Contribute Information
Can you contribute information about this project?
Contact the EWS Team
The Project under consideration by IFC consists of a "greenfield" (i.e., built from scratch) heavy fuel oil (HFO) thermal power plant and auxiliary installation with an installed capacity of 87.5 MW and a guaranteed capacity of 70 MW at 91% availability. The power plant will use 4.5 hectares of land and will be connected to the existing Tobene 220/90kV substation which is being upgraded and is located less than 100m away from the Project site. The Project is located approximately 90km North-East of Dakar, Senegal within the Rural Community of Taiba Ndiaye, in Regional Department of Tivaouane. The HFO will be supplied via trucks by La Socite Africaine de Raffinage (SAR) with whom terms of agreement are still under negotiation.
MATELEC is developing the Project as an Independent Power Producer (IPP) incorporated under Tobene Power SA, selling power under a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement to the Senegal's state-owned electric utility, SENELEC, which will be the sole purchaser of the electricity generated. Construction of the plant is planned to take place for a period of 16 to 18 months.
The Project is a joint project with the World Bank. Project documentation notes that "IFC is working closely with the WBG to structure a partial risk guarantee to cover the offtaker's [SENELEC] payment obligations risk."
While the Project is not projected to be presented to the Board until October 17, 2013, land acquisition has already occurred, as has "full compensation" of Project-affected people.
RISK CATEGORIZATION: Category A
According the IFC, *The Project will have limited environmental and social impacts that can be managed through existing project design, and/ or readily available mitigation measures as defined in the management plans to be applied to the Project. Nonetheless and despite the limited E&S impact, the proposed IFC investment has been categorized as *A* to maintain consistency with the World Bank's categorization procedures.*
APPLICABLE SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS
PS 1 - Assessment and Management of Environmental and Social Risks and Impacts
PS 2 - Labor and working conditions
PS 3 - Resource Efficiency and Pollution Prevention
PS 4 - Community Health, Safety and Security
PS 5 - Land Acquisition and Involuntary Resettlement
ENVIRONMENTAL AND HUMAN RIGHTS RISK ASSESSMENT
Right to a Healthy Environment
According to the Australian NGO National Toxics Network, "Heavy Oil power plants are renowned for their high levels of air pollution including the release of extremely toxic chemicals called PCDD and PCDF, otherwise known as dioxin and furans. These chemicals are known to deposit in soils for kilometres around the emission source (i.e., the power plants) as well as drifting through the atmosphere for thousands of kilometres to contaminate other countries. The transboundary nature of the pollution impacts from dioxin has led to global restrictions on activities which produce them. In addition to dioxin contamination, heavy oil power plants contribute heavily to atmospheric acidification, heavy metal contamination and a significant risk to marine and coastal environments due to oil contamination of cooling waters discharged as waste. While heavy oil may currently appear to be a "cheap" fuel for energy production, international carbon accounting and trading may soon place a heavy price tag on such dirty fuel."
Malta provides an example of recent experience with HFO electricity generation. In a 2011 article, the Times of Malta stated that "Prior to Malta's entry in the EU, the power stations used fuels with 3.5 per cent sulphur content. This high amount caused distress and protests in the Marsa area, with episodes of schools in the vicinity closing down because of the unbearable smell. The protests stopped when Malta joined the EU and converted to one per cent sulphur oil in accordance with European legislation. With the further tightening of EU limits, the maximum limit of sulphur in imported fuel oil was lowered to 0.5 per cent." The HFO at Tobene will have a 2% sulfur content.
Project documentation notes that the major source of income in the surrounding area comes from agriculture, including fruit trees. The potential consequences of emissions from the Tobene plant on the health of the surrounding environment will be important to the quality and quantity of agricultural yields.
Project documentation notes there will be a "mock drill" undertaken to ensure emergency spill and/or fire responses are adequate. It may be important for community members to ensure that such a drill is carried out, that it demonstrates that such measures are indeed sufficient, and that details of the results of the drill are made publicly available.
