Environmental Management Consultants

Energy

We undertake environmental and social permitting studies (ESIA) taking into consideration that our clients might require financial closure from International Financial Institutions (IFIs). Thus our reports are based not only to country legislations/local but also IFIs and Equator Principles (EP) but undertake bankable studies.

Being an African based institution, we add value to our clients by providing local content that otherwise international investor’s lack. Thus we not only help our clients in environmental permitting but also help them understand the local operating environment.

Our ESIA goes further than just permitting to ensuring that the management plans developed are implemented and monitored. This we do by developing Environmental and Social Management Systems that can be seen to be similar to accepted international frameworks for quality and environmental management systems, such as ISO 9001 and 14001.

Permitting Register

We also develop legal register on behalf of our clients to monitor compliance to Country’s permitting framework and update our clients on changes in legal framework as they arise.

Under this we have the following services:

• Environmental and Social Impact Assessment and Permitting
• Strategic Environmental Assessment
• Environmental and Social Management Systems
• Resettlement Planning
• ESM Implementation Monitoring

Case Studies

Case Study for Environmental and Social Impact Assessment and Permitting

Kesses Photovoltaic Solar Power Project Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Study

ESF Consultants completes ESIA study for the proposed 40 MW grid connected Solar Photovoltaic plant in Kesses Division of Uasin Gishu County Republic of Kenya by Kenya Solarfarms B.V. The study was undertaken to satisfy both the requirements of International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Kenya Environmental Management and Coordination Act (EMCA). This was the second assignment ESF was completing for the same client after successfully implementation of the first phase of 40MW solar photovoltaic project in the same region

This sector handles hydro, geothermal, wind, solar, coal and nuclear energy. Our energy division handles all sectors of energy projects providing environmental and social services. Benefits from our expertise and experience extend to all phases of project and facility cycles, including planning, construction, operations or decommissioning.

We bring depth of expertise and experience in key disciplines including environmental, socio-economic planning, assessment and permitting, biophysical and ecological sciences, air quality management, environmental and asset integrity management, health and safety services, GIS mapping, risk assessment and management, due diligence assignments and public consultation.

Our clients in the energy sector include:

Case Study for Energy Sector

Baseline Social Analysis for the Regional Rusumo Falls Hydroelectric and Multi-Purpose Project

ESF Consultants carried out a Baseline Social Analysis for the Regional Rusumo Falls Hydroelectric Project for World Bank Uganda Country Office and Nile Basin Initiative. The Regional Rusumo Falls Hydroelectric and Multipurpose Project (RRFP was the first major NELSAP infrastructure project designed within the overall Kagera Basin Integrated Development Framework promoted by the NBI/NELSAP and identified through the SSEA process.

The project was located on the border of Rwanda and Tanzania thus providing important backbone transmission interconnections between Burundi, Rwanda, and DRC as well as promoting regional power trade. Additively, the project interlinked the EAC countries with potential for future interconnection to the South African Power Pool (SAPP).

More Case Studies

ESF has been helping our clients to get into new markets through community engagement and consultation. ESF strategy is to engage host communities, governments and nongovernmental organizations as stakeholders by empowering these communities through our study process. By empowering communities to understand the process of work we build their capacity to understand and appreciate the investments our clients bring to the community and best ways to scale it up without compromising the integrity of the community resources and wellbeing.

We achieve these through:

1. Baseline surveys to understand the communities structures, issues, among others
2. Risk Assessments
3. Identifying CSR programs
4. Community Needs Assessments
5. Stakeholder Engagement and Management
6. Corporate Social Responsibility
7. Local Content

We help our clients build strong, constructive, and responsive relationships with local communities that are essential for the successful management of a project's.

By engaging with stakeholders we mitigate the risks associated with poor stakeholder relations and the improve the opportunities provided by constructive ones.

Case Study

Case Study for Corporate Social Responsibility

ENI sustainability advisors in Kenya

ESF Consultants is supporting ENI work in Kenya by updating their legal register, and developing Corporate Social Responsibility investment program.

ESF understands there are cross cutting issues that comes into play when implementing projects. Some of these cross cutting issues are gender, climate change and human rights. Due to the complexity of these cross cutting issues, we support clients in identifying and managing them.

In climate change scenario, we help clients in developing adaptation measure to project’s vulnerability to climate change and its potential to increase the vulnerability of ecosystems and communities to climate change

Our services include:

• Climate Change and mitigation
• Gender Mainstreaming

Gender:

We understand that projects may have different impacts on women and men, due to their differentiated socioeconomic roles and their varying degrees of control over and access to assets, productive resources, and employment opportunities.

We help our clients assessing risks and impacts associated with gender and propose measures designed to ensure that one gender is not disadvantaged relative to the other in the context of the project.