Lesotho - Renewable Energy and Energy Access Project : Environmental and Social Management Plan for Semenanyane Solar Mini Grid

Overview & Synopsis

The objective of the Renewable Energy and Energy Access Project is to increase access to electricity in rural and peri-urban areas of Lesotho. Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures include: the clearance of vegetation is most likely to occur during the pre-construction phase. This could be due to the preparation of the land for campsite establishment and the area where the solar panels will be erected. This may result in biodiversity reduction. Any ecosystem fragmentation will possibly bring changes in the richness and abundance of such plant species thereof. This will in turn bring about a variance in species diversity among the Bobete village, enumeration areas; waste will be generated during the construction phase. Some of the waste generated will include packaging materials of PV panels, battery banks, combiner boxes, paper, wood, cement bags, plastic, and mud, whereas batteries (after used period about 15 years), scrap metals, sharp objects broken glass, absorbent material, etc. Domestic waste will also be generated by people in the camp and amount of waste they will generate will be dependent on the number of people living in such camps thereof. Indiscriminate management of these waste streams could have cause water and land pollution, reduce environmental aesthetics as well as causing impacts on health and safety of workers as well as the general public; and during the installation of poles and cables, temporary access restrictions to properties or community buildings may exist. Trees may also need to cut down to construct the distribution network and power generation assets.