The Project documentation also undertakes to carry out two years of seasonal ambient air quality sampling. Community members may wish to request prompt access to the complete results of this testing, as it becomes available.
Finally, Project documentation notes that the Project station is "easily convertible" to gas generation. Community members may wish to inquire whether this is a reasonable possibility in the medium-to-long term, especially in circumstances where negative environmental consequences from HFO electricity generation may occur.
Additionally, the following questions may be relevant:
Right to Education
Project documentation notes that there is a school located 600m from the Project site, and that "the ESIA predicted noise exceedance by 4 dB during construction phase" for this school. As construction of the Project is forecast to take 16 to 18 months, the right to education of the students who attend this school may be impacted. Project documentation proposes to "mitigate" noise pollution for the school by "restricting" construction activity to the hours between 7am and 7pm. As this will mean that construction will occur during school hours, community members may wish to query what other steps could be taken to address this problem. Furthermore, the following questions may be relevant:
Right to Water
The Project documentation notes that the project will take 200 cubic meters of water a day from municipal water networks. Community members may wish to assure themselves this will not place undue stress on other water use in the area. Additionally, they may wish to ask:
Right to Housing and Property
Project documentation notes that some people have been relocated as a consequence of this Project. Documentation notes that there has been "full compensation" of all people to be relocated, but that some of these people are continuing to cultivate Project land. Community members may wish to confirm they have all been fully, fairly and legally compensated for their land.
Project documentation states that a review will be conducted with a sample of relocated people to verify the status of their livelihood restoration. Community members may wish to ensure this review occurs, and that the results are made promptly available.
It may also be important to ask:
Right to Health
This right is impacted because emissions from heavy fuel oil electricity generation include chemicals that can be damaging in excessive amounts, and therefore need to be carefully monitored and controlled (see articles from the Times of Malta and National Toxics Network, above). With this in mind, the following questions may be relevant:
Labor Rights
Labor rights are implicated by this Project for two reasons. Firstly, Project documentation notes that at least 100 jobs will be provided to members of the local community by the Project. It will be important to ensure this commitment is complied with. Second, the livelihoods of others in the community who are not employed in the Project may still be impacted. For example, emissions from the completed project, or from its construction, may negatively impact agriculture near the plant, an important source of employment for the community. With this in mind, the following questions may be relevant:
Right to Food
This right is implicated because food is grown near the Project site. Any negative impact on that agricultural production would, therefore, impact this right. Such negative impacts could arise from pollution generated during construction (traffic pollution, dust from construction, chemicals used in construction) or from pollution once the Project is operational (as discussed above with regard to the right to a healthy environment). With that in mind, the following questions may be relevant:
Right to Freedom of Expression
Amnesty International has noted that the right to freedom of expression has not been consistently respected in Senegal. Community members should be aware they are entitled to express their opposition to the Project without fear of retribution.
Additional Issues
The Project documentation notes that the Project may have either one person responsible for Environmental Health and Safety and another person acting as a community liaison, or it may combine both roles in one person. It may therefore be important for community members to establish whether their liaison person at the Project has this dual role, and, if so, whether they have adequate time and resources to carry out their community liaison work to the highest possible standard.
Also, the Project documentation notes that Matelec will take "commercially reasonable steps and establish policies and procedures" to ensure that third party contractors abide by the Performance Standards. It may be important for community members to ensure that these steps are adequate.
The total project cost is estimated at EUR 120.0 Million (c. US$ 150.0 Million).
Matelec has approached IFC to join efforts for the development, and finance a portion of the debt as lead debt arranger of the Project. The proposed IFC investment is composed of an A loan for IFC;s own account of EUR 27.0 million, and a B Loan/Parallel Loans of EUR 63.0 million. IFC will also be investing EUR 3.0 Million in the form of an equity investment. These terms are explained below:
When the IFC makes an "equity investment" it obtains some percentage ownership in the project's sponsoring company, which means IFC involvement with that company continues after completion of the project.
