The World Bank Niger Accelerating Electricity Access Project (Haské) (P174034) Concept Environmental and Social Review Summary Concept Stage (ESRS Concept Stage) Public Disclosure Date Prepared/Updated: 04/15/2021 | Report No: ESRSC01961 Apr 15, 2021 Page 1 of 12 The World Bank Niger Accelerating Electricity Access Project (Haské) (P174034) BASIC INFORMATION A. Basic Project Data Country Region Project ID Parent Project ID (if any) Niger AFRICA WEST P174034 Project Name Niger Accelerating Electricity Access Project (Haské) Practice Area (Lead) Financing Instrument Estimated Appraisal Date Estimated Board Date Energy & Extractives Investment Project 5/17/2021 9/15/2021 Financing Borrower(s) Implementing Agency(ies) Government of the Société Nigerienne Republic of Niger d’Electricité (NIGELEC), Agence Nigérienne pour la Promotion de l'Electrification en milieu Rural (ANPER), Agence Public Disclosure Nationale d'Energie Solaire (ANERSOL) Proposed Development Objective Accelerate access to modern energy services for households, public institutions and businesses in Niger through grid, off-grid and clean cooking solutions Financing (in USD Million) Amount Total Project Cost 317.50 B. Is the project being prepared in a Situation of Urgent Need of Assistance or Capacity Constraints, as per Bank IPF Policy, para. 12? No C. Summary Description of Proposed Project [including overview of Country, Sectoral & Institutional Contexts and Relationship to CPF] The project aims to accelerate access to modern energy services in Niger and support the implementation of the National Electrification Strategy by financing the construction of various electricity infrastructures to support human Apr 15, 2021 Page 2 of 12 The World Bank Niger Accelerating Electricity Access Project (Haské) (P174034) capital development. The considered infrastructure includes transmission and distribution backbones and extensions, mini-grids and standalone systems and connect new consumers and public institutions (health facilities, schools, water boreholes, public lighting). It will also support the deployment of clean cooking solutions. D. Environmental and Social Overview D.1. Detailed project location(s) and salient physical characteristics relevant to the E&S assessment [geographic, environmental, social] Much of the investment will involve the construction of a transmission line, power-stations, and sub-stations in largely rural but also urban areas. In addition, the project will build solar systems for off-grid electrification using solar panels and photovoltaic cells. The population density across Niger is very low- 19 people per km squared and only 19% of people live in urban areas. Settlements are therefore not dense and even in urban areas, buildings are not clustered together. This makes it much easier to avoid impacting a lot of people during construction. Much of Niger's vegetation is shrub like, with short stunted trees, and scattered grasses, as commensurate with drier tropical regions (80% of Niger is the Sahara desert). For this reason, there is likely to be a reduced negative impact on vegetation. Given that most of Niger's landscape is dry with scattered trees, there are unlikely to be forested areas. Despite its dry climate, there will be an effort to conserve trees because as scarce as they are, they are even more important habitats for animals such as birds. D. 2. Borrower’s Institutional Capacity NIGELEC and the Nigerien Agency for the Promotion of Electrification in Rural Areas (ANPER) are acquainted with similar activities financed under the Niger Electricity Access Expansion Project (NELACEP, P153743) and the Niger Solar Electricity Access Project (NESAP, P160170). For these Bank funded projects, they have satisfactorily managed Public Disclosure safeguards. What may be new to them is the off-grid aspects of this project, which call for the development of solar mini-grids, solar lighting systems (SLS) and solar home systems (SHS). An in-depth assessment of NIGELEC and ANPER capacity will be conducted as part of the preparation of the project. The project will strengthen the capacities of and provide technical assistance to NIGELEC, which will be responsible for the overall coordination. The capacity risk will also be mitigated by : (i) the Environmental and Social Unit of NIGELEC in the areas of health, safety, labor management, and security; (ii) intensified and comprehensive training of the Ministry in charge of Energy; (iii) continued budget allocation of resettlement implementation; (iv)establishment of a digital GRM in NIGELEC for complaints uptake and resolution including complaints related to GBV and SEA/SH. II. SCREENING OF POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL (ES) RISKS AND IMPACTS A. Environmental and Social Risk Classification (ESRC) Substantial Environmental Risk Rating Substantial Based on the Concept note, the environmental classification is substantial. The environmental rating is based on the complexity and coverage of the project, as well as its possible impacts. First, the Project is classified as a Substantial Risk because the Project is highly complex, as its activities and