Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1694570575129.pdf (Antigua and Barbuda)
ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL AND GENDER IMPACT ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT PLAN CLIMATE CHANGE PROGRAMME Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Financing from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) via the Sustainability Energy Facility for the Eastern Caribbean Report prepared by the Project Management Unit (PMU) of the Department of Environment, Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment Authors: Mr. Ato Lewis* Ms. Lia Nicholson* Ms. Rashauna Adams-Matthew* Mr. Jason Williams* Ms. Ruth Spencer1 Mr. Kirk Brown2 Final Report – 12 June 2018 Prepared for the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) with support from the Government of Antigua and Barbuda * Department of Environment 1 National Coordinator, GEF Small Grants Programme 2 National Advisor, Commonwealth Climate Finance Hub ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 1 Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................... 6 1.
INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................................... 8 1.1 Background ...................................................................................................................................... 8 1.2 Project Description and Objectives .................................................................................................. 8 1.2.1 Project status in Antigua and Barbuda ....................................................................................... 11 1.2.2 Implementation Arrangements .................................................................................................. 12 1.2.3 Project Partnerships ................................................................................................................. 13 1.3 Project Location ............................................................................................................................... 14 1.4 The Environmental Impact Assessment Process in Antigua and Barbuda .................................... 15 1.4.1 Legal Mandate ............................................................................................................................ 16 1.4.2 Screening and Scoping ................................................................................................................ 17 1.4.3 Review of reports........................................................................................................................ 18 1.4.4 Decision on reports ..................................................................................................................... 18 1.4.5 Appeal ......................................................................................................................................... 19 1.4.6 Environment management and monitoring ............................................................................... 19 2.
POLICY LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE FRAMEWORK .......................................................................... 20 3.
APPROACH AND METHODOLOGY ....................................................................................................... 28 3.1 Research Methodology .................................................................................................................. 28 3.2 Desktop Research ........................................................................................................................... 29 3.3 Consultations with Stakeholders and Informal Interviews ............................................................ 29 4.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC BASELINE ......................................................................... 31 4.1 Overview of utilities and infrastructure relevant to the Project ................................................... 31 4.2 Baseline Socio-economic Conditions ................................................................................................. 32 4.3 Baseline Gender Conditions............................................................................................................... 40 4.4 Climate Change Projections ............................................................................................................... 46 5.
SITE SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION OF BENEFICIARY FACILITIES ............................................................... 51 6.

ANALYSIS OF PROJECT ALTERNATIVES ............................................................................................ 58 7.

RISKS AND IMPACT ANALYSIS .............................................................................................................. 59 8.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL MANAGEMENT PLAN .......................................................................... 66 9.

MONITORING PLAN................................................................................................................................ 71 9.1 DOE Complaints Mechanism .......................................................................................................... 72 10.
PUBLIC CONSULTATION AND ENGAGEMENT PLAN ............................................................................. 74 ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 2 10.1 Summary of Public Consultations on the ESIA ............................................................................... 74 10.2 Engagement and Communication Plan.......................................................................................... 76 11.
REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................................... 84 Annex I – Index of Terms of Reference for the ESIA and ESMP .................................................................. 87 Annex II – Stakeholder List .......................................................................................................................... 89 Annex III – Sensitization Workshop for Project Management Unit DOE staff ............................................ 91 Annex IV – Department of Environment: Environmental Scoping Evaluation ............................................ 94 List of Tables Table 1.
Project logframe: components, activities, expected outcomes and budget ................................... 9 Table 2.

Beneficiary Schools and Clinics Technical information .................................................................. 15 Table 3.
Relevant Policies, Legal and Administrative Framework ............................................................... 20 Table 4.Head count index by district ........................................................................................................... 32 Table 5.

Livelihood by Parish ....................................................................................................................... 38 Table 6.
Number of Households by Parish by Main Source of Water Supply ............................................. 39 Table 7.

Number of Generators by Parish ................................................................................................... 39 Table 8.
Disaggregated Data by Sex by Electoral District ............................................................................ 40 Table 9: Youths (aged 15-24) Currently Attending School by Type of School/Grade by Sex ...................... 43 Table 10.

Sex Distribution in Economic Sectors .......................................................................................... 44 Table 11.

Hurricanes and associated economic losses in Antigua and Barbuda since 1995 ...................... 49 Table 12.
Analysis of viable alternatives to the project intervention to achieve the same impact ............ 58 Table 13.

Impact analysis of project risks .................................................................................................... 60 Table 14.

Environmental and social management plan for the project ...................................................... 66 Table 15.

Summary of stakeholder inputs and responsive project design ................................................. 74 Table 16.
Step-by-step process for conducting community consultations ................................................. 76 Table 17.

Stakeholder engagement plan for the ......................................................................................... 80 List of Figures Figure 1.

Project management and oversight arrangements for implementation ..................................... 12 Figure 2.
Geographic location of beneficiary Schools and Clinics by Parish ............................................... 14 Figure 3.

Methodology for the development of the project’s ESIA and ESMP ........................................... 28 Figure 4.

Baseline electricity statistics for Antigua and Barbuda ................................................................ 31 Figure 5.

Trends in Antigua and Barbuda’s HDI Component Indices 2005-2015 ........................................ 33 Figure 6.
Inter-Censual Change in Population by Parish ............................................................................. 34 Figure 7.

Inter-Censual Change in Population by Sex .................................................................................. 35 Figure 8.

Unemployment rates by parish .................................................................................................... 35 Figure 9.
Population 15 years and older receiving, attempting or have had skills training ........................ 36 Figure 10.
Population by Health Insurance Status ...................................................................................... 37 Figure 11: Disaggregated data by sex for Consultations ............................................................................. 42 ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 3 Figure 12.
Historical Temperature for Antigua 1901-2011 ......................................................................... 47 Figure 13.

Historical Temperature for Barbuda 1901-2011 ........................................................................ 48 Figure 14.

General process for handling a grievance/complaint via the DOE mechanism ......................... 72 Figure 15.

Video summary of the DOE Complaints Mechanism.

................................................................ 73 Figure 16.
Women’s Organizations in Antigua and Barbuda, identified by the Directorate of Gender Affairs ........................................................................................................................................................... 78 Figure 17.

Guidelines for identifying stakeholder groups and guiding project engagement...................... 79 Figure 18.
Summary of project delivery process and the main stakeholders to engage at each step ....... 83 ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 4 Abbreviations CBD CDB CEDAW CGA CPA CSW DOE DGA EMP EPMA FAO GCF GEF HDI HDR IADB INDC IPCC IWCAM MDG NAP NBSAP NGO PPA PV RE Rio+20 SDG SIRMZP UN UNFCCC United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity Caribbean Development Bank Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women Country Gender Assessment Country Poverty Assessment Commission on the Status of Women 2008 Department of the Environment Directorate of Gender Affairs Environmental Management Plan Environmental Protection and Management Act 2015 Food and Agriculture Organisation Green Climate Fund Global Environment Facility Human Development Index Human Development Report Inter-American Development Bank Intended Nationally Determined Contributions Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Integrated Watershed and Coastal Areas Management Millennium Development Goals National Adaptation Policy National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan Non-governmental Organisations Physical Planning Act 2003 Photovoltaic Renewable Energy UN Conference on Sustainable Development Sustainable Development Goal Sustainable Island Resource Management Zoning Plan United Nations United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In recent years, the Government of Antigua and Barbuda has sought to reduce the vulnerability of its public infrastructure to natural hazard events with a shift from emergency response and recovery to risk reduction and mitigation, which can be far less costly than disaster relief and response.
To this end, the Cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda has approved the Sustainable Island Resource Framework Fund (SIRF Fund) to be an Independent Power Producer for up to 25 MW.
The Sustainable Energy Facility (SEF) Program for the Eastern Caribbean is a multi-donor financing package of Global Environment Facility (GEF) grant; Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) loan; and Clean Technology Fund (CTF) contingently recoverable loan or grant resources provided through the IDB, to the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) as the Executing Partner Agency.
Project activities in Antigua and Barbuda will be executed by the Department of Environment Antigua and Barbuda’s GEF grant allocation under the SEF project is up to US$1,095,890, and the country has allocated these funds for a grid-interactive solar PV project for selected schools and clinics via the Sustainable Island Resource Framework Fund (SIRF Fund).

This project will provide grid-interactive solar photo-voltaic systems with back up battery banks for thirteen schools and clinics in Antigua.
This will provide emergency services and make rescue and medical care possible in the event of a disaster.

The thirteen beneficiary facilities are distributed across the island of Antigua, in 5 of the 6 parishes.

The project targets 3 schools and 10 clinics that benefit under-served and vulnerable populations, including persons with special needs (Victory Centre and Fiennes Institute, among others), as well as rural communities (Bendals, Bolans, Parham, Willikies).
This Environmental and Social Impact Assessment and Management Plan has been developed in parallel to a civil engineering report of the buildings delivered by United Nations Electricity Supply Partnership titled, Solar PV facility screening study for public and educational facilities on Antigua and Barbuda, delivered on 30 January 2018.
The environmental, social and gender risks assessed under this project are determined to be minimal with the exception of the following areas: the disposal of damaged solar panels and expired batteries and associated risk of solid waste hazards and soil and water pollution, and worker health and safety during the infrastructural works necessary to prepare the buildings for solar panel installation.
The Environmental and Social Management Plan (Section 8) identifies mitigation measures, including inter alia to ensure that damaged solar panels and expired batteries are collected, stored and disposed of at an officially designated hazardous waste disposal site, or through a certified third party recycling entity that satisfies the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal.
Firms bidding on the Design, Supply and Install tender under this project are require to include battery disposal cost in their Net Present Value (NPV) data sheets on which bid selection is made.
Additionally, all beneficiary facilities are required to develop and implement an Environmental ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 6 Management System (ISO 14001) that will further mitigate potential solid/hazardous waste disposal.

The project will import Solar PV equipment and batteries and utilise locally approved contractors for installing and commissioning the RE system.
This equipment has a lifespan of 10 – 25 years, unless it is destroyed earlier due to extreme climate such as a hurricane.

It is important that the project address end-of-life potential waste impacts and have contingency measures in place (Section 8).

Notwithstanding this risk, the project activities are determined to be overwhelmingly positive with minimal environmental and social risks.
An unreliable supply of electricity is a threat to health care facilities where medications and vaccines require refrigeration, including HIV/AIDS medications.

Lack of stable electricity supply negatively impacts productivity of school children and this can affect the stability of their parents’ economic employment, in particular female-headed homes.

This situation is heightened after a hurricane when electricity generation can be disrupted for extended periods resulting in school closures.
The proposed activities in Antigua and Barbuda will be an excellent pilot and model for other countries to improve energy security using low emission technologies for climate vulnerable populations, and to promote learning around low emission technology in educational institutions.

ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 7 1.
INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background The Government of Antigua and Barbuda is seeking support to increase the resilience of schools and community health clinics as critical facilities that assist the nation to return to normalcy after a major hurricane or other extreme climate event.

After a major storm (category 3+ hurricane), public buildings, homes and utilities throughout the nation sustain damage.

This causes significant problems for the residents of Antigua and Barbuda.
As long as schools remain closed, parents are reluctant to return to work and other regular economic activities for fear of children coming in contact with downed utility lines, lack of hygiene in public facilities without water or electricity, and other dangers.

Additionally, the damaged utilities also means that persons who rely on medications that need to be refrigerated become a highly vulnerable group after a storm.
One of the key disaster response policies developed by Antigua and Barbuda over its various experiences with disasters is to make safe spaces available to children and patients to alleviate the worry of parents and families thereby allowing them to start the recovery and rebuilding process.

In this regard, schools serve as the best facilities to provide for the care and safety of children at such times.
However, lack of utilities, especially electricity, limits what can be achieved with the children at such times.

Additionally, as many schools are used as hurricane shelters throughout Antigua and Barbuda, having functioning utilities in schools at such times can have many benefits.

Also important along with schools are the various clinics throughout the country.
A clinic that has electricity after a major disaster event will serve as the first stop for minor to moderate health needs of the neighbouring public.

This will reduce the risk of people navigating potentially hazardous post-disaster roads, which may yet to be cleared of storm debris or other threats, since their community clinics will have stable electricity.
Clinics with electricity may also serve as a key lifeline to persons who need medications which need to be kept refrigerated or other medical services that require electricity.

