| ESIA for proposed Bui Hydroelectric Power Project | ERM was contracted by the Ministry of Energy, Government of Ghana to conduct an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Study (and associated studies) for the proposed Bui Hydroelectric Power Project. This note, prepared at the end of the ESIA in early 2007, describes ERM’s role in conducting the study.
The Government of Ghana is planning a hydroelectric dam project with a generation capacity of 400 MW, located on the Black Volta River in western Ghana. The project is referred to as the Bui Hydroelectric Power Project (or simply the “Bui Project”).
The Bui Project will be located near Bui village, approximately 150 km upstream of Lake Volta close to the border with the Ivory Coast. At this location the Black Volta River forms the border between the districts of Bole (in Ghana’s Northern Region) and Wenchi (in Brong-Ahafo Region).
The Government of Ghana has formed the Bui Development Committee (BDC) to facilitate the financing, construction and commissioning of the Bui Project. ERM worked closely with the BDC's executive arm, the Bui Development Secretariat.
Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Study
ERM was contracted through the Ministry of Energy to carry out an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) Study. The objective of the study was to assess the potential environmental and social impacts associated with the construction and operation of the Bui Project. The study delivered the following reports:
- Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA);
- Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP); and
- Resettlement Planning Framework (RPF).
The study drew on a significant body of existing information, including the feasibility study for the project (completed in 1995 by Coyne and Bellier, updated 2006), and an EIA Scoping Study and initial baseline surveys for the EIA (completed in 2001 by an earlier consultancy). ERM's work commenced on in January 2006, and was completed in January 2007. Field data collection and stakeholder consultation took place between January and August 2006. ERM facilitated public meetings at national level, and at local level amongst the affected communities. ERM staff also collected views via surveys, focus group discussions and structured interviews at household and community level in the project area.
Key Issues
Key issues addressed by the study concerned a wide range of possible biological, social and physical impacts of the Bui Project, prior to construction, during construction, and during subsequent operation of the hydroelectric scheme. ERM analysed the significance and likelihood of these impacts, to arrive at an objective assessment of the effects that the project would have.
Biological
Possible biological impacts that ERM evaluated included: loss of unique habitat, loss of biodiversity with potential conservation value, ecological changes due to altered hydrological flows, biological aspects of water quality, loss of habitat owing to the transmission line, impacts on biodiversity that is of value to local populations (for example forest products), impacts on fisheries, and issues related to management of the Bui National Park.
Social
Possible social issues investigated by ERM included the following: loss of livelihoods, loss of land and access to land, loss of forest products and fisheries, social implications of changing water quality, public health impacts (eg from an in-migrant workforce, and from changes to water regimes and their impact on conditions for proliferation of disease vectors), employment during construction, health and safety risks of power transmission (eg electrocution), risks associated with increased migration, indigenous peoples, and differential effects according to age, gender and ethnic group. The careful planning of the resettlement of the people living in the inundation area and at the dam site will be essential: it is currently estimated that up to 900 persons will require physical relocation, and others will require "economic resettlement" to compensate them for loss of land and access to livelihoods. A Resettlement Planning Framework was prepared to assist the Ghanaian Government agencies that will be responsible for resettlement, as the basis for a Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) to be prepared when "host" resettlement sites have been finalised. ERM prepared detailed files of information on the assets, livelihoods, and other information on every household requiring physical relocation, and provided these to the Ghanaian authorities.
Physical
The physical issues that were considered included: sourcing of construction material, sourcing of water during construction, construction site management practices, changes in hydrological flows, water quality, limnology, sedimentation, physical impacts of the power transmission line, hydrogeology, air quality, noise pollution, dam safety and design, and earthquake loading.
ERM’s Role
ERM’s role was to provide an ESIA to international standards to our client, the Government of Ghana (represented by the Bui Development Committee). To provide a benchmark of international good practice, ERM carried out the ESIA with reference to the standards set by the environmental and social safeguard policies of the World Bank.
In keeping with these international standards, ERM estimated the significance of all predicted impacts, proposed detailed mitigation measures, assessed alternatives, and carried out meaningful public consultation which fed back into the finalisation of the ESIA and the Environmental and Social Management Plan. These set out mitigation and management measures, defined responsibilities and budgets for implementation, and in the substantive Resettlement Planning Framework ERM provided as much detail on resettlement actions as was possible at that time (ie before selection of sites for resettlement). These reports can be accessed via the links below.
ERM’s role in the development of the Bui Project provided an objective and technically sound environmental and social assessment, in keeping with international good practice. The independent, high quality advice provided to the Government of Ghana by ERM has facilitated efficient decision-making.
ERM has no a role in the ultimate decision on whether the Bui Hydroelectric Power Project goes ahead, or on potential sources of funding for the project.
ERM Contact Points
For more information on ERM, and our work on the Bui Hydropower ESIA in Ghana and related services, please contact:
Eamonn Barrett
T: +44 20 7465 7352
Download the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment - Main Report (pdf 14mb)
Download the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment - Annexes (pdf 8.7mb)
Download the Environmental and Social Impact Management Plan (pdf 2.7mb)
Download the Resettlement Planning Framework (pdf 4.7mb)
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