outputs span from transmission lines, grid densification and extension to off-grid energy and clean cooking, rehabilitation of small hydropower, operations in grid stability and utility and variety of forms of technical assistance. Second, the project if not properly managed, its activities Apr 15, 2021 Page 3 of 12 The World Bank Niger Accelerating Electricity Access Project (Haské) (P174034) could significantly impact the right of way in Niger. According to the EHSG for electrical transmission projects, right- of-way construction activities may transform habitats, depending on the characteristics of existing vegetation, topographic features, and installed height of the transmission lines. Examples of habitat alteration from these activities includes fragmentation of habitat; loss of wildlife habitat, including for nesting; establishment of non-native invasive plant species; and visual and auditory disturbance due to the presence of machinery, construction workers, transmission towers, and associated equipment. In addition to impact on habitat, electrical projects produce hazardous waste, particularly Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB), when transformers and other equipment are replaced. Third, there is the impact of electro-magnetic field- electric and magnetic fields (EMF) are invisible lines of force emitted by and surrounding any electrical device (e.g. power lines and electrical equipment). Electric fields are produced by voltage and increase in strength as the voltage increases. Electric field strength is measured in volts per meter (V/m). Magnetic fields result from the flow of electric current and increase in strength as the current increases. Siting of transmission lines and high voltage equipment away from populations such as schools, homes, etc. becomes important to reduce the impact of these fields. Other risks such as soil erosion from construction, etc. are highly localized and easy to manage. The reasons why this project is not classified as high risk are the following: In terms of capacity, the Government has had several electricity projects and therefore has experience already managing risks from their electricity related projects. In addition, the PIU has an environment and social specialist that has experience with Bank projects. NIGELEC has a safeguard unit working on energy projects and Bank-financed operation since 2016. Their handling of safeguards issues has been very successful so far. This team has been reinforced with two additional PIUs, ANPER and ANERSOL, who will also each have 1 environmental and 1 social specialist. However, NIGELEC will be responsible for the overall coordination. More attention is needed to ensure the quality of supervision and to do the necessary enforcement that will be required such as proper disposal of PCBs, ensuring that Public Disclosure contractors do not indiscriminately cut trees, and so on. In addition, the environmental risks can be avoided and minimized as alternatives are considered for the siting of the transmission line. Given the low biodiversity and the low population density, it is unlikely that the transmission line will have a significant irreversible impact. In addition, the siting of the lines is unlikely to cause huge disruptions to buildings or people, even within urban areas. For these reasons, the environmental risk is deemed Substantial. Social Risk Rating Substantial The social risk rating is Substantial. Although the social impact is expected to be moderate, this rating takes account of the inadequate institutional capacity of the borrower to manage social risks and impacts of the proposed and more complex project, the potential for economic displacement, and the security context in Niger and in the project areas. Niger faces a high threat from terrorism, including armed attacks and abductions. Militant Islamist cells from various terrorist groups are active in the country, particularly in Tillabery, Taoua and Diffa regions marked by an upsurge in violence by armed terrorists groups, manifested in attacks against the defense and security forces, attacks against villages, targeted assassinations, and kidnappings. Further, construction of transmission and distribution lines and substations can have many undesirable community health and safety impacts, including, among others, dust, noise, and vibration from construction vehicle transit, and communicable diseases associated with the influx of temporary construction labor. The project will be screened for Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Sexual Harassment (SEA/SH) risk with the World Bank’s standard SEA/SH screening tool. Social impacts associated with project activities will generally emanate from the construction of both electric networks and standalone solar PV facilities, including risks associated with non-compensation for affected crops and trees, influx of labor into targeted areas, lack of adequate consultation of affected persons and access to functioning grievance redress mechanisms, and social exclusion. The Apr 15, 2021 Page 4 of 12 The World Bank Niger Accelerating Electricity Access Project (Haské) (P174034) challenges