1.2 Project Description and Objectives The Cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda has approved the Sustainable Island Resource Framework Fund (SIRF Fund) to become an Independent Power Producer (IPP) for up to 25 MW of electricity.
The Department of Environment (DOE) in the Ministry of Health and the Environment is administering and fundraising for the SIRF Fund.
The DOE has secured funding towards the objective of the 25 MW of backup renewable energy of approximately USD 18 million: • USD 15 million loan from the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) in collaboration with IRENA ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 8 • • USD 2 million from the GEF via UNEP – Sustainable Pathways and Protected Areas (SPPARE) project USD 1 million in bilateral support from the Government of Italy The Sustainable Energy Facility (SEF) Program for the Eastern Caribbean is a multi-donor financing package of Global Environment Facility (GEF) grant; Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) loan; and Clean Technology Fund (CTF) contingently recoverable loan or grant resources provided through the IDB, to the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) as the Executing Partner Agency.
The objective of the Sustainable Energy Facility (SEF) for the Eastern Caribbean is to contribute to the diversification of the energy matrix in Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines (“the Eastern Caribbean Countries” or “ECC”) in an effort to reduce the cost of power generation and electricity tariffs by promoting the implementation of Energy Efficiency (EE) and Renewable Energy (RE) technologies to reduce the region’s dependency on liquid fossil fuels.
Antigua and Barbuda’s GEF grant allocation under the SEF project is US$1,095,890, and the country has allocated these funds for a grid-interactive solar PV system for selected schools and clinics as part of the establishment of the Sustainable Island Resource Framework Fund (SIRF Fund).

The financing from the GEF via the CDB will expand the DOE’s Climate Change Programme portfolio by thirteen (13) school and clinic facilities.
The three components are encapsulated by the following specific objectives (see Table 1 for project logframe): 1.

Install solar panels for the three schools and ten clinics, enabling them to increase their usage of alternative energy while decreasing consumption of and reliance on energy from fossil fuels; 2.

Support socially adaptive capacity-building through community support and experience of solar panel plus battery system installation; and 3.
Continued provision of energy for healthcare clinics and schools during and post- hurricanes or storms.

Table 1.

Project logframe: components, activities, expected outcomes and budget Source: Department of the Environment, 2017, Project Proposal, Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management- SIRF Fund Project Components 1.

Install solar equipment (includes installation and 2- Expected Concrete Outputs 1.1.1.
Site specific reports, including building-specific information, such as the size and type of available Expected Outcomes 1.1 Schools and clinics are run utilizing alternative energy from solar panels ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 9 Expected Concrete Outputs Expected Outcomes Project Components year warranty) ($791,446) 2.
Provide solar panel batteries ($245,944) roof or ground area, as well as potential electrical interconnection points.

1.1.2.
1.1.2.

GIS maps for installation sites for RE Technology at all 13 Schools and Clinics, including daily KWh usage and the presence of an on- site generator 2.1.1 Schools and Clinics store the extra energy solar panels produced instead of feeding it back to the electricity grid 2.1.2 Maximise the ability of Schools and Clinics to use the electricity generated by solar panels on a daily basis 3.Legal agreements for SIRF Fund as an Independent Power Producer ($22,500) 3.1.1.
Legal agreements enable the SIRF Fund to become an Independent Power Producer 4.Training for operations and maintenance ($36,000) 4.1.1 A solar panel expert is secured for 30 days to facilitate necessary training in the operations and maintenance of solar panels 2.1 Energy is available during hurricanes or storms, enabling clinics to provide efficient health services during disasters, and schools to provide charging portals, necessary for communication in times of disasters 3.1.1.
The GOAB is less reliant on energy from fossil fuels.

This decreases its import bill, positioning it to become a self-sufficient energy producer 4.1.1.

Improved ownership of solar panels by community members 4.1.2.

Capacity building for vulnerable communities, including youth, persons with disabilities and women, in operating and maintaining solar panels 4.1.3.
Sustainability for future as project maintenance is secured by the community The project, through direct investment in renewable energy, will facilitate the establishment of the SIRF Fund’s “Investment Arm”.

Project activities in Antigua and Barbuda under the SEF umbrella will install grid-interactive/backup solar PV installations with batteries and accessories on 13 schools and clinics, both public and private, across Antigua.
The schools and clinics to benefit from this project are listed below in Table 2, and site specific details are provided in ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 10 Section 5.
These facilities have been selected using the following criteria: 1) spatial distribution island-wide, 2) demographics and populations served that are most vulnerable to climate change impacts, and 3) the structural integrity of the buildings to receive solar PV plus battery systems.
1.2.1 Project status in Antigua and Barbuda The Financing Agreement between the Caribbean Development Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank was entered into on October 20, 2015 for the Sustainable Energy Facility for the Eastern Caribbean.
At the time of developing this Environment and Social Management Plan, the project status and timeline is as follows: • In October 2016, the Department of Environment in Antigua and Barbuda submitted the US$1 million grant project proposal for Solar PV on schools and clinics to the CDB • Tender document for the Design, Supply and Installation Contractor was published following No Objection from CDB in July 2017, and Pre-bid site visits were conducted in August 2017.
The deadline of September 2017 was extended for several months in order to solicit additional applications and due to the delays in Hurricane Irma • September 2017: Hurricane Irma impacted Barbuda as a Category 5+ hurricane and affected the island of Antigua.

The World Bank recovery needs assessment estimated the total damage of the hurricanes Irma and Maria for Antigua and Barbuda at EC$ 367.5 million (US$ 136.1 million), while losses amounted to approximately EC$ 51.2 million (US$ 18.9 million).
Recovery needs amount to EC$ 600.1 million (US$ 222.2 million).

The hurricanes affected the fiscal position of the Government as 16% of GDP was lost in 1 month.
• December 2017: Caribbean Development Bank Board of Directors approved the project in principle, subject to a series of conditions including structural assessments and environmental and social safeguards plans, however without additional funds for the studies, but as part of the Government of Antigua and Barbuda’s co-financing requirements • December 2017: APUA appointed a Project Engineer • January 2018: The Department of Environment assembled a team of environmental and social consultants in its Project Management Unit (PMU) to conduct the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment and Management Plan (deliverable presented here) • The Government of Antigua and Barbuda requested CTCN assistance to complete the due diligence in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma.
UN Electric Partnership delivered the report, Solar PV facility screening study for public and educational facilities on Antigua and Barbuda, in January 2018 ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 11 1.2.2 Implementation Arrangements The Department of Environment is a coordinating entity that has established and maintained a strong inter-agency and cross-sectoral management framework.
The three primary structures, as illustrated below, are: 1) the Project Management Committee (PMC), 2) the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), and 3) the Project Management Unit (PMU).

Figure 1.

Project management and oversight arrangements for implementation The Project Management Unit (PMU) is the project implementation arm of the Department of Environment (DOE), with special staffing and “ring-fencing” arrangements to manage and implement projects.
This unit assists the DOE in meeting obligations on projects through its flexible human resources arrangements.

The PMU is staffed by short and long-term consultants as well as ad-hoc staff from various Government departments.

The PMU is designed to achieve efficiency and coordination in the management of many projects from a variety of donors, Government/public sector and even NGOs.
The PMU also ensures that there is effective coordination and efficiency when there are project activities that are similar and dependent on each other for execution.

Antigua and Barbuda is a small island developing state (SIDS), and access to well-trained technical capacity is a key risk to the Department.

The PMU is a mitigation measure to overcome and minimize this risk.

The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) is a source of technical expertise, accountability and support for the PMU.
The TAC provides technical guidance to projects, shares institutional ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 12 Permanent SecretaryAudit Sub-CommitteeProject Management Unit (PMU)SIRF Fund BoardDepartment of Environment, A&BInternal AuditorDesign, supply & install contractorData Management Unit (DMU)Project ExecutionProject GovernanceFlow of fundsFlow of communicationProject Management Committee (PMC)Technical Advisory Committee (TAC)Minister of Health & the EnvironmentCabinet of Antigua & BarbudaCaribbean Development Bank (CDB) knowledge, and assists with developing TORs and other project needs.
The TAC has 21 members (17 governmental, 3 civil society, and 1 private sector coalition representative).

The PMU provides secretarial support to the TAC.

The Project Management Committee (PMC) is a Cabinet-appointed body that acts as an advisory body to the project providing budget accountability, project guidance, policy input and support.

The PMC ensures project alignment to national priorities.

The Audit Committee is a sub- committee of the PMC.
1.2.3 Project Partnerships Key partners for project implementation are identified below and are elaborated in the Stakeholder Engagement Plan in Section 10: • • • • • • • Ministry of Education – Installation of solar PV systems on schools & development of curriculum Ministry of Health – Install of solar PV systems on clinics & train staff in maintenance Antigua Public Utilities Authority – Procuring APUA-certified local installers for installation, maintenance and monitoring Ministry of Energy – Technical support and oversight Ministry of Public Works – Training of civil engineering staff to prepare buildings for solar panel plus battery installation Community groups and residents – Train qualified facility staff and volunteers in maintenance of solar PV systems Beneficiary facilities, including Management and administrative staff – Asset in reading smart meters and conducting Environmental ownership; training Management Systems In addition to Government and community partners, project activities could significantly benefit from strong partnerships and collaborations with non-governmental players.
These include: • GEF Small Grants Programme – several projects including in the target communities have included installation of Solar PV systems.

Community members have been involved in solar energy training and have installed systems so local connections need to be build and strengthened to reduce risks.
• United Nations Electricity Supply Partnership – providing technical support to DOE via a Climate Technology Center and Network (CTCN) request • Antigua and Barbuda E-waste Center – a non-profit organization that may be able to help mitigate the project risk of solid waste and/or toxic waste resulting from the solar PV and batteries importations ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 13 • Other project partners identified in Section 10 1.3 Project Location The thirteen schools and clinics are geographically distributed across the island, with most facilities located in the urban area of St. John’s city, servicing buildings that assist children with disabilities (Victory Center), a children’s home (Good Shephard), the terminally ill (Hospice) among others, as illustrated below.
Figure 2.

Geographic location of beneficiary Schools and Clinics by Parish ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 14 Good Shepherd Home for Children Holberton Hospital - Childrens Ward Holberton Hospital – Hospice Nyahbinghi Theocracy School Table 2.
Beneficiary Schools and Clinics Technical information Beneficiary facility Latitude Longitude Previous 12- month energy use (kWh/year) Peak Power Demand (kW) Proposed PV Systems Size (kW) [Nominal Voltage 48V] Bendals Clinic 17.074252 -61.832707 Bolans Clinic 17.065153 -61.877146 4,380 4,380 Fiennes Institute 17.117725 -61.829093 18,834 17.133430 -61.844291 11,279 2.3 3.0 9.96 5.35 3.4 3.4 14.7 8.8 17.116718 -61.829715 18,250 21.0 14.2 17.115109 -61.828950 37,048 8.378 29.0 17.094952 -61.847479 11,454 6.94 17.0 Old Road Clinic 17.020095 -61.841199 Parham Clinic 17.108698 -61.764310 10 Potters Clinic 17.112701 -61.814680 11 Swetes Clinic 17.052824 -61.797953 8,760 4,015 8,760 8,760 12 Victory Centre 17.122903 -61.832818 58,035 13 Willikies Clinic 17.088837 -61.702751 4,271 4.3 3.0 4.6 2.3 19.2 2.8 6.8 3.2 6.8 6.8 45.0 3.3 The table below provides a summary of the project components, results and budgets.
1.4 The Environmental Impact Assessment Process in Antigua and Barbuda This section explains the legal mandate and process for the conduct of Environmental Impact Assessments in Antigua and Barbuda, which includes social and gender impact analysis (see Annex III – Scoping Template).
The EIA process includes the following consideration in the scoping of Terms of Reference to conduct detailed EIAs: • Accessibility (disabled/other) • Potential for employment • Gender equity & women’s empowerment ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 15 Impact on interest groups in the area • Poverty • Property value • • Archaeological resources • Cultural heritage/monument • Recreational value • Climatic susceptibility of the area The EIA process includes: 1.
Screening and Scoping 2.

Conduct of the EIA 3.

Publication and Notice 4.

Submission and Review of the EIA 5.

Response to the EIA 6.

Appeal 7.

Environmental Management and Monitoring The procedures for each step are described both for typical development projects as well as for donor-funded project activities.

1.4.1 Legal Mandate There are several triggers for the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process in Antigua and Barbuda.
Firstly, section 23 (1), (2) and in Schedule 3 of Physical Planning Act (PPA) 2003 outlines activities that require an EIA.

Generally, any proposed developments, undertakings and other activities, which are likely to cause an adverse impact on human health, society, or the environment, are subject to the EIA process.
These generally include: • proposals that could result in erosion to beaches or other shorelines; • proposals that could result in the pollution of marine waters, groundwater, freshwater bodies, or other water resources; • proposals that would jeopardize the continued existence of a protected, rare, threatened or endangered species or its critical habitat or nesting grounds, and including species recognised as such by international organisations and other nations as well as by the Government of Antigua and Barbuda • proposals that could harm or destroy important cultural resources including archaeological sites, cemeteries, historic sites and landmarks; and • proposals that would challenge or contravene customary controls over the use of environmental resources; According to this Schedule of the PPA (2003), an EIA is not required for the proposed project.
However, an ESIA and ESMP are required by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 16 1.4.2 Screening and Scoping 1.4.2.1 Screening The Development Control Authority (DCA) is responsible for initial screening of Development Applications that are likely to have an environmental impact.
In undertaking this function the DCA is guided by the PPA 2003 and the Sustainable Island Resource Management and Zoning Plan 2012.

