According to AIIB, the objective of this project is to improve the reliability and capacity of the power transmission network in Southern Chattogram and Kaliakoir region of Bangladesh.

This project envisages the construction of four transmission lines with a total length of approximately 181 km, four Gas-Insulated Switchgear (GIS) substations, and two bay extensions, to develop grid interfacing infrastructure in several parts of Chattogram and Gazipur region. Project components are as follows:

1. Southern Chattogram Region:

• 230kV double circuit transmission line (initially charged at 132 kV) from Anowara to Cox's Bazar (North)
• 132kV double circuit transmission line from Cox's Bazar (North) to Teknaf
• 230/132/33kV indoor GIS substation at Anowara
• 132/33kV indoor GIS substation at Teknaf
• 132/33kV indoor GIS substation at Cox's Bazar (North)
• 132kV four circuit Line-In-Line-Out (LILO) at Cox's Bazar (North) substation

2.  Kaliakoir, Gazipur Region:

• 230kV double circuit transmission line from Bangabandhu Hi-Tech City to Kaliakoir
• 230/33kV indoor GIS substation at Hi-Tech City
• Two 230kV GIS bay extensions at Kaliakoir Substation

ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL INFORMATION

The Bank's Environmental and Social Policy (ESP), including Environmental and Social Standards (ESSs) and the Environmental and Social Exclusion List, apply to this Project. ESS 1 (Environmental and Social Assessment and Management) and ESS 2 (Involuntary Resettlement) are applicable to the project activities. Category A has been preliminarily assigned due to the anticipated significant environmental and social impacts.

According to the bank, the proposed project activities have no significant adverse impacts on the environment except the involvement of a 9.19 km line passing through the Chunati Wildlife Sanctuary.Though all possible measures have been taken during route selection, the involvement of the wildlife sanctuary could not be avoided due to substations locations.However, considering there is an existing overhead line and ADB-financed railway line project under construction adjacent to the proposed line, the potential incremental impacts on the ecosystem are mostly predictable according to the previous anthropogenic activities. Any potential environmental impacts during project construction and maintenance phases will be assessed in the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) and mitigated through the implementation of the Environmental and Social Management Plan following the national regulations and AIIB's ESP and ESSs.

A Resettlement Plan (RP) is prepared to manage the economic displacement of 233 households whose lands will be acquired for the construction of 3 substations. Due diligence was done on the land for the 4th substation which will be on government land (Hi-Tech City) and confirms no legacy issues. Other management plans prepared to address other social concerns include Labor-Management Plan, Gender-based Violence Prevention Plan, and Stakeholder Engagement Plan. An implementation NGO will be engaged to assist PGCB, and an external monitor will be engaged to validate progress and recommend measures for improvement.

Public consultations have been carried out with project-affected households and key project stakeholders and will be continued during project implementation. A multi-tier grievance redress mechanism will be constituted for the project in line with the prescriptions of the Project-affected People's Mechanism (PPM) Policy of the Bank, building on the existing complaint mechanisms. The ESIA and RP will be disclosed on the client and AIIB's website once finalized along with the English and Bangla versions of the executive summaries of the ESIA and RP.

ACCESS TO INFORMATION

You can submit an information request for project information at: https://www.aiib.org/en/contact/information-request/index.html

ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF AIIB

The AIIB has established the Accountability Mechanism for Project-Affected People (PPM). The PPM provides an opportunity for an independent and impartial review of submissions from Project-affected people who believe they have been or are likely to be adversely affected by AIIBÕs failure to implement the ESP in situations when their concerns cannot be addressed satisfactorily through Project level GRMs or AIIB Management processes.Two or more project-affected people can file a complaint. Under the current AIIB policy, when the bank co-finances a project with another development bank, it may apply the other bank's standards. You can refer to the Project Summary Information document to find out which standards apply. You can learn more about the PPM and how to file a complaint at: https://www.aiib.org/en/about-aiib/who-we-are/project-affected-peoples-mechanism/how-we-assist-you/index.html

The complaint submission form can be accessed in Arabic, Bahasa Indonesia, Bengali, Chinese, English, Tagalog, Hindi, Nepali, Russian, Turkish, or Urdu. The submission form can be found at: https://www.aiib.org/en/about-aiib/who-we-are/project-affected-peoples-mechanism/submission/index.html