of this social context are compounded by the existence of about 230000 refugees and 250000 internally displaced persons in Niger's local communities. B. Environment and Social Standards (ESSs) that Apply to the Activities Being Considered B.1. General Assessment ESS1 Assessment and Management of Environmental and Social Risks and Impacts Overview of the relevance of the Standard for the Project: In this project, Components 1-3 focus on transmission and distribution lines, electrical networks densification, expansion and in some cases, off-grid solutions such as solar sourced electricity. For electricity related projects, most of the environmental impacts come from construction waste generation and possible biodiversity impacts, especially in the right of way. In terms of construction waste, this waste includes soil erosion and sediment control from materials sourcing areas and site preparation activities, fugitive dust and other emissions (e.g. from vehicle traffic, land clearing activities, and materials stockpiles), noise from heavy equipment and truck traffic. Biodiversity impacts can occur when the few scattered trees in the right of way are removed, which also has an impact on bird nesting sites. Niger is home to 528 species of birds and is also a site for migratory birds. There is also a potential for hazardous materials and oil spills associated with heavy equipment operation and fueling activities. In addition, electrical projects often generate their own hazardous waste from equipment that is replaced-these include insulating oils / gases (e.g. Polychlorinated Biphenyls [PCB] and sulfur hexafluoride [SF6], and fuels, in addition to chemicals or products for wood preservation for poles and associated wood construction material(ESS3). The project must have a plan in place for managing these hazardous wastes, particularly PCBs, where equipment containing these Public Disclosure materials are removed and replaced. Other environmental risks relate to community health and safety (ESS4); worker safety (ESS2); management of biodiversity risks (ESS6). To manage these risks, an ESMF with ESMP will be prepared, along with a screening mechanism. An ESIA will also be prepared for the transmission line prior to appraisal. A Health and Safety plan and Traffic Management Plan will also be prepared to ensure the safety of the community and workers. The project will also ensure that all COVID-19 requirements will be shared with contractors and monitored in the field to ensure workers and community safety. The EHSG for transmission line projects outlines particular risks related to the right of way. There are no associated facilities that are being constructed contemporaneously, nor does this project rely on other investments for its proper functioning. In addition, there is no co-financing in this project, though some parallel funding may occur as the EU also seeks to invest in the sector. There is however no overlap between the two projects. An ESMF with screening tool will be developed prior to appraisal to assess and manage these risks. In addition, an ESIA will be prepared for the transmission lines. The CERC (Component 5) focuses on a contingency emergency response component (CERC) is included to support any required government response to an eligible emergency situation. At this point it is unclear what the CERC component may be used for though it will not be used for any activities that presents risks that can be rated high for either social or environment. The ESMF will have a specific chapter on the CERC that will address the CERC in general, Apr 15, 2021 Page 5 of 12 The World Bank Niger Accelerating Electricity Access Project (Haské) (P174034) or specifically if further details are known at that point. In that section, a screening mechanism, if different from the main project, will be outlined, as well as a matrix, checklist or other “tool” of how to address E&S risks and impacts for the emergency actions. The main anticipated social risks are associated with labor influx, resettlement, potential impacts of GBV, community health and safety risks, and low borrower/institutional experience. Management and mitigation in relation to labor influx and associated GBV and SEA will be assessed further in the ESIA (ESS1), part of the integrated approach in the SEP and ongoing stakeholder engagement (ESS10), Community Health and Safety (ESS4) and Labor Management Procedures (ESS2). ESIA findings and the Bank’s GBV Risk Assessment Tool will guide the detection of GBV risks and the consequent development of mitigation plans. Labor Management Procedures, code of conduct and a worker specific GRM proportionate to the potential risks and impacts of the project will be established at an early stage Areas where “Use of Borrower Framework” is being considered: The use of borrower framework is not being considered. ESS10 Stakeholder Engagement and Information Disclosure The Borrower will prepare and implement an inclusive Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP) proportional to the nature and scale of the project and associated risks and impacts. The stakeholder engagement plan will include both