When a preliminary proposal application is submitted to the Chief Town and Country Planner (CTCP) at the DCA and it is determined that there could be Environmental Impacts the CTCP submits the application to the Department of Environment (DoE) with a request for it to present views on how to address any likely Environmental Impacts.
With respect to other projects such as those funded by external agencies, implemented for and on behalf the DoE the screening process is carried out during the project development stages.

Alternatively, the Project Management Unit can signal that the project is likely to have environmental and social risks and identify the need for an EIA during project assessment and planning meetings.
The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) during technical review of the project signal that the project should be screened for possible environment risks.

Once the project has been flagged for screening the DoE’s Technical staff conducts a Screening assessment.

The purpose of the Screening is to identify the possible impacts and levels of risks that may be associated with the project.

The Screening tool in Annex 1 may be used to guide this process.
Once this process is complete the DoE makes a determination as to whether or not and what level of EIA may be required.
The process can have one of four outcomes: 1. no EIA is required; 2. a full and comprehensive EIA is required; 3. a more limited EIA is required, or 4. further study or information is necessary to determine the level of EIA required In this case, the Terms of Reference for the ESIA and ESMP were provided by the Caribbean Development Bank (see Annex I for the TOR excerpts and an index of requirements against this report).
1.4.2.2 Scoping The scoping process identifies the issues that are likely to be of most importance during the EIA and eliminates those that are of little concern.

Scoping ensures that EIA studies are focused on the significant effects and time and money are not wasted on unnecessary investigations.
If the activity is to be located in an area where another agency has a management jurisdiction or interests, then that agency is invited to assess the project and provide its recommendations for issues to be included in the ToR.
The purpose of scoping is to identify: • the important issues to be considered in an EIA; ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 17 • • • the appropriate time and space boundaries of the EIA study; the information necessary for decision-making; and the significant effects and factors to be studied in detail.
In addition, the scoping process can be used to help define the feasible alternatives to a proposed action.

Scoping is completed when the detailed studies required in the EIA have been specified in a Terms of Reference (ToR).

This document sets out what the EIA is to cover, the type of information to be submitted and the depth of analysis that is required.

It provides guidance to the developer on how the study should be conducted and managed.
The Caribbean Climate Online Risk and Adaptation tooL – CCORAL - which is an online support system for climate resilient decision making is applied to the ToR development process and EIA practitioners are encouraged to utilize the tool in conducting EIA’s.

1.4.3 Review of reports Once the required report is completed and submitted to the DoE a review is conducted.
In it’s the review of EIA’s the DoE is guided by the EIA checklist included in Annex III as well as the ToR’s that were developed to inform and guide the conduct of the EIA by the CDB.

If the activity is located in an area where another technical agency has management jurisdiction or management concerns the EIA is also submitted to that agency for review.
The DoE believes this process can be streamlined by establishing a technical panel comprising members from relevant agencies and departments including the DCA, Fisheries and the Central Board of Health to review the submitted environmental impact assessment reports.

When the review is compete, a report is produced and forwarded to the Chief Environment Officer for endorsement, as the sign that the review has completed the DoE processes.
The review report can include a number of recommendations these could: 1.

Require the proponent to carry out any further study or to submit additional information for the purpose of ensuring that the comprehensiveness of the EIA report or ensuring that the mitigation measures described are as accurate and exhaustive as possible.

2.

Recommend that the activity or undertaking be approved, with or without conditions; 3.
Where the undertaking or activity is likely to result in impacts that are not justifiable, mitigated or managed, recommend that the activity or undertaking should not be approved; 1.4.4 Decision on reports The completed review of the EIA is then sent to the appropriate decision-making body.

This could be the DCA in the case of development applications or to the PMC and/or the TAC in the case of projects.
In this case, the ESIA and ESMP will be provided to the Caribbean Development Bank for its No Objection as part of the Bank’s own due diligence to ensure compliance with the Bank’s environmental and social policy safeguards.

Due diligence is commensurate with the nature and scale of the project and the level of environmental risks and impacts.
ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 18 The decision-making body shall consider the recommendations of the EIA Review and shall make the final decision as to the proposed activity which it shall communicate in writing to the proponent, copied to the DoE and any other relevant agency or authority.

The final decision will advise the project proponent whether: 1.
The project/development is approved as submitted by the proponent without alteration; 2.

The project/development is denied; 3.

The project/ development is approved under certain conditions in keeping with the results of the EIA.

These conditions may include: a. Downscaling the project to better match the environment or other national circumstances; b.
Rejecting certain components of the project/development; c. Requiring that a bond be lodged in a bank under escrow as a security against damage to the environment; d. Requiring that the developer hire a consultant to conduct monitoring or oversee adherence mitigation measures.

The period form receipt of EIA to submission of review report is typically 1 month.

1.4.5 Appeal An applicant is provided the right of appeal.
Under the development application process, an appeal may be made to the DCA Appeals Tribunal as outlined in the PPA.

With regards to projects an appeal may be sought through the external complaints system outlined in the DOE operational manual.

1.4.6 Environment management and monitoring The proponent of a project is required to implement all aspects of any environment or social management plan, monitoring program, protection plan, or mitigation measure imposed as a condition of an approval of an EIA.
The process for monitoring an ESMP is addressed in Section 9 – Monitoring Plan, and is the responsibility of the Data Management Unit (DMU) of the DOE in collaboration with the Project Coordinator.

At the expense of the proponent the DoE can conduct inspections that may be necessary to determine whether the proponent is complying with the conditions of the approval.
If the DoE concludes that the proponent has not complied with the conditions of the approval, the Director shall inform the Attorney General and request that an action in damages be taken in the name of the Government of Antigua and Barbuda against the proponent.

ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 19 2.
POLICY LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE FRAMEWORK The following laws, policies and international conventions encapsulated in the table below are applicable to the DOE’s Climate Change Programme and this project in particular.

Table 3.
Table 3.

Relevant Policies, Legal and Administrative Framework Legislation NATIONAL LEGISLATION Constitution of Antigua and Barbuda, 1981 National Solid Waste Management Authority (Amendment) Act of 2005 Environmental Protection and Management Act (2015) Description and relevance to the project The Antigua and Barbuda Constitution, prohibits discrimination on the grounds of sex, which refers specifically to the biological differences that determines an individual as male or female.
Article 14 (3) states, “In this section, the expression "discriminatory" means affording different treatment to different persons attributable wholly or mainly to their respective descriptions by race, place of origin, political opinions or affiliations, colour, creed, or sex whereby persons of one such description are subjected to disabilities or restrictions to which persons of another such description are not made subject or are accorded privileges or advantages that are not accorded to persons of another such description” This therefore requires that all aspects of the project should include equal opportunities for men and women to be involved in the project as well as benefit from the impact of the projects The Act establishes the NSWMA as having general responsibility for the management of waste, including hazardous waste, the categorization of which includes poisonous (H6.1), corrosive (H8), toxic (H11), and ecotoxic (H12), which are relevant to this project.
The EPMA serves as the principal guiding policy for the Department of the Environment.

It establishes and consolidates the Implementation of the Multilateral Environmental Agreements in one legal regime and provides the financial framework for implementation.
It governs sustainable environmental protection and management to establish effective allocation of administrative responsibilities for environment management, coordination of environmental management, and the incorporation of international treaty obligations with respect to the environment into national and law related matters.
ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 20 Legislation Physical Planning Act, 2003 Description and relevance to the project The EPMA requires any commercial or industrial facility that handles, stores, processes, or otherwise controls any to prepare Site Environmental hazardous substance Management Plans (EMP) for approval by the Department of Environment (DOE).
This section applies to the beneficiary facilities under this project, as batteries are considered a hazardous waste.

The Government will implement Section 39 of the EPMA 2015 for public facilities on a pilot basis, beginning with Medical Clinics and Schools, which will receive small grants from the DOE to prepare their site Environmental Management Plans (EMPs), as required under the Environmental Protection and Management Act, 2015, using ISO 14000.
As part of this process, the DOE will provide solar PV panels, batteries and accessories to Schools and Clinics in order to reduce their Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, which is considered to be a Pollutant under the EPMA (2015).

The facilities are also required to register hazardous waste in the Environmental Registry under Section 77(2)(a) of the Act.
The PPA controls the development of land; the protection of the natural environment; as well as building regulations and provides legislation for a National Development Plan and Local Area Plans for specific areas in Antigua and Barbuda.

The Third Schedule of the Physical Planning requires an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for ecosystem interventions.
Any material changes to land or buildings, including extensions to the roof, must be approved by the Development Control Authority (DCA), and as such the DOE works closely with the DCA on developments in the Third Schedule.

Before installation of solar panels begin, the DOE will facilitate a feasibility assessment of infrastructure, including roofs, and seek necessary approval from DCA, where applicable.
Though the Third Schedule of the PPA does not require an EIA for the installation of solar panels, which is expected to ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 21 Legislation Childcare and Protection Act, 2004 Disaster Management Act, 2002 NATIONAL POLICIES Antigua and Barbuda Interconnection Policy, 2015 Sustainable Island Resource Management Zoning Plan (SIRMZP 2012) Description and relevance to the project have minimal impact upon the environment, this EIA identifies the potential adverse impacts during the works e.g.
noise and dust nuisances, waste management including disposal of panels which may break during installation or due to extreme climate events, and the occupational health and safety concerns of workers and persons using the facilities while works are undertaken.

The assessment also considers impacts during operation.

The CPA establishes a Child Protection Agency in Antigua and Barbuda and provides safety, care and protection for all children.
It also provides standards for child care facilities including reporting abuse or neglect of children and requirements of children’s homes.

This Act provides for the effective organization of the preparedness, management, mitigation of, response to and recovery from emergencies and disasters natural and man- made in Antigua and Barbuda.

Antigua and Barbuda Interconnection Policy update in 2015 provides for Net Billing for systems between 0 – 5 kW for resident and commercial facilities.
For systems between 5 – 50 kW, the Policy mandates a Feed-in Tariff (buy-all, Sell-all) at the avoided cost of fuel (XCD 0.45).

The Physical Planning Act of 2003 describes the intention for a Development Plan for any part of Antigua and Barbuda.

The SIRMZP was commissioned as the national physical development plan and approved in 2012.

This land use and zoning plan presents a development framework which labels the northwest coast of Antigua as a “settlement expansion zone”.
The target area is inside this zone.
National Poverty Strategy 2011-2015 National Youth Policy, 2007 The National Poverty Strategy 2011- 2015 has as one of its through Environmental strategies, “Building Resilience Sustainability – by making disaster risk reduction a feature of the planning process in the light of the high environmental risks that the country faces from hurricanes, earthquakes, and now sea rise, as a result of global warming.” The National Youth Policy identifies factors that are critical to youth empowerment and identifies eight key focus areas; including strengthening social environments, education and training, employment and sustainable livelihoods, health, ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 22 Legislation OECS Building Codes (Antigua and Barbuda Draft) National Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) Policy and Strategy for Antigua and Barbuda Description and relevance to the project participation and empowerment, care and protection, crime, violence and rehabilitation and gender equality and gender relations.
By installing solar panels in schools, the project will reach young women and young men, and could build valuable skillsets for young professionals.

This project directly impacts 5 of the 8 focus areas listed within the National Youth Policy: strengthening social environments, education and training, livelihoods, health and employment and sustainable participation and empowerment.
In 2015, the OECS Secretariat, with the assistance of the United Nations Development Programme and through the UNCHS/UNDP Project for Programme Support to the Human Settlements Sector in the OECS (CAR/89/006), updated the standard building codes and guidelines which speak directly to the specific requirement of each OECS country.
The codes and guidelines are based on the Caribbean Uniform Building Code (CUBiC) and other regional codes such as the Bahamas Building Code, the draft Jamaica National Building Code and the Turks and Caicos Islands Building Code.

Key to these updated codes is the recognition “that the damage caused by these extreme natural events affect the poor to a significant extent, and have placed emphasis on the development of building standards which would prevent or mitigate the damage so caused.
The Governments are also revising existing planning and building regulations so as to more responsive to the current needs, and to ensure as far as it possible to do so that all buildings are constructed in a "safe" manner and resistant to the natural hazards.” Government is committed to strengthen the national capacity and capability to implement CDM.