An "A" loan for IFC/s own account means the IFC provides a direct loan for the project from its own funds, and keeps that debt on its books until the sponsoring company repays in full, again directly to IFC.
For a syndicated "B" loan, IFC seeks participation from commercial banks and other financial institutions. All money still passes through IFC, however, so it remains responsible for the impacts of that financing.
The sponsor and co-developer of this Project is Melec PowerGen Inc. ("MPG"), an international company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands and part of the Matelec Group of Companies. Matelec was formed in Lebanon in 1975 and specializes in manufacturing electrical products such as transformers, switchboards, control panels and packaged substations. It is one of the few manufacturers of transformers in the Arab countries and a leader in its lines of business at a regional level. Both MPG and Matelec are privately owned companies.
Matelec is a subsidiary of the Doumet Group, an industrial conglomerate based in Lebanon.
PAST IFC FUNDING
MATELEC also developed the operating Kounoune power plant in Senegal and the Thika power plant in Kenya, which are both IFC-financed projects. IFC's review of the Tobene project included a review of the E&S performance of these two projects. The IFC stated that the "Kounoune Power project has been rated partly unsatisfactory by IFC from an E&S perspective due to the encroachment of the buffer zone which presents a community health and safety risk, however, the enforcement of this buffer zone is beyond Kounoune Power's control. Notwithstanding the above, Kounoune Power's E&S, health and safety performance at the plant is generally satisfactory. Thika Power is in construction and so far no E&S performance issues have been identified."
The Project documentation also notes that "Since 2005 IFC has been actively engaged in the dialogue with various actors of the sector. Its knowledge of Senegal power sector and experience in sub-Saharan IPPs financing will also be critical in (i) fast tracking the development stage and (ii) structuring and negotiating bankable project and finance documentation that would get consent from other lenders."
Independently of this Project, the IDA arm of the World Bank approved, in June 2012, a US$85 million loan to Senelec in order to "upgrade and modernize electricity transmission and distribution components; create more transparency and accountability within the energy sector; develop a medium and long-term strategy for the energy sector; and upgrade SENELEC billing systems to reduce high collection costs and losses related to fraud." Additional details are available at the link above ("World Bank 2012 Announcement of Loan to Senelec").
Private Actor 1 | Private Actor 1 Role | Private Actor 1 Sector | Relation | Private Actor 2 | Private Actor 2 Role | Private Actor 2 Sector |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
- | - | - | - | Melec PowerGen Inc. | Undisclosed | - |
- | - | - | - | Tobene Power | Client | - |
Tobene Power
Address: Yoff Virage, Route de l a roport, Villa KP
Contact Person: Said JALKH
Email: sjalkh@tobenepower.com
CONSULTATION PROCESS
According to the IFC, "As part of the ESIA, a comprehensive stakeholder engagement was undertaken to meet the requirement of PS1 and included individual as well as group interviews to obtain views on the Project from the local communities, the local, regional, and national authorities; more specifically Rural Community of Taba Ndiaye; village chiefs and notable of Mbayenne, Keur-Mall, and Minam Diop; women and young girls; regional and national technical services departments, etc. These consultations took place in August and September 2012 as part of the ESIA process."
IFC states that "No objections to the Project have been raised during the ESIA stakeholder engagement process. However, further comments from these stakeholders could be forthcoming following the public consultation that will take place shortly and will be included in the final approved version of the ESIA."
A community grievance mechanism will be put in place to allow community to lodge their grievances. Tobene Power will maintain a register of complaints during construction and operation phases including actions taken to address such complaints.
ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF IFC
The Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO) is the independent complaint mechanism and fact-finding body for people who believe they are likely to be, or have been, adversely affected by an IFC or MIGA- financed project. If you submit a complaint to the CAO, they may assist you in resolving a dispute with the company and/or investigate to assess whether the IFC is following its own policies and procedures for preventing harm to people or the environment. If you want to submit a complaint electronically, you can email the CAO at CAO@worldbankgroup.org. You can learn more about the CAO and how to file a complaint at http://www.cao-ombudsman.org/