ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT FOR THE PROPOSED CONSTRUCTION OF 300 MW GAS POWER PLANT AT KISIWA VILLAGE, NAUMBU WARD IN MTWARA DISTRICT, MTWARA REGION Developer Tanzania Electric Supply Company Limited (TANESCO) Umeme Park, Ubungo, P.O. Box 9024 Dar es Salaam Phone: +255 22 2451130/9 Fax: +255 22 2451206 Email: [email protected] Consultant Institute of Resource Assessment (IRA), University of Dar es Salaam P.O.BOX 35097 DAR ES SALAAM Tel+ 255 784 471 686 /+ 255 22 2410144 Fax+ 255 22 2410393 E-mail: [email protected] Submitted to: National Environmental Management Council (NEMC) P.O. Box 63154, Dar es Salaam Tel: +255 22 277 4889 Email: [email protected] Submission Date: 31 March 2020 300 MW MTWRA POWER PLANT TANESCO MARCH 2020 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Title and Location of the Project 300MW Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) power plant at Kisiwa Village, Naumbu Ward, Mtwara District, Mtwara Region in Tanzania Project Proponent Tanzania Electric Supply Company Ltd (TANESCO) P.O. Box 9024 Umeme Park-Ubungo Dar es Salaam EIA Firm of Experts Institute of Resource Assessment (IRA), University of Dar es Salaam P.O. Box 35097 Dar es Salaam Introduction Tanzania’s economic growth triggered by changes in economic policies has prompted the demand for commercial energy in the country in particular electricity power. In order to meet increasing energy demand and maximize recently discovered offshore gas resources in the country, the Government of Tanzania through the Tanzania Electric Supply Company Ltd (TANESCO) is planning to install a 300MW Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) power plant (the “Project”) in Kisiwa village in Mtwara District, Mtwara Region in Tanzania. The project is expected to increase availability and reliability of electricity supply through the addition of new power generation to the national grid. The Project will be funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and will be owned and operated by TANESCO. The ESIA study has been undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the Environmental Management Act, Cap 191 of 2004 and the Environmental Impact Assessment and Audit Regulations of 2005, which requires mandatory EIA to all energy development projects. This Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) report presents an assessment of the potential environmental and social impacts associated with the proposed Project. This report has been prepared for TANESCO and presents the objectives, methodology and outcomes of the ESIA study. Project Description The Project is located in Kisiwa Village in Mtwara District in Mtwara Region, 400km south of Dar es Salam, Tanzania. It will be located a part of the shore terrace of the Mambi River and in front of Kisiwa Bay (Sudi Creek). The Project Site will have an area of approximately 160 ha, which will be developed into a power complex. The proposed Mtwara power plant site will cover 300 MW MTWRA POWER PLANT TANESCO MARCH 2020 i approximately 37ha, which is a quarter of the Project Site. The area is allocated for power plant development according to the Mtwara Master Plan. The proposed configuration of the power plant is a Combined Cycle Gas Turbines (CCGT) Power Plant with 300 MW generation capacity. The plant configuration consist of one or two power blocks each consisting of two gas turbine generators (GTG x 2), two heat recovery steam generators (HRSG x 2) and one steam turbine generator (STG x1). The assumed capacity factor is 85.9%. The power plant is expected to have a plant service life time of 25 years is planned to be operated for 24 hours a day throughout a year. The operation of gas turbines generates power and steam which is collected by heat recovery system. The steam produced in heat recovery steam generators is led to a steam turbine which generate additional power. The power generated from gas turbine generators and steam turbine generators will be stepped up from the around 11 KV to 400kV by generator main transformers and connected to an adjacent 400kV substation, located within the Project site. The power plant will use natural gas as fuel. This will be supplied by the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) through a gas pipeline that connects to a gas valve station of the natural gas pipeline from Mnazi Bay to Dar es Salaam. The 16km gas pipeline that would connect to the Project will be developed exclusively for the Project. TPDC will be responsible for the new gas pipeline construction, management, operation and maintenance. The Project would require approximately 300m3/day of water supply. The proposed process water supply will be provided by the Mtwara Urban Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (MTUWASA). MTUWASA confirms that the current and planned wells in the area will be more than sufficient to supply Project requirements and water demand in Kisiwa village. Cooling water will be drawn from sea through a water intake facility. The power plant will have an onsite wastewater treatment facility. Treated wastewater will be discharged to Sudi Creek. Existing