Renewable Energy Support and Access Accelerator Project (WB-P181221)

Countries
  • Botswana
Geographic location where the impacts of the investment may be experienced.
Specific Location
Borolong area
Whenever identified, the area within countries where the impacts of the investment may be experienced. Exact locations of projects may not be identified fully or at all in project documents. Please review updated project documents and community-led assessments.
Financial Institutions
  • World Bank (WB)
International, regional and national development finance institutions. Many of these banks have a public interest mission, such as poverty reduction.
Project Status
Approved
Stage of the project cycle. Stages vary by development bank and can include: pending, approval, implementation, and closed or completed.
Bank Risk Rating
A
Environmental and social categorization assessed by the development bank as a measure of the planned project’s environmental and social impacts. A higher risk rating may require more due diligence to limit or avoid harm to people and the environment. For example, "A" or "B" are risk categories where "A" represents the highest amount of risk. Results will include projects that specifically recorded a rating, all other projects are marked ‘U’ for "Undisclosed."
Voting Date
Jul 11, 2024
Date when project documentation and funding is reviewed by the Board for consideration and approval. Some development banks will state a "board date" or "decision date." When funding approval is obtained, the legal documents are accepted and signed, the implementation phase begins.
Borrower
Government of Botswana - Botswana Power Corporation
A public entity (government or state-owned) provided with funds or financial support to manage and/or implement a project.
Sectors
  • Energy
  • Law and Government
The service or industry focus of the investment. A project can have several sectors.
Investment Type(s)
Loan
The categories of the bank investment: loan, grant, guarantee, technical assistance, advisory services, equity and fund.
Investment Amount (USD)
$ 88.00 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Project Cost (USD)
$ 122.00 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Bank Documents
Primary Source

Original disclosure @ WB website

Updated in EWS Sep 16, 2024

Disclosed by Bank Oct 20, 2023

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Project Description
If provided by the financial institution, the Early Warning System Team writes a short summary describing the purported development objective of the project and project components. Review the complete project documentation for a detailed description.

According to the Bank’s website, the objective of this project is to enable renewable energy grid integration in Botswana and improve electricity service in selected rural areas.

The project is structured around three components: (i) grid upgrades to enable integration and management of VRE, (ii) local transmission and distribution (T&D) network upgrades to support rural electrification, and (iii) project management and TA to support VRE deployment. The project is expected to enable the utility BPC to integrate and manage the first large-scale pipeline of RE projects through critical investments to manage their variability and dispatchability as well as to support the GoB with rolling out its rural electrification program by financing the grid expansion to the villages in the Borolong area. In addition, the project will also finance technical assistance to empower the key stakeholders in managing renewable energy projects and will support project management to facilitate implementation.

Early Warning System Project Analysis
For a project with severe or irreversible impacts to local community and natural resources, the Early Warning System Team may conduct a thorough analysis regarding its potential impacts to human and environmental rights.

The overall environmental and social risk rating is Substantial. Environmental risk rating is Moderate and Social risk rating substantial. Potentially adverse social and environmental risks and impacts, is primarily associated with the physical civil works supported under Components 1 and 2. The key risks and impacts may be related to: (i) potential small to medium scale land acquisition and land easement arrangements to be assessed further and confirmed; (ii) social aspects of environmental impacts related to construction-related activities, including health and safety; (iii) temporary labor influx needed for construction activities, and associated Gender-Based Violence/ Sexual Exploitation and Abuse/ Sexual Harassment risks; and (iv) need for robust stakeholder engagement (including any vulnerable and/or disadvantaged groups), (v) loss of vegetation, (vi) soil and water pollution due to disposal and management of general and hazardous waste during the construction and batteries, (vii) nuisances related to air and noise emissions, and (ix) community health and safety. For environment, the risks and impacts are considered to be moderate to low in magnitude, reversible, site-specific and can be easily mitigated.

Investment Description
Here you can find a list of individual development financial institutions that finance the project.

World Bank Group Financing:

- a proposed loan in the amount of US$88 million;

Non-World Bank Group Financing:

- a loan in the amount of US$30 million from the green climate fund;

- a grant in the amount of US$4 million from the green climate fund.

 

 


Contact Information
This section aims to support the local communities and local CSO to get to know which stakeholders are involved in a project with their roles and responsibilities. If available, there may be a complaint office for the respective bank which operates independently to receive and determine violations in policy and practice. Independent Accountability Mechanisms receive and respond to complaints. Most Independent Accountability Mechanisms offer two functions for addressing complaints: dispute resolution and compliance review.

World Bank

Nadia Taobane
Senior Energy Specialist

Zijun Li
Energy Specialist

Borrower/Client/Recipient

Republic of Botswana
Seitebaleng Fologang
Director, Budget Analysis and Debt Management
skebakile@gov.bw

Implementing Agencies

Botswana Power Corporation
Mogomotsi Kebitseng
General Manager, Asset Management and Projects
maygilipj@bpc.bw

ACCESS TO INFORMATION

To submit an information request for project information, you will have to create an account to access the Access to Information request form. You can learn more about this process at: https://www.worldbank.org/en/access-to-information/request-submission

ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF THE WORLD BANK

The World Bank Inspection Panel is the independent complaint mechanism and fact-finding body for people who believe they are likely to be, or have been, adversely affected by a World Bank-financed project. If you submit a complaint to the Inspection Panel, they may investigate to assess whether the World Bank is following its own policies and procedures for preventing harm to people or the environment. You can contact the Inspection Panel or submit a complaint by emailing ipanel@worldbank.org. Information on how to file a complaint and a complaint request form are available at: https://www.inspectionpanel.org/how-to-file-complaint

How it works

How it works