This will be done through the elaboration of a series of inter-locking complementary policies and strategic actions in areas identified below.
Government, through NODS or other organizations/sectors regional and will mobilize international sources to support this strategic policy and plan.
from national, resources This policy calls for the modification of The Disaster Management Act (2002) to link and promote the coordination of all related national environmental policy and secondary ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 23 Legislation Description and relevance to the project legislation into a legislative framework that supports and promotes the implementation of CDM.
The governance structure of the national disaster management programme and of NODS will be streamlined to enable more efficient decision making and guidance.

MULTILATERAL AGREEMENTS, TREATIES AND CONVENTIONS Sustainable Development Goals In September 2015, the General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The project will contribute to the implementation of the following SDGs: Convention on the Rights of the Child Paris Agreement, 2015 The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants United Nations Convention on the Transboundary Movement of Hazardous waste and their disposal (Basel Convention) GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-being GOAL 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities GOAL 13: Climate Action A United Nations Treaty outlining the rights of children in the following areas: civil, political, economic, social, cultural, health.
Adopted by RES/44/25 at the 44th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in 1989 The 2015 Paris Agreement is an agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) dealing with greenhouse gas emissions mitigation, adaptation and finance starting in the year 2020.

Antigua and Barbuda has ratified the Paris Agreement and submitted its Nationally Determined Contribution under the UNFCCC.
Ratified by Antigua and Barbuda in February 2004, the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) is a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from chemicals that remain intact in the environment for long periods, become widely distributed geographically, accumulate in the fatty tissue of humans and wildlife, and have harmful impacts on human health or on the environment.3 Ratified by Antigua and Barbuda in May 1993, the Basel Convention entered into force in response to a public outcry following the discovery, in the 1980s, in Africa and other parts of the developing world of deposits of toxic wastes imported from abroad.
The overarching objective of the Basel Convention is to protect human health and the 3 Overview of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.
Accessed 12 June 2018 http://chm.pops.int/TheConvention/Overview/tabid/3351/Default.aspx ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 24 Legislation United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), 1992 Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) Description and relevance to the project environment against the adverse effects of hazardous wastes.
4 The UNFCCC, which entered into force in 1994, provides a framework for intergovernmental efforts addressing climate change and its effects.

Member States of the UN meet and share data on greenhouse gas emissions, national policies and best practices, with the goal of developing and implementing strategies for tackling emissions and providing financial and technical assistance for developing countries.
The UNFCCC aims for gender balance in bodies established pursuant to the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol, to improve women’s participation and inform more effective climate change policy that addresses the needs of women and men equally.

The UNFCCC called for the national adaptation plan (NAP) process to be gender-sensitive, and calls on the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to promote environmental, social, economic, and development co- benefits and take a gender-sensitive approach.
Each country formulates its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) to the UNFCCC.

By 2030, one of Antigua and Barbuda’s climate action target includes preparing buildings for extreme climate events, including drought, flooding and hurricanes, which is aligned to targets for this project.

CEDAW is the principal instrument utilized by the UN to protect the rights of women and eliminate all forms of discrimination against them.
Adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 1979, CEDAW was ratified by the Government of Antigua and Barbuda in 1989 and its Optional Protocol signed in 1996.
This convention mandates states to ensures that women equally represented their governments and international organizations; have equal rights to bank loans, mortgages and other forms of financial credit; (i) participate in and benefit from rural development; (ii) participate in development planning at all levels; (iii) obtain training, education, and extension services; (iv) have access to agricultural credit and loans, marketing facilities and appropriate technology; and (v) are treated equally in land, agrarian reform, and land resettlement schemes.
4 Overview of the Basel Convention.
Accessed 12 June 2018 http://www.basel.int/TheConvention/Overview/tabid/1271/Default.aspx ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 25 Legislation Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action from the Fourth World Conference on Women Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) outcome document Description and relevance to the project This landmark Declaration and PoA called for actively involving women in environmental decision making at all levels, integrating gender concerns and perspectives in policies and programs for sustainable development, and strengthening or establishing mechanisms at the national, regional and international levels to assess the impact of development and environmental policies on women.
The 52nd session of the Commission on the Status of Women (2008) identified gender perspectives on climate change as its key emerging issue.
The CSW, which is convened annually at United Nations Headquarters in New York, urged Member States to integrate gender into the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation and reporting of national environmental policies; as well as to strengthen mechanisms and provide adequate resources to ensure women’s full and equal participation in decision issues, with levels on environmental making at all particular emphasis on strategies related to climate change and the lives of women and girls.
The Convention is intended as a human rights instrument with an explicit, social development dimension.

It adopts a broad categorization of persons with disabilities and reaffirms that all persons with all types of disabilities must enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedoms.
It clarifies and qualifies how all categories of rights apply to persons with disabilities and identifies areas where adaptations have to be made for persons with disabilities to effectively exercise their rights and areas where their rights have been violated, and where protection of rights must be reinforced.
Rio+20 affirms that green economy policies in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication should enhance the welfare of women, mobilize their full potential and ensure the equal contribution of both women and men.

“The Future We Want” was adopted in Rio de Janeiro in June 2012.

It resolves to unlock the potential of women as drivers of sustainable development, including through the repeal of discriminatory laws and the removal of formal barriers.
It also commits to actively promote the collection, analysis and use of gender sensitive indicators and sex-disaggregated data.
ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 26 Legislation Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Description and relevance to the project Goal 5: Gender Equality Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy Goal 13: Climate Change UNFCCC Gender Action Plan The UNFCCC Gender Action Plan aims to increase the participation of women in all UNFCCC processes.
It also seeks to increase awareness of and support for the development and effective implementation of gender-responsive climate levels.

The policy at the regional, national and consultants drew on UNFCCC publications and best practices for Gender and Climate in the preparation of this ESIA.

local ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 27 3.
APPROACH AND METHODOLOGY 3.1 Research Methodology The methodology for undertaking this ESIA and ESMP is influenced by several contextual factors.

Firstly, there exists within Antigua and Barbuda a legal and structured EIA process, which is outlined in Section 1.4 of this document.

Although an EIA is not required for in-situ renewable energy projects under national law, the process can be followed where requirements are added as conditions of accessing funds.
Secondly, this project is one activity in an overall Climate Change Programme, which targets the installation of 25MW of off-grid Renewable Energy systems, for which USD 18 million is already approved and under implementation for similar results areas.

Comprehensive EIAs and ESMPs have been developed for the respective projects.
Additionally, the DoE is an accredited entity to the Adaptation fund and the Green Climate Fund, and as such has undergone extensive due diligence, following which the Department was accredited for Category B (medium risk) projects.

Step 1.

Terms of Reference are developed for the ESIA and ESMP Caribbean Development Bank Step 2.

Initial desktop review and baseline data collection PMU Consultants Step 3.
Stakeholder consultation to gather concerns and potential risks PMU Consultants and UN Structural Engineer Step 4.

Draft ESIA and ESMP PMU Consultants Step 5.

Validate via the DOE, Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and other stakeholders DOE, TAC, PMC and stakeholders Step 6.

Submit to the CDB for feedback and No Objection Caribbean Development Bank Figure 3.
Methodology for the development of the project’s ESIA and ESMP ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 28 Considering the factors outlined above, the elaboration of this ESIA and ESMP involved the steps outlined in Figure 3.

This ESIA and ESMP were developed by consultants within the Project Management Unit (PMU) of the Department of Environment.
See Section 1.2.2 on Implementation Arrangements for details on the Project Management Unit and human resourcing arrangements.

3.2 Desktop Research Desk research for this project involved the consultation of a number of sources including a legislative and policy review (as seen in Section 2) as well as the consultation of a number of professional studies and documents.
As the various laws, policies and international regimes which have guided the preparation of this project were outlined in Section 2, this section on Desk Research will present the key technical documents used to support the elaboration of this project.

This project is one of the initiatives under the Climate Change Programme.
Baseline data and documentation that are relevant to this ESIA and ESMP include: • • • • • • • United Nations Electricity Supply Partnership report titled, Solar PV facility screening study for public and educational facilities on Antigua and Barbuda, prepared for CDB and shared with the Bank on 30 January 2018 Environmental Impact Review – Wind Turbines at Crabbs, 2014 under the GEF-funded Special Pathways Protected Areas and Renewable Energy (SPPARE) project Antigua and Barbuda Renewables Readiness Assessment, 2016 Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) and Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) for the Adaptation Fund project, including the Revolving Loan facility for homes and small businesses (includes installation of Renewable Energy), 2016 Green Climate Fund (GCF) ESIA and ESMP for the Enhancing Direct Access project, including solar RE plus batteries installation for home and business owners, 2017 Environmental Management Systems pilot for two facilities in Antigua and Barbuda, including installation of backup renewable energy, 2018 Technical and Financial Feasibility and Impact Assessments for the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) with IRENA, 2015 Energy sustainability in Antigua and Barbuda: Peer Analysis and Recommendations on a Solar Buy-In Tariff and a Social Rate for APUA, 2015 3.3 Consultations with Stakeholders and Informal Interviews Public consultations for this project were achieved through two methods.
Firstly, there were two stakeholder meetings where open and frank exchange was encouraged and secondly, through directed interviews.

ESS and Gender stakeholder consultations with representatives of schools, ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 29 clinics and Government Ministries was held on 9 January 2018.

The stakeholder list and agenda is included in the Annex II.
In total, 35 participants, including five (5) DOE staff members, thirty- one (31) women and four (4) men were in attendance.

Interviews of 1 hour were conducted with 25 community representatives through one-on-one interactions before the formal consultation.

In addition, consultations were held on 8 January 2018 with NGO representatives to consult on the DOE’s draft Environmental and Social Safeguards Policy and draft Gender Policy.

These discussions have also informed the development of this ESIA.
ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 30 4.

ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC BASELINE 4.1 Overview of utilities and infrastructure relevant to the Project The energy sector is detailed to establish baseline environmental conditions.

Antigua and Barbuda is almost entirely dependent on imported fossil fuels for its energy supply.

More than one-third of all imports are related to energy.
Some solar, wind and bioenergy resources (fuelwood, locally produced charcoal and some biodiesel) are used by private individuals in scattered locations (IRENA, 2016).

Petroleum product imports consist of gasoline, and diesel for use in the transport sector; heavy fuel oil (HFO) for power sector use; liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for cooking; kerosene/Avgas for aviation and a small amount of domestic use.

In 2014, fuel imports amounted to 192,788 tonnes of oil equivalent (IRENA, 2016).

Figure 4.
Figure 4.

Baseline electricity statistics for Antigua and Barbuda ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 31 Peak demand for electricity on Antigua in 2014 was 51.5 MW.

APUA’s electricity demand analysis and forecast for Antigua indicates that peak demand has been flat since 2007 but is forecast to grow by 6%, reaching 55 MW in 2025 (IRENA, 2016).
4.2 Baseline Socio-economic Conditions Over the past decades, Antigua and Barbuda has transitioned from a mainly agrarian economy to a tourism-based economy.

According to the CIA World Fact Book, tourism accounts for nearly 60% of GDP and 40% of investment.

The government is the second largest employer in the country.
The Country Poverty Assessment identified that, “A slow down in the tourism sector and the failure of the Government to contain expenditure within the confines of the tax structure created a debt crisis within the country” (Kairi Consultants Ltd, 2007) and unearthed socioeconomic conditions unnoticed before which has strong relations to the shift from an agrarian economy to a tourism state as well as over reliance on the tourism sector and the government as the second largest employer.
A shift from an agrarian economy to a tourism state saw the highest levels of poverty in the St. John’s City, St. John’s Rural and St. Phillip area as demonstrated in the table below (Kairi Consultants Ltd, 2007).

Table 4.Head count index by district Such a shift has seen little economic revival in the St. Phillip’s area and has also created the rural- urban drift as well as incoming economic migrants in the entire St. John’s city area (Kairi Consultants Ltd, 2007).
The dual-island nation’s agricultural production (just 3% of GDP) is focused on the domestic market and constrained by a limited water supply and a labour shortage stemming from the ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 32 Dutch disease phenomenon of higher wages in tourism and construction.
Like other countries in the region, Antigua’s economy was severely hit by effects of the global economic recession in 2009.

The country suffered from the collapse of its largest private sector employer, a steep decline in tourism, a rise in debt, and a sharp economic contraction between 2009 and 2011.

Prospects for economic growth depend on tourist arrivals and can be disrupted by potential damage from natural disasters (CIA, 2018).
The latter was evinced recently during the category 5 hurricanes that hit Antigua & Barbuda.

According to the IMF’s World Economic Outlook Report for 2016, real GDP is expected to grow by approximately 3%, while the inflation rate is expected to remain at 1.2% (IMF, 2018).
The World Travel & Tourism Council has further extrapolated that tourism is likely to increase to 74.2% of GDP and investment to 51.5% of GDP by 2027, resulting in an increase in tourism-related employment from its current level of 16.7% to 21.5% (World Travel and Tourism Council, 2017).

