Reventazn Hydropower Plant: biodiversity loss mitigation Rosario - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Rosario Navarro

Environmental Specialist. Consultant

Reventazón Hydropower Plant: biodiversity loss mitigation

37th Annual Conference of the International Association for Impact Assessment IMPACT ASSESSMENT’S CONTRIBUTION TO THE GLOBAL EFFORTS IN ADDRESSING CLIMATE CHANGE Montréal, Canada. 4-7 April 2017

Overview

• Costa Rica is recognized worldwide for its rich biodiversity

(keeps approx. 5% of the biodiversity known),

• and being a world leader in the production of clean energy.
• Costa Rica GHG emissions targets – being carbon neutral by

2021- will probably lead to a greater hydropower development

• has low emissions and generate cheap electricity.
• However, the development of hydropower can cause very

significant impacts on a rich biodiversity country such as Costa Rica, such as fragmentation of ecosystems and loss of terrestrial and aquatic habitats.

• The Reventazón hydropower plant is an good example of

implementation of best international practices to address impacts on biodiversity.

Electricity generation by source* RENEWABLE Water 74,39% Geothermal 12,43% Wind 10,65% Biomass 0,73% Sun 0,01% TOTAL 98,21% NO RENEWABLE Hydrocarbons 1,79% FINAL TOTAL 100% ICE, 2016

Image credit: istock

Location: in Costa Rica – at the Atlantic slope of the country, in the Reventazón Basin. The RHP is located in the main channel of the Reventazón river, which flows into the Caribbean sea.

Reventazón HP

*

The project - Reventazón Hydropower Plant (RHP)

Photo: ICE

Reventazón basin COSTA RICA

Developer: Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) –Costa Rica’s state-owned electricity utility. Installed Capacity: 305,5 MW – the largest hydropower facility in Costa-Rica and in Central America. Dam: 130 m height Reservoir: 8 km long, flooding area: 6.9 km2 Design flow: 240 m³ /s Construction: 2010-2016 Financing: IADB, IFC-The World Bank Group Operation: 2016

Reventazón Hydropower Plant (RHP)

Photos: ICE

Cumulative/residual impacts caused by the RHP on key biodiversity habitats

• Loss of 8 km of flowing river because of the reservoir and fragmentation of other river

sections.

• Fragmentation of the Barbilla-Destierro Jaguar Corridor
• Creation of a barrier (dam) for migratory species (fish, shrimp)
• Change in the hydrological regime and characteristics of the water quality

Fish migratory species affected Downstream flow reduced and sediments load changed

Reventazón river

reservoir Wetland and costal ecosystems affected Endangered species affected

Joturus pichardis Panthera onca

dam Angostura HP Fragmented river section 34.2 km

Challenges to address impacts on biodiversity

• Lenders requested ICE to implement conservation measures that were new in

the country and no required by the EIA national legislation, to address cumulative and residual impacts on biodiversity.

• According the safeguards policies of the Multilateral Banks, the IADB (O.P

703/B.9) and the IFC (PS 6), the Reventazón river was classified as a natural habitat and the Jaguar Corridor as a critical habitat

• The measures agreed with the ICE were:
• Restoring and enhancing habitat connectivity on the Jaguar Corridor,
• Compensate for impacts on aquatic connectivity and migratory fish species

– creating an aquatic offset, and

• Develop an Adaptive management program for the downstream hydro-

biological system

Image credit: istock

• The Corridor is a vital bridge between

protected areas in the Cordillera Volcánica Central-Talamanca Corridor that is part of the Mesoamerican Corridor.

• It is considered a critical path for movement

and genetic flow for jaguars, other wildcats and their prey species.

• The jaguar – is a protected species in Costa

Rica, rated as endangered.

The Barbilla-Destierro Biological Corridor “Jaguar Corridor”

Main actions to restore and enhance the Jaguar Corridor connectivity

Photos: Panthera

• Purchase of land to reforest and for conservation.
• Payment to farmers to protect forests and to reforest priorities

areas of connectivity around of the tail of the reservoir.

• Promote and support best agricultural and livestock practices.
• Institutional arrangements (ICE, Corridor Committee, Panthera

Foundation, local farmers, cattle ranchers, others).

• Environmental education programs (formal and informal).
• Strategic alliances building.
• Monitoring programs to measure the effectiveness of the

actions implemented and to show net gain on connectivity recovering.

The Offset will compensate the Reventazón river connectivity loss – in term of length - from the Angostura HP tailrace until the Reventazón dam, which represents 34.2 km of the main river channel

Aquatic Offset

Angostura HP tailrace Reventazón HP dam

Offset goals are:

• To conserve and protect a free-flowing river

with similar natural features to the Reventazón river.

• To enhance quality of the aquatic and

riparian habitats, and

• To achieve no net loss for connectivity and

ideally positive gain.

Design and planning

• Additional analysis of cumulative impacts and

determination of residual impacts

• Offset site selection
• Offset site ecological and social analysis - baseline
• Metrics design to measure no net loss
• Stakeholders consultation
• Legal basis
• Financial commitments
• Offset Environmental management Plan

Implementation

• Environment Management Plan
• Monitoring and Assessment program

2012-2015 2016-2035

Offsetting Process

Offset site selection

Set of criteria developed for selection of the rivers and basins for the offset.

• Presence of protected areas
• Connectivity to the Caribbean sea
• Topography: slope
• Ecological conditions: habitat,

aquatic biodiversity (micro invertebrates, migratory fish, life zones)

• Climatic conditions
• Environmental services: tourism

Offset site – Parismina River and its tributary Dos Novillos

Offset length: 100.5 km

Parismina river = 69.5 km Dos Novillos river = 31 km

Reventazón HP reservoir Offset site

Main Offset actions

• Legal and institutional commitments
• The Parismina and Dos Novillos rivers were declared by the

government as free rivers of barriers – no hydropower plants will be developed in these rivers in the future.

• The Ministry of Environment declarated the offset site as an
• fficial conservation area (Decree No. 39772, 2016).
• Reforestation of riparian areas.
• Reduce agrochemical pollution in the river.
• Promote and support best agricultural and livestock practices.
• Community participation and engagement.
• Monitoring programs to assess the effectiveness of conservation

actions; to measure the quality of water, riparian habitats and migratory species; and to show no net loss of aquatic connectivity.

Lessons learned

• The inclusion of offsets requirements (to compensate for cumulative/residual

impacts) in the environmental regulations of the country, would facilitate future implementation of aquatic and terrestrial offsets and guarantee its sustainability.

• The application Safeguards Policies and Performance Standards of

Multilaterals Banks in hydro projects has been beneficial for the compensation

• f biodiversity loss, and for creating capacity building on this subject at the

developer level (ICE). It will be important for future projects to also involve the government EIA agencies.

• Ensure the financial sustainability is necessary to implement and monitoring

compensation measures in the long term.

• The existence of a Law that requires the implementation of a watershed

management plan in the Reventazón basin was instrumental to allow the partnership and cooperation between ICE and the local stakeholders, which make possible the development of the aquatic offset and restoration of the Jaguar Corridor.

• The interest and commitment of ICE and the Government of Costa Rica to

implement international best practices to compensate impacts on biodiversity is a great example for other hydro’s in the region.

Lessons learned

Thank you! Merci!

navrosario@gmail.com