other interested parties (OIPs), various beneficiaries and directly impacted project affected persons (PAPs), including disadvantaged and vulnerable groups. Primary stakeholders include: Ministry of Energy (ME), NIGELEC and ANPER, as Public Disclosure well as ARSE, ANERSOL, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education. Additional stakeholders are: the inhabitants of the affected rural and urban areas; representation of enterprises and employees; health and education facilities, different other CSOs and NGOs; and directly impacted project affected persons (PAPs) including disadvantaged and vulnerable groups. The implementing agency will prepare a SEP prior to Appraisal consistent with the requirements of ESS10. The draft SEP will be disclosed as early as possible before appraisal to allow meaningful stakeholder consultations and inputs before it is finalized for appraisal. The borrower will put in place, as part of the ESMF, procedures for external communications on environmental and social matters proportionate to the risks and impacts of project activities consistent with the requirements of ESS10. The ESMF will also include a project-level grievance mechanism to respond to public enquiries and concerns. As part of the environmental and social assessment, the Borrower will maintain, and disclose, a documented record of stakeholder engagement and Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM), including a description of the stakeholders consulted, a summary of the feedback/grievances received and a brief explanation of how the feedback was taken into account, or the reasons why it was not. The SEP also will take into account the existing gender disparities and its implications for access to services at the local level. Consultation and engagement with local communities will go beyond risks, and include focus on the unique needs of women, children, persons with disabilities, and youth especially as it relates to access to service connections and lighting of public spaces. NIGELEC has some experience in managing security issues in its premises. Building on this experience and in response to the new security challenges, the Borrower will prepare and implement a Security Management Plan (SEP) as part of the project. B.2. Specific Risks and Impacts A brief description of the potential environmental and social risks and impacts relevant to the Project. Apr 15, 2021 Page 6 of 12 The World Bank Niger Accelerating Electricity Access Project (Haské) (P174034) ESS2 Labor and Working Conditions Environmental and social risks/impacts related to Labor and Working Conditions are expected to be substantial, because of the nature of the activities and the importance of civil works. However, the project will build on participatory planning and implementation of activities, in line with the stakeholder engagement plan. Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) measures will address potential hazards to workers, provision of preventive and protective measures, training of project workers and maintenance of training records, documentation and reporting of occupational accidents, diseases and incidents, emergency prevention and remedies for injuries, disability and disease. Direct workers of the implementing agencies will be civil servants, the others will be contractors and subcontractors’ workforce. The NIGELEC/ANPER will prepare a Labor Management Plan and contractors will prepare their own labor management plans. These documentations will set out the way project workers will be managed in accordance with the requirements of national laws and ESS2. The procedures will include requirements for: working conditions and terms of employment; nondiscrimination and equal opportunity; worker’s organizations; child labor and minimum age; forced labor; grievance mechanisms and occupational health and safety. NIGELEC/ANPER will incorporate the requirements of ESS2 into bid documents and contractual agreements with contractors together with appropriate noncompliance remedies. The ESMF will assess related OHS risks/impacts and will identify all mitigation measures to be incorporated into labor management procedure and contractors labor management plans. As part of the LMP, the project will ensure the adoption of appropriate protocols for hiring staff, ensuring transparency and fairness in staff remunerations, wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE) and operation and maintenance of machinery, tools and equipment. The project will endeavor to mitigate the negative impacts of the dangers the workers will be exposed to through the provision of gloves, safety boots, coveralls and goggles, and First Aid Kits on site as well as constant awareness on the need for the use of PPEs. NIGELEC/ANPER and its contractors will be Public Disclosure required to periodically train their staff or conduct refresher training to ensure that the staff are up to date with knowledge of new or latest equipment. Contractors will be required to prepare Labor Management Plans. Contractors will be required to have OHS specialists in their team and will prepare site-specific OHS plans before mobilization. ESS3 