Power Alert

Disclosure of the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment, Environmental and Social Management Plan, Environmental and Social Commitment Plan, Stakeholder Engagement Plan, and Labour Management Procedure for the Zambia Tanzania Interconnector Project

The Regional Energy Transmission, Trade and Decarbonization (RETRADE) Platform is the World Bank (WB) response to support countries in the Eastern and Southern African Region in enhancing energy security, resilience, and a transition toward a low-carbon energy sector. The Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ), through the Ministry of Energy (MoE), will therefore, implement the RETRADE Project through the Zambia Tanzania Interconnector Project (ZTIP), with the involvement of ZESCO Limited, as set out in the Financing Agreement. The International Development Association has agreed to provide financing for the Project, as set out in the referred Agreement. The ZTIP comprises the following components:

• i. Construction of 380km of 330kV single-circuit transmission line between the Pensulo and Kasama Substations;
• ii. Construction of 230km of 330kV double-circuit transmission line from Kasama to Nakonde;
• iii.Construction of a 330/66kV Substation in Nakonde;
• iv Construction of 15km of 330kV double-circuit transmission line from Nakonde to the Zambia – Tanzania border; and
• v. Construction of 12km of 132 kV double circuit transmission line from Nakonde to Isoka (loop in and out of 66 kV Isoka - Nakonde line);
• vi. Establishment of ±250MVAr Dynamic Voltage Support Devices at Pensulo and Nakonde Substations.

The Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for the ZTIP was approved by the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) in March 2024. As a requirement by the World Bank, the ESIA and Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) for the ZTIP have been updated to conform to the World Bank’s Environmental and Social Framework (ESF). Additionally, as part of the Environmental and Social Safeguards (ESS) Instruments of the ESF, ZESCO developed the following Safeguards Instruments, namely, an Environmental and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP), a Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP), and a Labour Management Procedure (LMP).

The ESIA and ESMP identify and assess the environmental and social risks and impacts of the Project throughout the project life cycle and propose measures and actions to manage the identified risks and impacts.

The ESCP sets out material measures and actions that ZESCO shall carry out or cause to be carried out on the project, including, as applicable, the timeframes of the actions and measures, institutional, staffing, training, monitoring and reporting arrangements, and grievance management.

The SEP, on the other hand, outlines ways in which ZESCO shall communicate with various stakeholders affected by the ZTIP and the feedback mechanisms to be utilized.

The LMP identifies the main labour requirements and risks associated with the Project and determines the resources necessary to address the Project labour issues.

Under the Financing Agreement with the World Bank, it is a requirement to disclose the ESIA, ESMP, ESCP, SEP, LMP and other ESS instruments such as the Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) and Biodiversity Management Plan (BMP) on the ZESCO website to ensure public awareness and participation during Project implementation. Disclosed here are the ESCP, SEP, LMP, and draft ESIA and ESMP reports for the ZTIP.