PROJECT: KRIBI II POWER PROJECT COUNTRY: CAMEROON SUMMARY OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (ESIA) Date: October 2015 E&S team: Erika AUER, Social Development Specialist, ONEC3 Sector Department: K. DIALLO Regional Department: M. KANGA Resident Representative: R. KANE Division Manager: A. NALIKKA 1 1. Introduction The update ESIA has been prepared by RS Infrastructure and Environment (URS) for the Kribi Power Expansion Project. In addition, a framework ESMP has been developed and has been used to update the Power Plant’s existing ESMP. URS has been responsible for the previous ESIA reporting for the Kribi Power Plant and associated transmission line. This updated ESIA includes the following reporting: an ESIA for the original facility was submitted and approved in 2006 and a Resettlement Action Plan for the Site and transmission line was finalized and implemented in 2008. An addendum to the original ESIA was prepared in October 2007 to reflect environmental impacts associated with the installation of 16.6 MW Wartsila reciprocating gas engines in place of gas turbines upon which the ESIA was originally based. A subsequent Addendum was prepared in November 2008 to reflect an increase in Power Plant capacity from 150 MW to 216 MW and an increase in the size of the Power Plant and substation within the existing boundaries. An amalgamation of all the previous ESIA reports was undertaken and resubmitted in January 2010. The 2010 report has been reviewed, validated and disclosed by the AfDB in 2010 during the approval of Kribi I. The following baselines and aspects are assessed in the updated ESIA as they are considered significant to an assessment of the increase in operational capacity from 216 MW to 330 MW. Air Quality Noise and Vibration Greenhouse Gas and Climate Change Waste Management Energy and Water Efficiency Hazard Analysis Labor and Working Conditions Stakeholder Consultation After a review of the Project’s design and construction program, it was assessed that the incremental effect of other environmental and social impacts as a result of the capacity increase generated by the Project will be of minor significance because the proposed development is within the boundaries of the existing Site and existing management plans are in place to ensure management and monitoring of operations. Therefore, in compliance with Decree No. 2013/0171 of 14 February 2013 and international lender requirements, the disciplines below were scoped out during a scoping exercise completed in the ToR stage and no further formal assessment was undertaken beyond the ESIA submitted in January 2010. The Power Plant’s existing Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) for these disciplines was reviewed and found to be adequate to accommodate this Project. Surface water and Groundwater Marine Ecology 2 Terrestrial Ecology and Biodiversity Land Quality and Land Use Landscape and Visual Traffic and Transportation Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Socio-Economics. The update ESIA study was approved by the Ministry of Environment Protection of Nature and Sustainable Development of the Republic of Cameroon and the Environmental license was issued on 16 May 2014. 2. Policy, Legal and Administrative Framework 2.1. National Legislation The legal framework in Cameroon is made up of legislative and regulatory instruments: Legislative instruments are comprised of Laws; and Regulatory Instruments are comprised of Decrees and Rules. A law is generally a framework of intervention within a specific sector. To be implemented, it needs regulatory instruments, which are called decrees of application. Laws are prepared by Sectorial Ministries and forwarded to the national assembly. During working sessions, these are adopted by members of parliament and enacted later on by the head of state. The application of all legislative and regulatory instruments is compulsory for all citizens and project promoters. These instruments are therefore provided with sanctions for defaulters, which vary from prison sentence to fine payment, dependent on the gravity of the fault. The relevant institutions involved in the implementation and monitoring of environment law in Cameroon are: • Ministry of Environment and Protection of Nature and Sustainable Development (MEPNSD). • The Inter-Ministerial Committee of Environment. • Consultative National Commission of Environment and Sustainable Development. • The Minister in Charge of Energy and Water Resources • ARSEL (Agence de régulation du secteur de l’électricité) which is the authority responsible for regulation of the energy sector. In addition, other ministries of relevance include the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Transport, which is responsible for the transportation of people and goods by sea, air and land, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Town Planning and Housing, the Ministry of Defense, and the Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation. 2.2. Cameroon Legislation, Standards and Guidelines The main legislative and regulatory instruments of relevance to the update Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for this Project are summarized below. 