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The proposed IFC investment is an up to US$130 million financing including: (i) an IFC A Loan of up to US$[30]mn, and (ii) a subordinated loan of up to US$[75-105]mn to ATOME Paraguay SAE (the “Company” or the “Borrower”), a wholly owned subsidiary of ATOME Energy PLC (“ATOME” or the “Sponsor”)- (https://www.atomeplc.com/), a UK-listed company focused on the development of greenfield green hydrogen projects for the purpose of producing, marketing and distributing green fertilizers. The proposed project entails the financing of Paraguay’s first green hydrogen fertilizer project, the Villeta 145MW production facility, designed to produce up to 260,000 tons per annum (tpa) of green calcium ammonium nitrate (“CAN”), a low-carbon fertilizer (“the Project”). The Project is located 30km to the south of Villeta municipality, within an industrial area in development, near the eastern bank of the Paraguay River and approximately 3km east of the border with Argentina. The Project encompasses construction and operation of a green hydrogen fertilizer plant that will include the following: (i) an electrolysis plant with an installed capacity of 110MW and a pressurized alkaline water electrolysis system with a nominal capacity of 1,978kg/h, and onsite storage capacity of 10 m3 at 15 bar of operational pressure ; (ii) an air separation unit with a cryogenic distillation unit; (iii) an ammonia synthesis plant with a Haber-Bosch fixation process with a double metallic wall storage tank with a 1432,4 m3 of volume at refrigerated liquid-phase storage under normal pressure; (iv) a Nitric Acid plant designed per EU BAT; (v) an Ammonium Nitrate Solution plant; and (vi) a Granulation Plant. The Project will also require ancillary infrastructure including a 0.5km-long 220kV interconnection line (IL) and a 2.5km-long water line with associated water intake structure and wastewater discharge system. The project is currently in the planning phase and is expected to have a construction schedule of 38 months.
According to the IFC, ATOME's External Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP) provides guidance on identifying, analyzing, communicating, and engaging with external local stakeholders that include landowners and other industrial complexes and units in the vicinity of the Project, fishermen organizations, local authorities, NGOs and other stakeholders. ATOME’s stakeholder engagement commenced early in the E&S assessment process, when the Company carried out consultations for the ESIA process with the participation of potentially affected communities and other stakeholders for identification of potential impacts. As part of the E&S assessment process, ATOME conducted community participation through direct communications with stakeholders and meetings held in public spaces, supported by communication materials. The E&S assessment report and approval resolution were fully disclosed to the consulted stakeholders, as well as online. ATOME’s Stakeholder Engagement Plan includes considerations and strategic approaches for Project Construction, as well as roles and responsibilities, KPIs and resources for its implementation. The Company has established channels for receiving community grievances and complaints and has a Grievance Management Procedure. Building up on the existing SEP, ATOME will: i) develop detailed SEP actions and KPIs for the construction and O&M stages of the Project in line with PS1 requirements; ii) include provisions for the E&S participatory monitoring plan for the fishers within the direct area of influence of the Project to be developed as part of the E&S Monitoring and Reporting program (ESAP item #4); and iii) update the grievance mechanism in line with PS1 requirements to ensure different reporting channels, anonymous reporting, and a detailed pathway for handling GBV grievances with a survivor-centered approach (ESAP item #13).
| Private Actor 1 | Private Actor 1 Role | Private Actor 1 Sector | Relation | Private Actor 2 | Private Actor 2 Role | Private Actor 2 Sector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | - | Atome Paraguay S.A. | Client | - |
IFC
Contact Person: Viviana Brun
Company Name: ATOME ENERGY PLC
Address: Ave. Aviadores del Chaco 2050, Torre 3, Piso 15
Email: consultas@atomeplc.com
Phone: +595 985 200 040
Website: www.atomeplc.com
ACCESS TO INFORMATION
You can submit a request for information disclosure at: https://disclosures.ifc.org/#/inquiries.
If you believe that your request for information from IFC has been unreasonably denied, or that this Policy has been interpreted incorrectly, you can submit a complaint at the link above to IFC’s Access to Information Policy Advisor, who reports directly to IFC’s Executive Vice President.
ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF IFC/MIGA
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/