Figure 5.
Figure 5.

Trends in Antigua and Barbuda’s HDI Component Indices 2005-2015 Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2016, Antigua and Barbuda According to the United Nations Human Development Report for 2016, Antigua and Barbuda has shown an overall improvement in its human development index between 2005 and 2015, as indicated in Figure 2 below, with an increase in life expectancy, education, and GNI per capita (UNDP, 2018).

It is currently ranked as 62nd globally with a Human Development Index of 0.786.
Life expectancy at birth is 76.2 years, 13.9 years of schooling is expected, gross national income ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 33 per capita is $20,907 and environmental sustainability, measured by carbon dioxide emissions per capita (tonnes) is 5.8 (UNDP 2018).
Of interest, however, is that there was insufficient data for the UN to calculate the Gender Development Index, the Multidimensional Poverty Index, as well as the Inequality-adjusted HDI.

This impact assessment, therefore, relies on the 2011 Population and Housing Census of the Government of Antigua and Barbuda for in-country data.
Of importance to this particular project is its anticipated implementation within 13 schools and clinics within 5 out of 6 of the parishes in Antigua and Barbuda: St. John, St. Mary, St. Paul, St. Peter and St. Phillip.

Current Social Conditions According to the 2011 Population and Housing Census, apart from city St. John’s and St. Peter, population has increased between the 2001 (76,886) and 2011 (84,816) censuses at a rate of 1.0% in Antigua and Barbuda across all other parishes (GoAB 2011).
The slow population growth rate reflects high emigration, in particular of educated individuals with higher education pursuing full employment economic opportunities.

Public services like education and health care will also be impacted because of growth due to the increase of dependents on these sectors.

Figure 6.
Figure 6.

Inter-Censual Change in Population by Parish Source: 2011 Population and Housing Census, Government of Antigua and Barbuda This change in population can further be broken down by sex as follows where we see an increase in the male as well as female population between 2001 and 2011.

ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 34 Figure 7.
Inter-Censual Change in Population by Sex Source: 2011 Population and Housing Census, Government of Antigua and Barbuda Unemployment The unemployment rate, by parish, is of interest, and also the lack of overall technical skills as demonstrated in Figures 5 and 6 below.

Notably, St. Mary, which has a 9.1% unemployment rate, will house solar panels in 4 clinics, namely, the Nyabinghi Theocracy School, Bendals Clinic, Bolans Clinic and Old Road Clinic.
St. John’s Parish which has a combined unemployment rate of 22.9% is home to solar panels in 6 various clinics; the Good Shephard Home, Victory Center, Fiennes, Holberton Hospice, Holberton Children’s Ward and Potters Clinic.

St. Paul, St. Phillip and St. Peter will house 1 school/ clinic each, and exhibit unemployment rates of 8.9%, 7.3% and 10.4% respectively.

Figure 8.
Unemployment rates by parish Source: Population and Housing Census, 2011, Government of Antigua and Barbuda ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 35 These significant rates of unemployment may be related to the lack of skill set that has been noted by the census among young demographics 15 years and older (see Figure 9 below) and may impact the percentages of the population that have health insurance (Figure 10).
The unemployment rates as well as lack of skillsets may have important social implications for the implementation of the PV solar panels within communities.

For example, stakeholders, raised the possibility of community members vandalizing clinics to charge phones or access water, not only during times of inclement weather, but also during times of power or water outages, which are not uncommon on the island.
Given the positive correlation between unemployment and minor crimes, this is a valid social impact that must be mitigated against with anti-theft security and inclusive training and opportunities.

The mandate of the project which requires the project to encourage community ownership of the climate resilient community solar panels will promote involvement of the community.

Figure 9.
Figure 9.

Population 15 years and older receiving, attempting or have had skills training Source: 2011 Population and Housing Census, Government of Antigua and Barbuda ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 36 Figure 10.
Population by Health Insurance Status Source: 2011 Population and Housing Census, Government of Antigua and Barbuda The lack of skillsets and the high unemployment rates combined with the concern around sustainable maintenance of solar panels, presents an interesting opportunity.
The clinics as government entities, rely on the Ministry of Public Works and Housing for maintenance but the schools however have no designated/ paid maintenance person to oversee operations and maintenance of the solar panels in the future.

This project only includes two schools (Nyabinghi and Victory Center), which are private and therefore manages its own O&M.

However, this consideration for O&M in public schools should be addressed in project up-scaling.
Risk mitigation mechanisms the DOE may wish to consider, to supplement the existing O&M arrangements, include: (1) Inviting community members to information sessions aimed at increasing public awareness around RE and solar panels (this is ongoing); and (2) Where possible, incorporate (unemployed) community members in operations and maintenance trainings, to build their capacity and increase their skill sets.
This may initially be on a voluntary/internship basis, and it could create social responsibility and goodwill around solar panels, “communal goods,” while building capacity of unemployed persons, both male and female.

The DOE has experience managing successful internship programmes, and civil or electrical engineers currently in school will be encouraged to apply for internships through one of the priority areas.
To better understand the social circumstances of the parishes in which the 13 schools and clinics are located, that could account for the high rates of unemployment and skills, we refer to the following table in the 2011 Population and Housing Census.

ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 37 Table 5.
Livelihood by Parish Source: 2011 Population and Housing Census, Government of Antigua and Barbuda St. John and St. Mary are the parishes with the greatest number of schools and clinics, impacted by this project.

Of persons with disabilities receiving disability benefit more than 80% reside in the 5 parishes covered under this project.

In considering the impact of the PV Solar Panels on the community, the project has a high potential to deliver benefits for elderly and persons with disabilities.
Access to Water and Electricity Stakeholders raised concerns about the impact of power outages on their ability to provide quality and efficient health care to patients and continuous education to students.5 While this is particularly applicable during times of hurricanes, it has application year-round as power outages occur frequently in Antigua and Barbuda.

Grid disruption data is not available from the public utility authority.
However, the problem of grid disruption is evidenced by the statistic that 10% of buildings have their own backup generator (Census, 2011).

The lack of a consistent supply of electricity, and water during drought periods, was raised by numerous stakeholders, including those of the Fiennes Institute, the Holberton Hospice as well as many of the other clinics.

With power cuts, not only is electricity gone, but water pumping is interrupted.
All buildings are required to have some water storage/tanks on site per the Building Code, however without electricity, water cannot be pumped.
The schools and clinics will be assessing the adequacy of 5 Report on Consultation with schools and clinics by Rashauna Adams-Matthew, Tuesday, 9th January, 2018 ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 38 their water storage capacity through the Environmental Management System standard; investment in water storage capacity is outside the scope of this project.
Many stakeholders expressed a belief that the use of solar panels would be to their benefit, offering much more reliable access to electricity and water.

An NGO stakeholder noted that something as simple as water can have detrimental effect on the life and death of, for example, a person living with HIV/ AIDS.

The table below demonstrates the large percentages, in the 5 parishes covered in this project, that depend on public water supply.
People also depend on cisterns/tanks, and many vulnerable people do not have access to generators.

This creates particular challenges when power outages take place.

Table 6.

Number of Households by Parish by Main Source of Water Supply Source: 2011 Population and Housing Census, Government of Antigua and Barbuda Table 7.
Number of Generators by Parish Source: 2011 Population and Housing Census, Government of Antigua and Barbuda ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 39 4.3 Baseline Gender Conditions Gender is generally understood as the social attributes and opportunities associated with being male and female and the relationships between women and men and girls and boys, as well as the relations between women and those between men.
These attributes, opportunities and relationships are socially constructed and are learned through socialization processes.

Gender equality means the equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities of women and men and girls and boys.
Equality does not mean that women and men will become the same but that women’s and men’s rights, responsibilities and opportunities will not depend on whether they are born male or female (excerpt from the draft multilateral Global Environment Facility Policy on Gender Equality).
In order to design a gender-responsive project, the following section assesses the available data disaggregated by gender, where possible, to understand how men and women may be differently affected by the project, with the aim of promoting gender equality.

The Data Management Unit of the DOE provided the following information disaggregated data by sex per electoral district, in which the beneficiary clinics and schools are located.

Table 8.
Disaggregated Data by Sex by Electoral District Location Victory Center Children's Ward Holberton Hospice Fiennes Good Shepard Potters Clinic Male Female Total 130 146 276 41 148 183 24 155 188 656 303 371 These buildings fall within the same Enumeration District, as such the data is the same for all 6 Report on Consultation with schools and clinics by Rashauna Adams-Matthew, Tuesday, 9th January, 2018 ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 40 Location Bendals Nyabingi Theocracy Parham Clinic Willikies Clinic Swetes Clinic Bolans Clinic Old Road Clinic Male Female Total 119 104 86 60 133 126 107 131 106 102 66 112 130 110 250 209 188 127 246 256 217 An assessment of gender in Antigua and Barbuda reveals the vulnerabilities of men and women as it relates to the project: these include its direct impact for beneficiaries of the sites for implementation and the opportunities available for the community that are related to this project.
The gender analysis for this ESIA covers the following roles as described in greater detail below, and findings are summarized here: • • • • • Participation in Environmental Social Safeguard and Gender Consultations – not gender balanced; majority women in attendance (thirty-one (31) women and four (4) men) Educational Attainment – young men at risk Decision-making during project implementation – majority women representation Contractors – majority male owned companies in construction and electrical engineering sectors (see Table 10) Clients or patrons of the targeted facilities – generally gender balanced Consultations: Consultations were held with representatives from the schools and clinics in order to receive opinions from persons in contact with social and gender challenges at the sites and to incorporate their challenges and recommendations into the implementation of solar panels at the decided sites.
Despite an opportunity for equal representation of men and women as the invitations for stakeholders were not gender specific, with the exception of presenters such as DoE staff, the project’s Technical Engineer and Programme Manager, the consultation was represented with women representing eighty-six percent and men representing fourteen percent of stakeholders.
This is demonstrated in table below: ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 41 The Environmental and Social Safeguards and Gender Consultations: Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics Males 14% Females 86% Males Females Figure 11: Disaggregated data by sex for Consultations Thus, challenges and recommendations from the consultation were generally provided from a female perspective.
As recipients of service from the schools and clinics, men represent at minimum, forty-nine percent of patients or students (see results from Table 8).

A higher percentage of male participants may have contributed to a greater gender balance in opinions shared.

Educational Attainment: It was suggested during the consultation that men may face limited opportunities within climate resilient fields in the future due to a deteriorating performance and attendance in the education system.
Despite outnumbering girls at the beginning of secondary school, by the Fifth form, there are significantly less boys than girls graduating from secondary schools.

This is primarily due to boys being more likely to repeat forms or drop-out of secondary school altogether.
So, although more males have been the top CSEC student in the island than females, this is not reflected in the general performance of boys as more boys than girls occupy the bottom performance tier.7 This opinion is validated by data within the Country Poverty Assessment which shows the attendance of males and females within the Antigua and Barbuda school system shown below: 7 Report on Consultation with schools and clinics by Rashauna Adams-Matthew, Tuesday, 9th January, 2018 ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 42 Table 9: Youths (aged 15-24) Currently Attending School by Type of School/Grade by Sex 8 Due to the low performance in formal education, it is expected that this will have an effect on the ability of males to join technical or educational career fields in Antigua.
As demonstrated in Figure 6, for persons 15 years and older (most of which are males based on the account from the Ministry of Education), 59% are without skills-training, a majority of which reside in the St. Mary’s parish which will house four solar panels sites and the St. John’s parish which houses six solar panels site.
In order to address this vulnerability somewhat, the project could consider training male school drop-outs from these areas in order to equip them with technical skills that will not only ensure the maintenance of the solar panels in the parishes but will also provide employment opportunities for this group.
Project decision-making: The Department of Environment can be considered as the lead decision maker in climate-resilient activities in Antigua and Barbuda and connects with all other sectors to achieve climate change programs.

The staff at the Department of Environment and more specifically, the persons in the highest positions at the Department and the project coordinators generally are women with women accounting for 70% of the managerial positions within the department.
Therefore, although men are involved in climate change activities directly through 8 Kairi Consultants Ltd in Association with the National Assessment Team of Antigua and Barbuda.

"Living Conditions in Antigua and Barbuda: Poverty in a Services Economy in Transition."

