Minepded to assess Limbe project

The news in relation to the thermal power plant project in Limbe, in southwest holds that, the group in charge of the project has called for an assessment to ascertain its impact on the environment.

The structure with a power of 315MW and the Protocol of understanding was signed in April 2014 between the Cameroonian Government and the Eranove group to meet energy demands resulting from project growth.

Today, the group in charge of the design, financing, construction and operation of a thermal gas station and associated works plan to begin studies of environmental and social impact of the construction work of the plant and related work (transmission lines, jobs etc).

It had recently launched a notice to appeal for tenders for the recruitment of one office or consultant to do this. It will be to identify the positive and negative impacts, propose mitigation and reclamation measures, develop a plan of environmental and social management for the implementation of the various measures during the different phases of the project.

According to the manual of General procedure of impact studies and environmental audits of the Ministry of Environment, Nature Protection and Sustainable Development (Minepded), an environmental impact assessment is a systematic review to determine whether or not a project has positive or negative effects on the environment.

The outcome of this review is a study of environmental impact report which is subsequently submitted to the discretion of the parties involved in the project. Thus, the approval of an environmental impact assessment gives rise to the Minister's issuance of an environmental compliance certificate (ECC) in charge of the environment.

The manual States that under the Act, no project, likely to have effects on the environment, must be implemented without certificate of environmental compliance. The approval gives rise to the issuance of a certificate of environmental compliance.