Uzbekistan : Samarkand Solar Power Project

Energy / Renewable energy generation - solar

The project is classified as category B for environment. The initial environmental and social examination (IESE) identified that the project location is not within or adjacent to any environmentally sensitive areas. It is noted however that the Great Bustard, listed by the IUCN as Vulnerable and Critically Endangered on the Uzbekistan Red List, is noted as species that could potentially use the airspace in the project's area of influence (AoI). Great Bustards are known to be susceptible to collision with overhead lines however, it is considered that there is a low likelihood that the project's OHTL (approximately 5km) would cause significant impacts on this population, as the OHTL is outside the habitat directly used by bustards. Nevertheless, specific measures will be put in place to reduce potential collision impacts for Great Bustards, and to compensate for any that might occur. Further details on these measures will be presented in the project's Biodiversity Management Plan (BMP).

The IESE further identified potentially adverse environmental impacts including but not limited to impacts on surface water, groundwater, visual and landscape, biodiversity, soil quality, noise and air quality, traffic, and community and occupational health and safety. These impacts are considered to be site-specific, few if any of them are irreversible, and in most cases, mitigation measures can be designed readily. The project's environment, health, and safety risks and impacts have been identified and assessed, and appropriate mitigation measures have been developed, as detailed in the IESE.

The project has both permanent and temporary land impacts. Permanent land take includes the Solar PV area (426 ha) and the OTL footprints along the 4.5km transmission line which will be required for the construction and operation phases. Temporarily affected areas required during the construction phase include the tower assembly areas adjacent to each tower footprint and an 18m wide right of way along the OTL needed for the suspension of power cables. Access to each tower will be obtained via this right of way. The sterilization zone includes land 32m meters either side of the OTL. The land inside the sterilization zone will not be occupied by the project however, users of this land will be required to abide by safety conditions, i.e., trees over 6m tall cannot be present in this area, while other farming activities can continue inside this zone.

Masdar will lease the project site from the Ministry of Energy under a 30-year term. Within the project site, there were five economically displaced leaseholder households, two of which will be compensated for the loss of structures and crops, on top of the livelihood support in the form of cash allowance and livestock provision, to be provided for all five households. The project site used to be a herding area for 42 herders (35 community and seven professional herders), and community members collected livestock feed from the site for winter. 218 individuals were recorded as part of the 42 herder households. For the OHTL, there are four leaseholder farmers affected but the land take is not significant to cause any income loss. The most extensive permanent land take is 0.5% for the towers, and the most significant temporary land take is 3% for the assembly areas and construction route.

The borrower prepared a Social Compliance Audit (SCA) to assess the compliance of land acquisition against ADB SR2 and a Livelihood Restoration Plan (LRP) to address the Project's physical and economic displacement impacts on former leaseholders, informal land users such as herders and feed gatherers, and vulnerable population among the project affected people.