3 Subject Law/Decree/Order Environmental Management Law N° 96/12 of 5th August 1996 - Relating to Environmental Management in Cameroon Decree 94/259/PM of 31 May 1994 - Creation of a National consultative Commission on the Environmental and sustainable Development Decree N° 2001/718/PM of 3 September 2001 - The organization and functioning of the Inter-ministerial committee on the Environment Decree No. 2013/0171 of 14 February 2013 - Relating to Environmental Management in Cameroon Ministerial Order N° 0069/MINEP of 08 March 2005 - Defining the categories of operations subject to EIA Rule N° 0070/MINEP of 22nd April 2005 - Fixing the different categories of operations submitted to the realization of an EIA (article 19 of the law) Electricity Law N° 98/022 of 24 December 1998. The Regulation of the Electricity Industry. The law enables the government to operate the electricity generation and supply industry through a concession and establishes the Agence de Regulation du Secteur Electricité – ARSEL (the Electricity Regulation Agency) to regulate the industry. ARSEL is required to ensure that electricity operations respect environmental legislation Decree N° 99/125 of 15 Jan 1999 - The Organization and functioning of the Agency for the Regulation of the Electricity Industry Decree N° 2000/464 of 20 June 2000 - Register of Activities of the Electricity Industry Dangerous Substances Law N° 98/015 of 14 July 1998 - Relating to installations classified as dangerous, insalubrious, and inconvenient Decree N° 98/818/PM of November 1999 - Laying down conditions for construction and operation of installations classified as dangerous, insalubrious, and inconvenient Public Health Law N° 64/LF/23 of 13 November 1964 – relating to the protection of public health 2.3. International Standards Where appropriate, this ESIA also makes due reference to internationally recognized standards in order to establish a transparent regulatory framework for the Project which is in line with both national requirements and the expectations of international stakeholders. Cameroonian legislation does not usually specify detailed requirements for certain environmental considerations such as ambient air quality parameters, atmospheric emission limits, or noise levels. In order to obviate the non-availability of such national standards, KPDC uses (where appropriate and reasonably feasible) suitable equivalent standards as cited or referenced in recognized international guidance such as International Finance Corporation (IFC) Performance Standards (PS) or World Health Organisation (WHO). In addition to this, the ESIA has been reviewed against AfDB ISS to ensure that the ESIA is equally compliant with the AfDB Operational Safeguards (OS) standards. 3. Project Description and Justification 3.1. Current Power Plan Operations Kribi Power Plant (the Power Plant) is an existing natural gas power plant which has been in operation since May 2013. Kribi Power Development Company (KPDC) is the owner and 4 operator of the Power Plant. KPDC is a mixed capital corporation with 56% of shares held by the AES Group and 44% by the Government of Cameroon. The Power Plant currently provides 216 MW of electricity to the SIG. Electricity is generated through 13 dual-fuel gas engines of 16.6 MW each (18V50 DF,16.6 MW manufactured by Wartsila). The 13 reciprocating engines each have individual emission stacks at each plant (approximately 32 m in height). Gas to fuel the engines is supplied from the off-shore Sanaga Sud gas field. Gas is supplied to the Site via a gas main coming ashore approximately 1 km west of the Power Plant. The overland section of the pipe is buried. There is be no gas storage at the site and as such the gas engines are dual fuel to allow firing using diesel during periods of gas unavailability. A 225 kV, double circuit transmission line was constructed for the Power Plant, and connects the Power Plant to the Mangombe 225/90 kV substation at Edéa (approximately 100 km away). Water supply for Power Plant operation and staff potable requirements is supplied through groundwater boreholes at the site or from the neighboring water course (for emergency response only). The cooling system for the gas engines is via air or water in closed circuits and these only require make up water. The overall water demand for the operation of the Power Plant is therefore approximately 5 m3 per day and 13 m3 per day including firefighting requirements. The existing Power Plant is constructed within a 16 ha site near Kribi, the State has granted to KPDC the right to use it for the Power Plant through a Public Utility Decree (Arrête), signed in August 2005. This Site is accessed from the Edéa – Kribi main road, which is hard surfaced dual carriageway. Currently 60 staff members are employed to manage the operation of the 216 MW Power Plants. There is no staff housing provided at the site and all permanent staff are housed in existing accommodation within Kribi (located 9 km south of the Site). KPDC provide staff transportation to and from the Site at the beginning and end of each shift.