Country Poverty Assessment Reports 1 (August 2007): 70.
ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 43 employment at the Department of Environment and indirectly through employment within the various sectors, they are not directly involved in decision making surrounding climate change activities generally.
Contractors: It is fair to conclude that since this project will be targeting contractors in the construction and energy sector, that the firms will likely be majority male-owned and employed.
As indicated in table 10 which shows the dis-aggregated sex data per economic sector, men represent a greater percentage of the population in sectors such as Agriculture, Hunting & Forestry, Fishing, Mining & Quarrying, Manufacturing, Construction, Transport & Communication, as well as Retail, Renting and Business Activities and women represent a greater percentage of the population in Government Services, Financial and Business Services, Hotels and Restaurants, Wholesale and Retail Trade, and Water, Electricity & Gas Supply.
Owners/managers of the beneficiary facilities: While specific data is not available, anecdotally it has been recognized via project consultations and partnerships with the beneficiary facilities that women dominate in the management positions within the educational and healthcare sectors in general, and this is consisted with observations from the targeted facilities.

Table 10.
Table 10.

Sex Distribution in Economic Sectors Source: Country Gender Assessment Report (2015), Antigua and Barbuda Clients or patrons of the targeted facilities: At the Fiennes Institute, men outnumber women by sixty three percent.
During consultations held on Tuesday, 9th January, 2018, a representative ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 44 from the Fiennes Institute indicated that females are more likely to receive support from family, while males are less likely to receive support at all; most of the males residing within the Institution are still able to work and due to an inability to find employment, not only are they left without financial support, but they are also left idle at the Institution which leads too fighting among the residents.
Therefore, it has been recommended that training be offered to residents at the Fiennes Institute in order to ensure occupation for the residents which may in turn offer an opportunity for such residents to provide for themselves and therefore remove reliance on the government.

The vulnerabilities of women are seen through the overwhelming number that depend on the services of the clinics and the schools and through the large majority of men at the Fiennes Institute which suffers from limited lighting.
As seen in table 8, with the exception of the Fiennes Institute and the Swetes clinic, women represent the majority of individuals who rely on the services of the schools and the clinics.

At consultations held on Tuesday, 9th January 2018, stakeholders from the clinics and schools articulated the effect that inconsistent supply of electricity and water has on their ability to serve patients or students.
The passage of a natural disaster, due to no generators at these sites, prevented nurses from treating patients altogether.

As women are the persons who primarily rely on these clinics for service, they are impacted the most by the sites inability to serve.

It is thus expected that the installation of the solar panels should positively impact women by ensuring their continued access to service generally and during a disaster.
A representative from the Fiennes Institute gave an overview of the conditions at the Institution and the implications it has for gender.

As shown in Table 8, the Institution has a much larger number of male residents than female residents: forty-one males and twenty-four females.

The Fiennes institute suffers from limited lighting and as is the case with the schools and clinics, inconsistent electricity supply.
This therefore can potentially create an atmosphere of sexual harassment and danger for female residents.9 The implementation of sustainable energy through the solar panels can mitigate against this potential harm to women by ensuring constant light at the Institution.
While women dominate in climate-resilience decision making through a larger employment at the Department of Environment, representation on the decision-making and technical Committees (PMC, TAC and Audit Committee), as well as in educational and healthcare sectors, men dominate in the electrical engineering and construction fields which explains why contractor firms in Antigua are almost exclusively owned by male.
9 Report on Consultation with schools and clinics by Rashauna Adams-Matthew, Tuesday, 9th January, 2018 ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 45 In order to encourage women to take a greater role in Science and Technology fields and to thus potentially own contracting firms in Antigua, the Department of Environment is encouraged to support training that is via open invitation to both men and women to attend the Information Day which allow attendees to see the installation of the solar panels at the various site and learn more about renewable energy.
Based on the attendance of the consultations held by the Department of Environment on Tuesday 9th January, it is anticipated that such an event could see a large number of female attendees (31 women and 4 men attended the consultation).

The Department of Environment has been taking certain steps as it relates to ensuring gender equality within the department and also in relation to its portfolio of projects.
The Department is developing a Gender Policy, anticipated to be completed by September 2018, and will be undertaking gender capacity building and training to ensure that all policies and programs and adaptation strategies are gender responsive to benefit both men and women equally.

The DOE is further seeking to assess and quantify the barriers to women, from both male and female, through ongoing gender-disaggregated social science research and analysis led by the DMU.
In conclusion, it is expected that community benefits of the project will be gender equal and in respect to direct benefit as recipients of service from the sites, it is expected that women who are the primary beneficiaries in at least nine of the twelve sites would benefit most from the continued service of the clinics and schools and will mitigate against the risks of sexual harassments at sites, such as the Fiennes Institute, which has an overwhelmingly male majority.
The project is expected to directly benefit men in the Fiennes Institute as they represent the majority of residents from this area.

4.4 Climate Change Projections Climate trends in the Eastern Caribbean include increased temperature, rainfall extremes (both drought and high intensity downpours) and more severe hurricanes.

The Hadley Centre PRECIS (Providing Regional Climates for Impact Studies) regional model has 25-km resolution for the Caribbean region.
PRECIS results for the Eastern Caribbean using SRES A2 (higher emissions) and B2 (lower emissions) scenarios are (ECLAC, 2010): • Between 1 and 4°C warmer by the end of the century – the rate of increase in air temperature in the Caribbean during the 20th century exceeded the global average • Average annual rainfall is projected to decrease by the end of the century • Rainfall variability is projected to increase, with more intense downpours and extended drought conditions • Hurricane intensity is likely to increase; increases in hurricane frequency are uncertain Impacts on temperature and hurricanes are elaborated below: firstly, because temperature increases will affect energy demand in the beneficiary facilities; and secondly, because solar PV systems can be exposed to hurricane impacts ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 46 Temperature The Caribbean Weather Impacts Group (CARIWIG) has recorded historical yearly climate data regionalized by island from 1901-2011.
Below are graphs showing historical data for temperature for Antigua and Barbuda (separated by island)10.

As the figures below show, both Antigua and Barbuda have had increasing daily temperature means over time.

1999 was the hottest year recorded, with annual daily temperature means of 27.4 in both Antigua and Barbuda.

Figure 12.

Historical Temperature for Antigua 1901-2011 Source: CARIWIG 10 Caribbean Weather Impacts Group (CARIWIG) Historical Data, Regional/National Annual Summaries.
http://cariwig.caribbeanclimate.bz/reg/.

Accessed 12.02.2017.

ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 47 Figure 13.

Historical Temperature for Barbuda 1901-2011 Source: CARIWIG Hurricanes The development of hurricanes is strongly correlated with sea surface temperature (SST).

When SSTs exceed 26 ̊C, hurricanes can form in the presence of pre-existing weather disturbances11.
Recent global sea surface temperatures are on track to be among the highest on record.

To date, 2017 is also at or near record high levels of global ocean heat content.

With global sea surface temperatures rising on average, hurricane activity has also changed.

In particular, the North Atlantic had a very active 2017 season.

The Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) index, a measure of the aggregate intensity and duration of cyclones, had its highest monthly value on record in September 2017.
Historical Hurricane Data in Antigua and Barbuda Over the past 30 years, hurricanes in the Caribbean have demonstrated increased intensity, a trend that is predicted to continue in the future12.

The Antigua and Barbuda Country Paper on National Climate Change Issues reported that from 1990–1999, the number of hurricanes per year and the number of named storms increased13.

Between 1990 and 1994, the country experienced 4 hurricanes annually and a total of 8 named storms.
This increased to 8 hurricanes 11 Simpson et al.

(2012) 12 id 13 James 2001 Antigua and Barbuda Country Paper.

ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 48 per year and 13 named storms between 1995 and 1999.

Table 11 below indicates the increase in economic losses compared to GDP size with each hurricane event.
More recently, Antigua and Barbuda has experienced over 10 hurricanes in the past 20 years.

The most recent major hurricanes were Hurricane Gonzalo in 2014 and Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017.

Irma, with winds of 300 km/hr sustained for 37 hours-- the longest on the satellite record at that intensity, spent three consecutive days as a Category 5 hurricane, also the longest on record, and made direct landfall on Barbuda.
Like Irma, Maria also reached Category 5 intensity and caused major destruction on a number of Caribbean islands, including Antigua and Barbuda (WMO, 2017).

After each event – in addition to the destruction of property, buildings, ecosystems and loss of lives – access to the electricity grid is often intermittent or unavailable for weeks, which has negative impacts on health, livelihoods and well-being, as well as the economic security of the country (see the table below).
Financial impacts The financial impacts of hurricanes over the past 12 years in Antigua and Barbuda amount to ~US$950 million (Simpson et al, 2012).

One of the most severe recorded hurricanes, Hurricane Luis, hit Antigua and Barbuda in September 1995 (Caribbean Disaster Mitigation Project, 1996) causing damage amounting to US$128 million – equivalent to ~30% of the country’s GDP.

In addition, the hurricane damaged most of the coastal hotels and resulted in a 17% decrease in tourist arrivals for that year.
Up-to-date statistics of the recent Hurricanes, Irma and Maria, are not currently available, however current estimates suggest that Hurricane Irma caused ~US$150 million of damage to Barbuda alone (Reuters, 2017).

The Government of Antigua and Barbuda is financially ill-equipped to provide the resources required to complete the necessary adaptation measures to its buildings and other infrastructure.
Such adaptation measures are particularly important for critical service public buildings used in social and emergency sectors, such as inter alia hospitals, police and fire stations, clinics and emergency shelters.

Table 11.
Table 11.

Hurricanes and associated economic losses in Antigua and Barbuda since 1995 Year Event 1995 Hurricane Luis 1998 Hurricane George 1999 Hurricane Jose and Lenny Economic loss/damages (US$)14,15 347 million 200 million 247 million GDP (US$) 494 million 620 million 652 million Economic loss of GDP (%) 70 32 38 2008 Hurricane Omar 2010 Hurricane Earl 49 million 52 million 1.4 billion 1.1 billion 3.6 4.6 14 Third National Communication on Climate Change.
15 The World Bank Group Climate Change Knowledge Portal (2017).
ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 49 2014 Hurricane Gonzalo 2017 Hurricane Irma 2017 Hurricane Maria 40 million Information not yet available Information not yet available 1.2 billion 3.3 Future Projections The WMO Expert Team on Climate Impacts on Tropical Cyclones found that while there is no clear evidence tha climate change is making the occurrence of slow-moving, land-falling hurricanes such as Irma more or less frequent, it is likely that human-induced climate change makes rainfall rates more intense, and that ongoing sea-level rise exacerbates storm surge impacts (WMO, 2017).
Due to challenges of separating long-term trends from natural system variability, as well as limitations to spatial analysis resolution, future hurricane models remain highly variable (Simpson et al, 2012).

Despite this variability, many models, including the 2007 IPCC Climate Change Scenario AR4, consistently conclude that increases in peak wind intensities and mean rainfall from tropical storms and hurricanes will occur (Knutson and Tuleya, 2004).
Other factors, such as El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), will also influence hurricane frequency in the region (Simpson et al, 2012).

Predictions These scenarios provide baseline global predictions that can be scaled down and applied to individual hazards.

The World Bank Group’s Climate Change Knowledge Portal applied these scenarios to local conditions to provide downscaled climate predictions for individual countries.
The downscaling method used was a daily-timescale variant of a method known as Bias Correction/Spatial Downscaling (BCSD).

The downscaling and bias-correction was done using historical observed daily gridded observations.

The base meteorological data consists of daily time-series for the period of 1950 through 1999 of precipitation, maximum temperature, and minimum temperature, adjusted from a variety of sources (World Bank Group, 2017).
Predictions for the climate change impacts on Antigua and Barbuda include increased temperatures and precipitation.

These trends contribute to projected increases in the likelihood of severe drought, sea level rise, flooding events and extent, and intensity of hurricanes.

These impacts make Antigua and Barbuda more vulnerable to natural hazard events, and increase the need for resilience measures.
The solar PV plus battery backup energy systems will need to be designed to respond to these projected climate impacts.

The tender documents issued for this project included provisions for the contractor to design to extreme climate events.

ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 50 5.
SITE SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION OF BENEFICIARY FACILITIES This ESIA and ESMP is complemented by a detailed engineering report of the beneficiary facilities, produced with technical assistance from the United Nations Electricity Supply Partnership on 30th January 2018, titled Solar PV facility screening study for public and educational facilities on Antigua and Barbuda.

That report found that most sites were confirmed as suitable.
Concurrent investments in strengthening the roofs and replacing sheet steel roof coverings were recommended in over half of the sites.

Flooding risk was assessed in the UN Electricity Supply Partnership Technical Report (30 Jan 2018), which concluded the following: • In general, the assessed flood risk at the inspected sites was low.

The most common source of risk noted is standing water and overflow of open urban stormwater drains during heavy rain periods, in flat and low-lying sites.
Catchments are very small and generally have a high percentage of grass and forest cover.

Hence the most common type of flooding anticipated is very short term standing water of up to 100mm, from rainfall in the immediate site area.