Resource Efficiency and Pollution Prevention and Management The project may generate some waste which may include waste such as transformers, wires, and material that contains some hazardous waste such as PCBs in old transformers. In addition, solar panels do generate toxic waste (PV modules and solar batteries) that are difficult to recycle and if improperly disposed can be a source of pollution. A waste management plan for hazardous will be prepared if PCBs are implicated and/or if solar panels are used. The Borrower will avoid the release of pollutants or, when avoidance is not feasible, minimize and then mitigate to ensure that any pollutants have no or minimal impact according to measures specified in national law or the World Bank Group's Environmental Health and Safety Guidelines (EHSGs), whichever is most stringent. This applies to the release of pollutants to air, generation of wastes including hazardous wastes, emission to air and noise, due to routine, nonroutine, and accidental circumstances. Any remediation of the site will be appropriately undertaken in accordance with national law and GIIP, whichever is most stringent. Alternatives and technically and financially feasible and cost-effective options to avoid or minimize project-related air emissions during the design, construction and operation of the project will be considered and implemented. The generation of waste will be minimized and the reuse, recycle and recover of waste will be encouraged. The ESMF will assess all these risks/impacts and mitigate them through ESIAs/ESMPs/ Hazardous waste management plans to be prepared and implemented during project implementation. The project will likely generate both solid and liquid waste emanating from earthworks and Apr 15, 2021 Page 7 of 12 The World Bank Niger Accelerating Electricity Access Project (Haské) (P174034) construction activities in the form of spoil and hydrocarbons. The contractor will prepare a C-ESMP which will include a waste management plan and a rehabilitation plan. In addition, the project will promote the sustainable use of energy, water, and raw material during construction by using vendors that source sustainable products where possible. ESS4 Community Health and Safety Communities health and safety issues are associated to typical risks/impacts of construction sites as vehicle traffic, dust, noise, vibrations, hazardous material, labor influx and specific hazards including structural and site access issues. The ESMF will assess all these risks/impacts of the project on the health and safety of the affected communities during the project life cycle, including those who, because of their particular circumstances, may be vulnerable, and will propose mitigation solutions. ESIAs/ESMPs will be prepared during project implementation. The Borrower will design, construct, operate, and decommission the structural elements of the project in accordance with national legal requirements, the Environmental Health and Safety Guidelines (EHSG) and other Good International Industry Practice (GIIP, taking into consideration safety risks to third parties and affected communities. A Health and Safety plan and Traffic Management Plan will also be prepared to ensure the safety of the community and workers. The project will also ensure that all COVID-19 requirements will be shared with contractors and Public Disclosure monitored in the field to ensure worker and community safety. The Borrower will avoid or minimize the potential for community exposure to hazardous materials and substances that may be released by the project. Where there is a potential for the public (including workers and their families) to be exposed to hazards, the Borrower will exercise special care to avoid or minimize their exposure by modifying, substituting, or eliminating the condition or material causing the potential hazards. Activities having the potential to generate emergency events will conduct a risk hazard assessment (RHA), as part of the environmental and social assessment undertaken pursuant to ESS1. The LMP, including code of conduct (embedding GBV requirements), will form part of procurement documentation for construction contractors and adherence to this shall form part of the contractual obligations. Contractors will be required to certify that all staff engaged on the project, incl. subcontractors, have completed training on safety/conduct prior to work commencement. The ESMP and other safeguard documents will fully describe the GBV risk, and appropriate mitigation measures. Given high prevalence of GBV and HIV/AIDS, a qualified NGO will be engaged to train the contractor, workers, surrounding community on related risk and respectful behavior. For all construction, it will be stipulated in the ESMP that the contractor installs a security system around the project sites (fences, security guards) during the entire construction period. ESS5 Land Acquisition, Restrictions on Land Use and Involuntary Resettlement Relatively important civil works related to transmission and distribution lines and substations and mini-grids may induce land acquisition, restrictions on land use and involuntary