Technical assistance
Bio electricity. Forestry management N/A
Environmental and Social Support Otjikoto Namibia
| Country : | Namibia. . |
| Client : | Namibia Power Corporation (Pty) Ltd |
| Start Date : | 2023-12-01 |
| Completion Date : | 2029-06-01 |
| Value of services : | 2 999 600 EUROS |
| Funder : | FFEM (French Fund for the World Environment) . |
| Associate/Partner : | N/A |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |
| Description : |
Bush encroachment is a land degradation phenomenon reflected by certain species of small trees or large invasive shrubs proliferation that impact today 30% of Namibia's territory. This phenomenon induces to a loss of ecosystem services value. While this is a natural trend in savannah ecosystems, usually counterbalanced by natural conditions such as wildfires and grazing by local wildlife, it has accelerated since the second half of the 20th century due to anthropogenic factors. The biomass valorization for electricity production is a response to this challenge. The national electricity company, NamPower, seeks to build a 40MW power plant, powered by an FSC-certified wood chip supply chain from harvested bushland. This is a pilot project having potential for replicability in the sub-region. |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |
| Description of the Actual Services Provided | The overall project objective is to assist NamPower in this innovative and complex project that aims to maximize the social and environmental impacts and thus rehabilitate bush invaded savannah-type ecosystems. The proposed 5-year work programme is structured in 5 components: - Creation of an Independent Experts Committee (IEC) to assist NamPower in setting up the structuring foundations of social and environemental management system (resp. NamPower; IEC coordinated by IED); - Information management, research programme and capitalisation on the biodiversity evolution and environmental and social aspects (resp. Namibia Nature Foundation NNF; Nitidae, universities); - Capacity building and stakeholder awareness raising (resp. Namibia Biomass Industries Group N-BIG); - Development of a sustainable community bush harvesting model maximizing benefit-sharing and pilot projects targeting vulnerable groups in resettlement farms and communal lands to maximize positive social impact (resp. IED); - Project management and communication activities (resp. NNF). |