• Many of the buildings inspected are built on top of elevated foundations and slabs and are surrounded by a ring drain.
• The generic recommendation to mitigate this level and type of flood risk is to simply ensure the power management system and batteries are wall mounted or placed on racks a minimum of 200mm above floor level.

Complementing the civil engineering report, site specific descriptions focus on the facilities and the communities that depend on them.
Where data is available, the table below includes number of students/patients; sphere of influence; types of usage; operating hours; staff; and important stakeholders that have been identified for each facility to date.

Bendals Clinic is located in St. John’s Rural and serves a population of 250 (estimated 119 men and 131 women).

The area is rural and many families are supported by agriculture as it is one of the more fertile watersheds in the country.
Bendals Community Group is active in the local area, providing annual Education Grant programme, health awareness, and other activities.

Maximum Active Power, KW.

Average Daily Load, Kwh.


Mounting Rooftop installation Type Public facility 2.3 12 The solar array was designed to produce 100% of energy demand base on the present energy ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 51 usage plus future expansion up to 33% to accommodate planned installation of air conditioning units to manage heat exposure of patients, equipment and medicine.
The clinic does not currently have any backup power supply.

Bolans Clinic along Valley Road within the Christian Valley Watershed, and serves a population of 256 (126 men and 130 women).

Livelihoods in the community are primarily in agriculture, fishing and tourism.

There are about 50 farmers in the community, and the number of fishers has declined significantly in the last 10 years due to socioeconomic and environmental challenges.

This area has a high proportion of female homeowners (55%).
3 Maximum Active Power, KW.

Average Daily Load, Kwh.

12 Mounting Rooftop installation Type Public facility The solar array was designed to produce 100% of energy demand base on the present energy usage plus future expansion up to 100%.

The clinic does not currently have any backup power supply.

The Fiennes Institute houses approximately 65 residents (41 men and 24 women).
Some are senior citizens who are otherwise unable to take care of themselves; others have been abandoned by their family due to mental health problems; and some simply have no family at all.

The residents are housed in six wards and are looked after by a staff of approximately 20 plus nurses.

The six wards are interconnected by outdoor walkways.

Maximum Active Power, KW.

Average Daily Load, Kwh.


Mounting Ground mount Type Public facility 9.96 51.6 ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 52 The solar array was designed to produce 100% of energy demand base on the present energy usage.

Fiennes Institute does not currently have any backup power supply.
The Good Shepherd Home for Girls is affiliated with the Good Shepherd religious group, the home houses seven girls aged 6–20, all but one admitted because of the need for care and protection.

The home provides general care and protective services and operates daily sessions designed to prepare the girls for independent and successful adult years.

The home serves a community size of about 303 people (148 men and 155 women).

Maximum Active Power, KW.

Average Daily Load, Kwh.


Mounting Rooftop installation Type Not-for-profit 5.35 30.9 The solar array was designed to produce 100% of energy demand base on the present energy usage.

Good Shepard Home for Children does not currently have any backup power supply.

Pediatric Ward at Holberton Hospital (putple outline in the figure) provides general pediatric services and also houses the Care Project, which is a government facility that serves as a home for children with disabilities.
The ward serves a population of 276 (130 men and 146 women).

21 Maximum Active Power, KW.

Average Daily Load, Kwh.

50 Mounting Rooftop installation Type Public facility The solar array was designed to produce 100% of energy demand base on the present energy usage.

ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 53 Holberton Hospital currently has a diesel backup generator.
Hospice at Holberton Hospital (red outline in the figure) has ten private or semi-private beds for the terminally ill and two for respite care.

The ward serves a population of 276 (130 men and 146 women).

The Hospice is under the Auspices of The St. John Association, a worldwide organization, dating back many years.

It is operated by the board of St. John Hospice.

Maximum Active Power, KW.

Average Daily Load, Kwh.


Mounting Rooftop installation Type Public facility 8.378 101.5 The solar array was designed to produce 100% of energy demand base on the present energy usage.

Nyahbinghi Theocracy School is of the Rastafarian religion in the One Love community at Creekside, in St. John's Rural South Parish.

The school is a private institution that was established in 2005, and it currently has 13 students, of which 7 are male and 6 female.

It is an early childhood and primary education facility.
Maximum Active Power, KW.

Average Daily Load, Kwh.

Mounting Rooftop installation Type Private facility 6.94 61.38 The school does not currently have any backup power supply.

The solar array was designed to produce 100% of energy demand base on the present energy usage.
ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 54 Old Road Clinic in Old Road Village is a rural area in the southwest watershed of Antigua, which has an entire population of about 5,800 (52% females and 48% males).

The population is relatively young, with 50% being under 30.

Old Road clinic serves a population of 217 (107 men and 110 women) within the watershed.

Maximum Active Power, KW.


Average Daily Load, Kwh.

Mounting Recommended for exclusion unless major works are undertaken Type Public facility 4.3 24 The solar array was designed to produce 100% of energy demand base on the present energy usage plus future expansion up to 25%.

Parham Clinic is located in Parham Village which a coastal town and small port.

It is primarily a fishing village, in the northeast archipelago and marine management area, with a population of 188 (86 men and 102 women).
3 Maximum Active Power, KW.

11 Average Daily Load, Kwh.

Mounting Rooftop installation Type Public facility The solar array was designed to produce 100% of energy demand base on the present energy usage plus future expansion up to 27%.

Potters Clinic in Potters Village is on the outskirts of St. John’s, in a semi-urban area.

The clinic serves a population of 371 (183 men and 188 women).

4.6 Maximum Active Power, KW.

Average Daily Load, Kwh.


24 Mounting Rooftop installation Type Public facility The solar array was designed to produce 100% of energy demand base on the present energy usage plus future expansion up to 100%.

ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 55 Swetes Clinic in Swetes Village is the sixth largest town in Antigua and Barbuda.
Swetes is located in southern Antigua, to the north of Liberta on the road to the town of Old Road and the southwest coast.

The clinic serves a population of 246 (133 men and 112 women).

2.3 Maximum Active Power, KW.

Average Daily Load, Kwh.

24 Mounting Rooftop installation Type Public facility The solar array was designed to produce 100% of energy demand base on the present energy usage.

Victory Centre on Nugent Ave in St. John’s, founded in 2012, is one of only two special needs schools in Antigua.
It caters to students with all needs including ADD/ADHD, Autism, Asperger’s, Down syndrome, as well as developmental delays both mentally and physically.

The Center serves a population of 276 (130 men and 146 women).

It is a non-profit organization funded by school fees and private donations.

Maximum Active Power, KW.

Average Daily Load, Kwh.

Mounting Rooftop installation Type Not-for-profit 19.2 159 The solar array was designed to produce 100% of energy demand base on the present energy usage.
ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 56 Willikies Clinic in Willikies Village is a small settlement on the west coast of Antigua with a population of 127 (60 men and 66 women).

It is remote and more difficult to access services in the capital.

Livelihoods are primarily fishing and in the services sector, in the hotels on that coast.

Maximum Active Power, KW.

Average Daily Load, Kwh.


Mounting Rooftop installation Type Public facility 2.8 11.7 The solar array was designed to produce 100% of energy demand base on the present energy usage.

ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 57 6.

ANALYSIS OF PROJECT ALTERNATIVES Table 12.


Analysis of viable alternatives to the project intervention to achieve the same impact Viable alternatives Do Nothing Assessment of alternatives (cost-effectiveness) Only one of the thirteen targeted facilities have a source of backup energy, which is a diesel generator.

The facilities are currently facing intermittent energy shortages, and this is affecting the quality of the services provided –educational and health.
The “do nothing” scenario would continue to result in externalized costs to vulnerable populations.

This can result in financial burdens on other Government welfare services.

Use diesel generators to provide backup energy for the schools and clinics The estimate cost of backup diesel generators comparable to /or as an alternative to proposed PV systems is best evaluated in terms of the NPV and levelized cost per kW of each system over the life of the system.
In general, most RE projects yield an Internal Rate of Return of 30% or higher according.

In addition, Renewable Energy has numerous environmental and safety benefits.

A backup diesel generator is noisy with its operations.

Many of the targeted buildings service vulnerable populations that are more sensitive to noise and health defects.

Diesel generators add fossil fuels to the environment and affect human health.
The importation of fossil fuel can be a risk post- hurricane, as was witnessed in Dominica and Barbuda in the 2017 hurricane season, where diesel importation systems were disrupted.

Energy security is a major threat identified among regional leaders hence the need to increase the penetration of renewable energy technology to help curb this threat.

The project could achieve a similar goal of reduced energy consumption via energy efficiency retrofits.
However, the target facilities are generally small (10 – 200 kWh daily load) and so energy savings from retrofits would be small.

Furthermore, this option would not address the issue of intermittent energy.

However, since several of the facilities plan to install air conditioning, it is recommended that these appliances be energy efficient certified (such as EnergyStar).

The facilities should develop their Environmental Management Systems to promote optimization in their management post-intervention.
This is also a legal requirement under the EPMA, 2012.

Energy efficiency retrofits instead of back-up RE energy systems ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 58 7.

RISKS AND IMPACT ANALYSIS Risks have been analysed using the ESS and Gender Policies of the Department of Environment as an Accredited Entity to the Adaptation Fund and the Green Climate Fund.
Both the AF and the GCF policy guidance for ESS and Gender safeguards use as their basis the IFC’s Environmental and Social Safeguards (2012) and the Global Environment Facility16.

To evaluate the risk and categorize the project, the DoE uses scoping criteria based on probability of occurrence and impact that assesses the need for and to guide the preparation of the EIA for projects and development applications.

The completed Scoping table has been included in Annex IV.
This project is rated overall highly positive in the EIA scoping criteria.

Potential adverse impacts for the solar PV and batteries project is primarily the potential to result in solid waste and/or hazardous waste, however other potential impacts include worker health and safety during building renovations prior to solar PV installation (see Table 13 for the Impact Analysis).
Risks are expected to be adequately mitigated by adhering to national law, industry standard and best practices, as well as the precautionary approach of the Tender Document, which passes most of the risks onto the Contractor that will be delivering the Design, Supply and Installation (see Table 14 for the E&S Management Plan with the full list of risk mitigation measures).

As such project proponents are confident that this project will have minimal (if any) adverse environmental and social impacts.
Likely social and environmental benefits of the installation of solar panels include: • • • • Increased consumption and usage of energy from renewable sources and decreased dependency on fossil fuels; Increased knowledge of the impact and effectiveness of alternative sources of energy by students, teachers, nurses, parents and vulnerable communities; Significant improvement in the resilience of the community to adapt to extreme weather events, which will now benefit from a continued supply of alternative energy via solar panels and batteries, and through this intervention are looking into the installation of air conditioning units to cope with extreme heat; Continuous access to health care or educational services as solar panels + batteries enable clinics and schools to reopen immediately after hurricanes to provide critical health and educational services to those in need, including children, women, persons with disabilities, persons living with HIV/AIDS, men and the elderly.
Several stakeholders complained of a lack of generators impacting electricity and water supply and hence their ability to provide adequate care to patients and students.

In 16 Adaptation Fund Environmental and Social Policy, Revised in March 2016.
Accessed 12 June 2018 https://www.adaptation-fund.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Amended-March-2016_-OPG-ANNEX-3- Environmental-social-policy-March-2016.pdf ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 59 the long run, one stakeholder suggested that PV solar panels can even power computers that enable staff to create electronic records for patients at health clinics; Improved capacity building of community members and vulnerable communities, including youth, women, persons with disabilities, men, and persons living with HIV/AIDS, in learning about and maintaining solar panels and relevant equipment; and Inspiring students as the next generation of environmental engineers and climate innovators.
• • The CDB has ascertained the project’s risk to be Category B: “The project has been assigned Category B, in accordance with CDB’s Environmental and Social Review Procedures and is not expected to have any significant or irreversible environmental and social impacts, and those anticipated are likely to be mostly temporary.

These impacts are easily mitigated using “best practice” methods and adequate implementation of environmental and social mitigation measures” (CDB, 2017).
The impact analysis for the project’s activities is assessed in the table below, in accordance with the Environmental and Social Safeguards Policy and the Gender Policy of the Department of Environment in Antigua and Barbuda.

Table 13.

Impact analysis of project risks Checklist of Environmental, Social and Gender Principles Compliance with the Law The project shall be in compliance with all applicable domestic and international law.
Impact Analysis Impact (likelihood x scale) All activities follow national law and regulations, including: - - the Physical Planning Act (2003), the Environmental Protection and Management Act (2015), and the Public Utilities Act which requires water and/or electricity permits for certain capacity systems - If necessary, permission will be sought from the DCA for any alterations to buildings on the 13 proposed schools and clinics.
In order to fully comply with the EPMA, 2015, the facilities should be encouraged to develop their Environmental Management Systems.
Recommendations: - Building permissions from DCA for any building alterations P = 1 I = 3 Overall rank: Low (3) ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 60 - Any adjustments to building structures shall comply with building standards to ensure persons with disability have access (DCA Building code) Facilities develop their Environmental Management Systems (EMS) per EPMA, 2015 - Access and Equity The project shall provide fair and equitable access to benefits in a manner that is inclusive and does not exacerbate inequalities.
The project is expected to disproportionately benefit traditionally disadvantaged communities.