resettlement. In addition, economic displacement (loss of land, assets, or access to assets and resources leading to loss of income sources or other means of livelihood) Apr 15, 2021 Page 8 of 12 The World Bank Niger Accelerating Electricity Access Project (Haské) (P174034) cannot be excluded. However, land acquisition for project installations and involuntary resettlement from project activities is expected to be moderate as no physical displacement (relocation and/or loss of homes) is anticipated in this project given the nature of activities (transmission lines, and extension to off-grid energy and clean cooking). Therefore, the Borrower will demonstrate that involuntary land acquisition or restrictions on land use will be limited to direct project requirements for clearly specified project purposes within a clearly specified period. Feasible alternative project designs will be considered to avoid or minimize land acquisition or restrictions on land use, especially where this would result in physical or economic displacement, while balancing environmental, social, and financial costs and benefits, and paying particular attention to gender impacts and impacts on the poor and vulnerable. When land acquisition or restrictions on land use (whether permanent or temporary) cannot be avoided, the Borrower will offer affected persons compensation at replacement cost, and other assistance as may be necessary to help them improve or at least restore their standards of living or livelihoods. Quantity of land to be potentially affected, and likewise number of project affected persons (PAPs), cannot be estimated at this early stage in the project preparation process. Potential losses of land and potential number of PAPs, will be further reviewed and quantified (estimated) at appraisal stage ESRS, provided that a draft a RPF and/or a draft RAP have been prepared. When specific sites have been identified, a resettlement action plan (RAP) will be prepared to assess the potential impacts on the displaced persons and other adversely affected groups, identify appropriate and feasible mitigation measures, and set up, and set the legal and institutional arrangements required for effective implementation of resettlement measures. The RPF will provide resettlement principles, organizational arrangements and design criteria and consulted on to cover the entire project. The requirement for the preparation and timeframes for RAPs will be captured in the ESCP. Public Disclosure ESS6 Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Management of Living Natural Resources It is quite likely that the project will largely work in modified habitats comprised of scattered trees and vegetation. Despite this, power lines do have the reputation of causing needless destruction to trees. Often, large trees in the right of way that provide shelter to birds and other wildlife are cut down rather than being pruned as crews are working. The project will put in place a management plan for trees and work with contractors to ensure that mature trees are preserved as much as feasible through pruning, to avoid the indiscriminate cutting of large trees. In addition, trees can be preserved by proper right of way maintenance instead of cutting. According to the World Bank’s EHSG, regular maintenance of vegetation within the rights-of-way is necessary to avoid disruption to overhead power lines and towers. Unchecked growth of tall trees and accumulation of vegetation within rights-of-way may result in a number of impacts, including power outages through contact of branches and trees with transmission lines and towers; ignition of forest and brush fires; corrosion of steel equipment; blocking of equipment access; and interference with critical grounding equipment. Ensuring that Government crews and the contractors follow guidelines for maintenance will help preserve biodiversity in the right of way and will form part of the contractors contract . Vegetation clearance (shrubs, smaller trees) may also likely cause loss of nesting habitats for bird species. The Borrower, through the ESIA, will confirm any presence of threatened or endangered species according to the IUCN Classification and of the sensitivity of the project site for bird species including migratory birds. If threatened or endangered species are confirmed, a plan for preserving their habitat will be further outlined during implementation and prior to works beginning. The ESMF will also assess significant risks and adverse impacts on biodiversity and an ESMF will screen out all sub activities that occur in critical habitats. Any activity in natural habitats will require a biodiversity management plan cleared by the Bank. Apr 15, 2021 Page 9 of 12 The World Bank Niger Accelerating Electricity Access Project (Haské) (P174034) ESS7 Indigenous Peoples/Sub-Saharan African Historically Underserved Traditional Local Communities This ESS is currently not relevant in the project area. There are no known Indigenous Peoples in the project area. However, the project will particularly address the needs of the most economically marginalized and vulnerable segments of the population, who could