte Ebene Leithaauen” (AT1220V00, AT1220000) which is at least 1 km away. The competent authority granted permit to this wind farm in April 2013. The permit obliges the promoter to install 7 ha of bat habitat in the project region in order to mitigate potential impacts on such species. It further obliges the promoter to establish 3800 m2 of forest in the project region as compensation for necessary deforestations of ca. 1300 m2. In June 2014, the Competent Authority granted permit to minor amendments of the project upon request by the promoter. Groβkrut-Hauskirchen-Wilfersdorf: The authorisation process relates to a wind farm of 12 wind turbines out of which 6 are attributed to this project. The wind turbines are located outside protected nature areas. The closest Natura 2000 site is the SCI “Weinvierteler Klippenzone” (AT1206A00) which is at least 4.5 km away and the closest SPA is over 8 km away from the wind farm. The competent authority granted the permit to this wind farm in September 2013. The number of permitted wind turbines (12) is slightly lower than what was originally suggested in the EIS (13), following the agreement with an NGO that had raised concerns about the project’s potential impacts on the great grey shrike (Raubwürger). The permit obliges the promoter to create 36 ha of bird habitat in the project region in order to mitigate potential impacts on the great grey shrike. There are also restrictions as regards the timing of installation works for some turbines in order to protect birds during their breeding period. Additionally, the promoter has to establish 540 m2 of forest in the project region as compensation for necessary deforestations of ca. 180 m2. Höflein Ost: The authorisation process relates to a wind farm of 12 wind turbines