South Asia Sub-regional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Power System Expansion Project – Safeguard Implementation and Monitoring Works (Contract No: ESSD-02-2073/074)

2024-09-04

Funding Agency: Asian Development Bank (ADB) with co-financing from Norway and loan from European Investment Bank
Client: Environment and Social Studies Department, Nepal Electricity Authority, Nepal
Date: Dec 2017 – Jun 2025

The Project involves safeguard implementation and Monitoring of the following project components:

Phase-I Projects:

  1. Kali Gandaki Corridor (Dana-Kusma) 220 kV transmission lines and associated substations – The transmission line route starts from the proposed Dana substation and terminates it to the proposed Kusma substation is about 40 km in length.
  2. Marsyangdi-Kathmandu 220 kV transmission line and associated substations – The Baadbhanjyang to Matatirtha stretch will be transmitted as four circuit transmission lines a part of which will be underground cabling. The proposed transmission line with a length of 81.54 km will be a double circuit comprising of a duplex overhead conductor.

Phase-II Projects:

  1. Kali Gandaki Corridor (Kusma-new butwal 220 kV, and New butwal-Bardaghat 400 kV transmission Lines and associated substations) –Total length of the proposed Kali Gandaki Corridor (Kushma-New Butwal) 220 kV TL is 87.574 km. The proposed TL will be a double circuit. The vertical double circuit configuration tower will have an average height of 42 m.
  2. Marsyangdi Corridor (Manang-Khudi-Udipur 220 kV and Udipur-Markichowk-Bharatpur 220 kV transmission lines and associated substations) – The proposed project is located in Gandaki zone of the Western part of Nepal. It has two sections namely; Khudi-Manang and Khudi-Udipur. The TL alignment lies in Manang and Lamjung districts.
  3. Grid substations reinforcement project.
  4. Distribution lines and substations construction and upgrading work.

 

Actual services provided by the firm within the assignment:

The major scope of work of the consultant shall be updating of environmental and social safeguard documents prepared for the Transmission Line (TL) projects, implement environmental and social measures proposed in the approved document including the safeguard activities to be implemented in Transmission Line (TL) for which study is ongoing, compliance and impact monitoring, propose additional measures if required, assist project for grievances handling, implementation of resettlement plan and other safeguard issues, consolidate field data and prepare periodic environmental and social safeguard reports. The detail of the scope of work to be carried out by the consultant is given below:

  1. Set up and operationalize Safeguards Desk
  2. Review and update the environmental and social safeguard documents
  3. Prepare Plan for Implementation of the activities mentioned in Initial Environmental Examination (IEE)/ Environmental Management Plan (EMP) and Resettlement Plan (RP) documents prepared and to be prepared for the above-mentioned Transmission Line projects (TLPs)
  4. Implementation of Environmental and Social Mitigation Measures – Training for Cultivation of NTFP under the RoW,  Awareness Program on Forest and Wildlife Conservation, Capacity Building Training, Agricultural Productivity Intensification Program, Occupational Safety Training, Skill Development Training, Livestock Training, Mushroom Farming Training, Vegetable, and Citrus Species Farming Training, Micro Enterprises Creation Training
  5. Environmental and Social Safeguards Field Monitoring