📋 Tender Overview
SUMMARY
STATUS
Approved
MEMBER
Thailand
SECTOR
Energy
E&S CATEGORY
Category B
PROJECT NUMBER
000783
FINANCING
APPROVED FUNDING
USD170 million
FINANCING TYPE
Nonsovereign
TIMELINE
CONCEPT REVIEW
September 19, 2023
APPRAISAL REVIEW/FINAL REVIEW
March 15, 2024
FINANCING APPROVAL
May 15, 2024
OBJECTIVE
The objective of the Project is to promote clean energy generation in Thailand through the development of a portfolio of solar photovoltaic (PV) power plants and the installation of battery energy storage systems (BESS).
DESCRIPTION
The Project involves the development, construction, and operation of eight solar PV power plants with a total capacity of 393-megawatt (MW) and four solar PV power plants with a total capacity of 256 MW integrated with BESS.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL INFORMATION
Policy, Standards, and Instruments. The Project is co-financed with the ADB as lead co-financier, and its environmental and social (ES) risks and impacts are assessed in accordance with the ADB’s Safeguard Policy Statement (SPS), June 2009. For a harmonized approach to addressing ES risks and impacts of the Project, and as permitted under AIIB’s ESP, ADB’s SPS is applicable to the Project in lieu of AIIB’s ESP. AIIB has reviewed the ADB’s SPS and is satisfied that: (a) it is consistent with AIIB’s Articles of Agreement and materially consistent with the provisions of AIIB’s ESP and the relevant ES Standards; and (b) the monitoring procedures that are in place are appropriate for the Project. A Corporate Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS) Audit has been conducted on the existing ESMS of Gulf Renewable Energy Company Limited (GED) to assess the corporate capacity of GED for ES management of the 12 sub-projects and strengthen the ESMS to meet ADB’s SPS. Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) and Social Compliance Audit (SCA) have been developed to assess the legacy issues and mitigation measures for the first five sub-projects. GED will screen, categorize and prepare the IEEs, SCAs and other required instruments for the remaining seven sub-projects as per ESMS. AIIB together with co-financers will review and confirm the screening and categorization results as well as the ES documents for these remaining subprojects.
Environmental Aspects. No protected areas or reserved forests were identified within the Project boundary. For the first five sub-projects, solar farms will be developed on land previously used for agricultural activities. Based on the due diligence, those sub-projects including their transmission lines are located on modified habitat (agriculture, commercial, residential and public infrastructures such as roads and irrigation canals) and not located within critical habitat. Environmental impacts are expected to be short-term, localized and mitigated/minimized to an acceptable level with implementation of environmental management plans prepared as part of IEE reports.
Social Aspects. The land use in the P