potentially be affected by some activities. Appropriate measures will ensure that they receive equitable access to project benefits and that these benefits are devised or delivered in a form that is culturally appropriate. ESS8 Cultural Heritage Through the environmental and social assessment, the ME, NIGELEC and ANPER will determine the potential risks and impacts of the proposed activities of the project on cultural heritage. If deemed appropriate, a Cultural Heritage Management Plan will be prepared: the plan should include mitigation measures (for instance, relocating or modifying the physical footprint of the project; conservation and rehabilitation in situ; relocation of cultural heritage; documentation; strengthening the capacity of national and subnational institutions responsible for managing cultural heritage affected by the project; establishment of a monitoring system to track the progress and efficacy of these activities; establishment of an implementation schedule and required budget for the identified mitigation measures; and cataloguing of finds). As part of the culture heritage assessment, the borrower will carry out meaningful consultations by identifying, in accordance with ESS10, stakeholders that are relevant for the cultural heritage that is known to exist or is likely to be encountered during the project life cycle. Stakeholders will include, as relevant: (a) project affected parties, including individuals and communities within the country who use or have used the cultural heritage within living memory; and (b) other interested parties, which may include national or local regulatory Public Disclosure authorities that are entrusted with the protection of cultural heritage and nongovernmental organizations and cultural heritage experts, including national and international cultural heritage organizations. All will be documented in the environmental and social assessment and/or in Cultural Heritage Management Plan ESS9 Financial Intermediaries This ESS is not expected to be relevant to this project. The project will not employ the services of financial intermediaries. B.3 Other Relevant Project Risks The Project is being developed in a civil and social environment characterized by insecurity threats and the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. C. Legal Operational Policies that Apply OP 7.50 Projects on International Waterways No OP 7.60 Projects in Disputed Areas No Apr 15, 2021 Page 10 of 12 The World Bank Niger Accelerating Electricity Access Project (Haské) (P174034) III. WORLD BANK ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL DUE DILIGENCE A. Is a common approach being considered? No Financing Partners N/A B. Proposed Measures, Actions and Timing (Borrower’s commitments) Actions to be completed prior to Bank Board Approval: • Preparation of an Environmental and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP) • Preparation, consultation and disclosure of the Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP) • Preparation, consultation and disclosure of the Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) . Draft ESIA for the transmission line which outline impacts, including biodiversity impacts • Preparation consultation and disclosure of the Resettlement Policy Framework (RPF) • Preparation of the Labor Management Procedure (LMP) • Preparation of the Security Management Plan (SMP) • Preparation of a GBV action plan Under ES2, the project will also strengthen and implement systematically Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) measures in all project’s sites. Public Disclosure Possible issues to be addressed in the Borrower Environmental and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP): Under ESS2, the project will also strengthen and implement systematically Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) measures in all project’s sites. ESMP/Biodiversity Plan/Hazardous Waste Management Plan and Resettlement Action Plans (RPAs), as necessary after screening. C. Timing Tentative target date for preparing the Appraisal Stage ESRS 14-Apr-2021 IV. CONTACT POINTS World Bank Contact: Affouda Leon Biaou Title: Senior Energy Specialist Telephone No: 5331+3462 / 225-22-400462 Email: abiaou1@worldbank.org Borrower/Client/Recipient Apr 15, 2021 Page 11 of 12 The World Bank Niger Accelerating Electricity Access Project (Haské) (P174034) Borrower: Government of the Republic of Niger Implementing Agency(ies) Implementing Agency: Société Nigerienne d’Electricité (NIGELEC) Implementing Agency: Agence Nigérienne pour la Promotion de l'Electrification en milieu Rural (ANPER) Implementing Agency: Agence Nationale d'Energie Solaire (ANERSOL) V. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT The World Bank 1818 H Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20433 Telephone: (202) 473-1000 Web: http://www.worldbank.org/projects VI. APPROVAL Task Team Leader(s): Affouda Leon Biaou Practice Manager (ENR/Social) Maria Sarraf Recommended on 30-Mar-2021 at 18:40:1 GMT-04:00 Public Disclosure Safeguards Advisor ESSA Nathalie S. Munzberg (SAESSA) Cleared on 15-Apr-2021 at 06:43:22 GMT-04:00 Apr 15, 2021 Page 12 of 12