The additional studies sought by the AFD will cover the extension of the 1920 MW Hoa Binh plant through the addition of two new units totalling 480 MW in a new powerhouse to be built downstream of the existing dam, and the backfilling of 12 942 ha of residential and agricultural land with the excavated material from the extension project, which is referred to as the Quynh Lam project.
A review of two existing ESIA reports for the projects carried out in October 2019 by the consultancy Artelia on behalf of the AFD, highlighted numerous deficiencies that needed to be addressed to ensure compliance with the World Bank’s Environmental and Social Framework (2018) requirements (the WB ESF), according to the terms of reference. These included some impacts on biodiversity, the health and safety of workers and local communities, and displacement of households living in the future landfill areas, as well as limited stakeholder engagement and potential hydrological impacts at the landfill areas that have not been sufficiently studied. The two ESIA reports and the Gap-Analysis carried out by Artelia are the only documentation currently available. A detailed measurement survey (DMS) is ongoing and no resettlement action plan (RAP) has been developed yet. In this context, and to ensure adequate environmental and social management during the project implementation as well as complying with the WB ESF requirements, complementary studies on E&S issues need to be conducted, according to the tender notice. The terms of the consulting services must be elaborated in coordination with EVN, the state power utility, and require a validation from EVN. The deliverables include: an ESIA report compliant with the WB ESF; an associated E&S management plan; a RAP based on the report provided by local authorities; an environmental and social commitment plan; and, a stakeholder engagement plan.
Tender documentation for contract EGI-2020-192 can be downloaded for free from www.marches-securises.fr.
For further information, contact: Agence Française de Développement, SGN/DCP, 5 rue Roland Barthes, 75598 Paris Cedex 12, France. Tel: +33 1 53 44 31 31; Fax: +33 1 44 87 99 39; Email: achats-siege@afd.fr; Website: www.afd.fr