roads and tracks will be used for material transport. Besides upgrading and widening of existing roads for this purpose by Tanzania Rural and Urban Roads Agency (TARURA), a new access road, (approximately 700m) that connects the Project Site to the Kisiwa/Mgao Road, needs to be constructed. Environmental and Social Baseline Condition The Project Site is located beside Sudi Creek. It extends to the seashore, with a small area facing the seashore line (the “nose”). The nose area is currently being utilized as a mooring point of fishing boats. The open area behind the nose area has a combination of flat lowland and some highlands (up to 30m in elevation). In lowland areas, pastures, salt fields, and limited houses can be observed. Terrestrial vegetation in the Project Site consists mainly of coastal thickets and mangrove vegetation. Although these are in degraded state, two species are classified as vulnerable under IUCN Red List. Mangrove forests along the 300 MW MTWRA POWER PLANT TANESCO MARCH 2020 ii shore, are protected under Tanzanian law. The Project Site is not located within or close to protected areas and ecologically sensitive areas such nesting site for turtles or bird important areas. The marine environment within Sudi Creek and outside it (mouth portion) vary significantly. Fishes are found within Sudi Creek but the sea bottom is generally devoid of visible living fauna/flora (e.g. live corals, seaweeds), probably due to low dissolved oxygen levels and high turbidity of the water in the area. The sea bottom is dominated by very coarse sand, enriched with pebbles and shell fragments. On the contrary, a thriving marine environment with occasional sightings of some marine mammals, have been observed outside the mouth of Sudi Creek. The villages close to the Project Site are Kisiwa Village and Namgogoli Village, which are located at approximately 2-4km away. Majority of the villagers are involved in multiple economic activities, with agriculture as the primary economic activity. Although fishing is a common activity along the coast, few villagers are engaged in such activities. A family graveyard, consisting of over 50 graves, is located in between the nose and the Project Site. The relatives desire not to relocate the family graveyard. Also, certain parts of the Project Site used to be an archaeological excavation and study site, where Rich Iron Age pottery have been discovered. However, this area is not designated as a cultural heritage site under the Antiquities Act of 1979. Project stakeholders and their involvement in the EIA process At the beginning of the ESIA process, stakeholder identification was conducted to determine exactly who the stakeholders are and understand their priorities and objectives in relation to the proposed project. Stakeholders identified include relevant government agencies (central, regional and local levels), community groups and organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and academic institutions, and international financing agencies. Consultation activities were undertaken by approaching the different levels of government down to villages. Meetings with relevant government agencies (e.g. Tanzania Forest Service, Marine Parks, Mtwara Port Authority), academic institutions (e.g. University of Dar es Salaam), and NGOs (e.g. Volunteer for Youth in Health and Development, Mtwara Society Against Poverty) were also conducted. Aside from these, focus group discussions were also conducted, targeting village elders and women’s group. The main objectives of stakeholder engagement activities include introducing the project and its potential impacts, and gathering concerns of the different stakeholder groups. To initiate the consultation process, prior information about the Project were shared through letters to the Regional Administrative offices of Mtwara region. The Regional Administrative Secretary allowed the consultants to proceed with consultation in Mtwara District Council. From Mtwara district, letters were prepared and sent to the wards and village leaders in Kisiwa and Namgogoli 300 MW MTWRA POWER PLANT TANESCO MARCH 2020 iii villages. Wards Executive officer in collaboration with village leaders informed the villagers to be prepared and attend the consultation meetings with the consultants. The first phase of consultations were undertaken during the full ESIA study in March 2018, during the scoping stage. The second phase of consultation was conducted during the full ESIA study from 8th – 17th August, 2018. As a result of several engagement and consultation activities, it has been identified that there is overall support for the Project from various stakeholders. Different groups, particularly local communities, expressed expectations such as employment opportunities, access to stable electricity supply, and potential improvement in social services. However, a number of issues and concerns were raised. In general, stakeholders highlighted the need for the project developer to properly implement compensation for land acquisition, pollution control and mitigation measures and to support communities that will be affected by the Project.