DUSHANBE, March 26, 2010, Asia-Plus – The World Bank has confirmed that its participation in the Roghun hydroelectricity project will depend on the findings of the techno-economic, environmental and social impact assessments for the project, Gazeta.uz reported on March 25.
According to Gazeta.uz, Mr. Philippe Le Houerou, Vice President of the World Bank for Europe and Central Asia Region, remarked this in his message to the government of Uzbekistan regarding the issues related to the Roghun hydroelectricity project.
Mr. Philippe Le Houerou says in his message that the World Bank sends a high-level technical mission to Tajikistan on April 20-27 to carry out further monitoring and assessments of work at the site for construction of the Roghun HPP. The mission members will include the World Bank highly skilled expert in dams and chief specialists in hydropower projects.
The World Bank vice-president added that he and Dr Stephen Lintner, Senior Technical Advisor, the World Bank Environment Department, would visit all countries in the basin of transboundary rivers in April to discuss participation of international independent experts in the assessments.
According to him, the techno-economic, the environmental and social impact assessments for the Roghun hydroelectricity project are aimed at thoroughly assessing technical justifiability as well as environmental and social risks and benefit of the project, Gazeta.uz reported. The assessments will be carried out with due regard to international standards of environmental and social standards, as well as compliance with applicable operational policies of the World Bank, including the World Bank approvals on key stages of the process of assessments, consideration of the assessment findings by internally known independent experts, and consultations with all interested countries in the basin of transboundary rivers.
Mr. Philippe Le Houerou stressed that participation of the World Bank in the project for construction of the Roghun HPP depended on confirmation of techno-economic, environmental and social expediency and viability of the project as well as properly carried out consultations, Gazeta.uz reported.