Beneficiaries include women, men, youth, children, persons with disabilities, the elderly and persons living with HIV/AIDs.

P = 3 I = 1 Non-discrimination must be practiced within the procurement process and gender disaggregated M&E of beneficiaries will track access and equity.
Overall rank: Low (3) Recommendations: - Gender disaggregated M&E of beneficiaries Marginalized and Vulnerable Groups The project shall avoid designing activities that will disproportionately affect groups of marginalized or vulnerable people.

This project does not disproportionately affect marginalized groups.
Rather, it seeks to empower vulnerable communities by improving essential community services (health and education) to beneficiaries and the intermediaries within the operational aspects of the project.

P = 1 I = 1 The installation of solar PV and batteries is a non-invasive activity, and past solar installations in schools involved the school children.
Overall rank: Low (1) Recommendations: - Involve youth, school children and local community groups in Solar PV installation Human Rights All project activities shall respect and promote international human rights.

This project respects all human rights, embodied within the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR), the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the CRC (Convention on the Rights of the Child).
P = 1 I = 2 Overall rank: Low (2) ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 61 Gender Equity and Women’s Empowerment Projects shall be designed and implemented so that both men and women 1) have equal opportunities to participate, 2) have comparable benefits from the project, and 3) neither group are more likely to suffer as a result of the project.
Core Labour Rights Project activities shall meet the core labour standards per the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Labour laws of Antigua and Barbuda The DOE and the CDB both have complaints mechanisms in place where members of the public can file a complaint online or in-person and receive redress.
Recommendations: - All beneficiaries must be informed about the DOE and CDB complaints mechanisms The gender analysis for this ESIA covers the following roles, and findings are also summarized: Consultations – vast majority women in attendance Decision-making during project implementation – majority women Contractors – majority male owned companies (construction and electrical engineering) Owners/managers of the beneficiary facilities – majority women Clients or patrons of the targeted facilities – generally gender balanced Different gender groups include: - Youth - Women - Men - Persons with disabilities and special needs persons - Persons living with HIV/AIDS Recommendations: - Gender disaggregated M&E The project will ensure that workers, labourers and sub-contractors are being paid the correct wages including respecting the minimum wage.
This has been reflected in the Tender documents and contract provisions.

Persons must have work permits, where necessary.

Potentially adverse impacts to occupational/ worker and community health and safety due to the associated infrastructural upgrades required for several of the beneficiary buildings.
P = 2 I = 1 Overall rank: Low (2) P = 1 I = 2 Overall rank: Low (2) ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 62 Recommendations: - - Labour Department to be notified of project and conduct due diligence as needed Tender document specifies that the Contractor shall comply with all the relevant labor Laws applicable to the Contractor’s Personnel, including Laws relating to their employment, health, safety, welfare, immigration and emigration, and shall allow them all their legal rights Involuntary Resettlement Projects shall be designed and implemented to avoid or minimize the need for involuntary resettlement.
When unavoidable, due process is required.

Protection of Natural Habitats The project shall not involve unjustified conversion or degradation of critical natural habitats.

- Appointment of an accident prevention officer at the Site, responsible for maintaining safety and protection against accidents There will be no land acquisition under this project as Solar PV systems are being installed in-situ on existing facilities.
All Solar PV systems will be rooftop installation except for one public facility, the Fiennes Institute, which will be ground mounted.

There may be some construction resulting from the project activities, for example in the ground mounting or other auxiliary activities.

Sustainable procurement of aggregates and other inputs will ensure these inputs are from sustainable sources.
Recommendations: - Sustainable procurement policy to ensure that any aggregates purchased do not harm natural habitats Conservation of Biological Diversity The project activities are not expected to have a negative impact on biodiversity.
P = 1 I = 1 Overall rank: Low (1) P = 1 I = 1 Overall rank: Low (1) P = 1 I = 1 Projects shall be designed and implemented to avoid any significant or unjustified impacts to biological diversity or the Invasive species can be introduced with the importation of equipment and other products Recommendations: - Inspect imported equipment for any potential importation of organic matter Overall rank: Low (1) ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 63 introduction of known invasive species.
Climate Change Projects shall not result in any significant or unjustified increase in greenhouse gas emissions or other drivers of climate change.

This project does not result in any significant increase in GHGs, but rather seeks to reduce consumption of energy from fossil fuels, by installing PV solar panels to schools and clinics as an alternative source of energy.
P = 1 I = 1 Recommendations: - None at this time Overall rank: Low (1) Pollution Prevention and Resource Efficiency There are national and draft regional standards for energy efficiency.

Projects shall meet international standards for maximizing energy efficiency and minimizing material resource use, waste material, and pollutants.

Replacing electricity generated from fossil fuel sources with solar PV systems will avoid an estimated 546,000 lbs of CO2 per year.
However, the project will import Solar PV panels, batteries and accessories.

This equipment has a lifespan of between 10 and 25 years, and can be hazardous once disposed of.

It is important that the project address end-of-life potential waste impacts and have contingency measures in place.

Provisions can be addressed in the agreements with the beneficiary facilities.
Recommendations: - The project will meet national and draft regional standards for energy efficiency - Provisions for proper disposal and/or recycling of solar PV and batteries reflected in legal agreements EMS for each facility to address hazardous waste - - Registration of beneficiary facilities in the Environment Registry - Develop partnerships for technical capacity around hazardous waste management P = 2 I = 2 Overall rank: Medium (4) Public Health This project will increase continued access to public health care services by providing a consistent supply of electricity and water to clinics.
P = 1 I = 1 ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 64 Projects shall avoid potentially significant negative impacts on public health.

Physical and Cultural Heritage Projects shall avoid the alteration, damage or removal of any physical cultural resources, sites, and those with unique natural values, include access to such sites.
Stakeholders expressed interest in installing air conditioning, purchasing computers, etc, once reliable and affordable electricity can be provided.
Recommendations: - Future applicants purchased should be certified energy efficient appliances While none of the targeted facilities are in national parks or other cultural sites, some of the areas may be of cultural value Recommendations: - Installation of solar PV systems will respect physical aesthetics of buildings especially any historically relevant buildings Overall rank: Low (1) P = 1 I = 1 Overall rank: Low (1) Lands and Soil Conservation Activities shall promote soil conservation and avoid degradation or conversion of productive lands or lands that provide valuable ecosystem services.
The installation of solar panels on roofs is not expected to affect soil in anyway.

However if panels are mounted on the ground there may minimal impact digging holes and erecting foundations with mounting stands.

P = 1 I = 1 Recommendations: - Silt screens where there may be risks of erosion during installation Overall rank: Low (1) ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 65 8.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL MANAGEMENT PLAN Table 14.

Environmental and Social Management Plan for the project Impact areas Desired outcome Mitigation measures and monitoring performance indicators17 A.
POSITIVE – OPPORTUNITIES • Open and competitive bidding and selection • Gender- disaggregated M&E of beneficiaries • Contractor is required to subcontract local certified installer(s) • DOE Summer Internship Programme • Certified PV technicians, energy efficiency and wind Employment opportunities, including for women, youth and disadvantage d groups Fair access via contracts awarded Vocational training and skill building Re-training of existing electrical engineers e.g.
the engineers who service Timeframe Responsible party Incremental budget (USD) Capacity building and training requirements During the procurement phase • DOE Procurement unit • DOE Data Management Unit • Contractor USD 150/week internship stipend Training in procurement for local firms Mid-2018 • UN Electricity Supply Partnership To be sourced via co-financing 17 The DOE responds to risks in four ways: Acceptance, Control, Avoidance and Transfer.
ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 66 Impact areas Desired outcome Mitigation measures and monitoring performance indicators17 Timeframe Responsible party Incremental budget (USD) Capacity building and training requirements diesel generators should be retrained to service Solar PV and wind Dissemination of information for increasing public awareness creating the local ownership and buy in for this project • Train DOE project staff in interfacing with the community (ongoing) Implement the stakeholder engagement plan (Section 8) • • Host Information Days for students, parents, nurses, patients, and Community Members around solar panel installation and renewable energy Participatory and consultative approach Quarterly • Integrated Health Outreach (Annex III) Annual • Project Coordinator • Public Awareness and Community Liaison Officer USD 10,000 Photography Website and graphics B.
NEGATIVE – IMPACTS Construction phase Worker and community health and • Appointment of an accident prevention officer at the Site, responsible for Within twenty- eight (28) days after the • Contractor N/A (included in Tender document) ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 67 Impact areas Desired outcome safety concerns Operational phase Access to water for cleaning panels Maintenance plans Mitigation measures and monitoring performance indicators17 maintaining safety and protection against accidents • Contractor is required to deliver Site regulations, to include security, safety of the Facilities, gate control, sanitation, medical care, and fire prevention Installation of proper signage and interpretation where necessary • • Contractor is required to secure permits, approvals and licenses • Contractor is required to deliver Operations and Maintenance Schedules, and Training to be submitted with the Timeframe Responsible party Effective Date of the contract Incremental budget (USD) Capacity building and training requirements Within ten (10) months • Contractor • Regulatory Authority N/A (included in Tender document) Sensitize insurance companies about grid- interactive RE systems ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 68 Impact areas Desired outcome including budgets Asset protection during hurricanes Solid waste and hazardous pollution Imported assets (solar PV and batteries) are properly disposed of or recycled at their end of life (life cycle analysis) Mitigation measures and monitoring performance indicators17 Guarantee Test results • Contractor is required to deliver Insurance Policies including details on the identity of the insurers and the form of the policies • Provisions for proper disposal and/or recycling of solar PV and batteries reflected in Tender documents and legal agreements
 • Develop partnerships for technical capacity around hazardous waste management • Facilities develop their Environmental Management Systems (EMS) per the EPMA, 2015 • Facilities to register EMS Plans in the Timeframe Responsible party Incremental budget (USD) Capacity building and training requirements During the procurement phase Post- implementation Stakeholder engagement plan • Project Coordinator • DOE legal unit and procurement unit • Public Awareness and Community Liaison Officer • Beneficiary facilities • DOE Project Coordinator for Solar project (Shema Roberts) Life cycle analysis Hazardous waste disposal or recycling USD 5,000 per facility Environment Registry Environment Management Systems (ISO 14000) ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 69 Impact areas Desired outcome Public disclosure of ESIA and ESMP An informed and empowered stakeholder group Compliance with Building Code Facilities are in compliance with the Building Code Mitigation measures and monitoring performance indicators17 Environment Registry (EPMA, 2015) • Publish ESIA on DOE • website Inform beneficiaries of DOE Complaints Mechanism and CDB Complaints Mechanism • Training to DOE PMU staff who will interface with community members (see Annex III) • Permissions from the DCA for any alterations to buildings to include accessibility for persons with disabilities Timeframe Responsible party Incremental budget (USD) Capacity building and training requirements Within 30 days of CDB No Objection of ESIA Annual • DOE Project Coordinator None USD 5,000 N/A During the procurement phase • DOE Project Coordinator None None ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 70 9.
MONITORING PLAN Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) is an essential part of implementing environmental projects at the Department of Environment (DoE).

The primary reasons for effective M&E are, transparency, accountability, learning & improvement.
The DOE is legally required under the Environmental Protection and Management Act (EPMA, 2015) to maintain an inventory of relevant environmental information that can be used to inform environmental management processes in the country and relevant requirements under multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs).

During the project implementation of the ESIA and ESMP, project-level M&E will be undertaken in compliance with the DoE’s requirements as outlined in the Monitoring & Evaluation Framework.
The Monitoring, Evaluation & Data Management Unit (DMU) of the DoE implements this framework on internationally funded projects.

The DMU, in collaboration with the Project Coordinator (PC), contracted from the PMU, will review and adapt this framework to meet the obligations of this specific project.

In addition to the mandatory DoE M&E requirements, other M&E activities deemed necessary to support project-level adaptive management will be agreed on during consultations between the DMU and the PC.
Monitoring is an on-going activity is documented as tasks are completed.

It is a system for collecting information that tracks progress against stated plans.

Evaluation is designed for the project to understand how it can make a greater contribution to the overall outcomes.

It incorporates before-after comparisons and, through this analysis, documents key lessons learned to improve the project and inform future decision making and planning.
M&E Oversight and monitoring responsibilities: The M&E approach to this project can be divided into three components.

The first deals with the selection of appropriate indicators to monitor during project implementation.

These indicators will be defined and monitored periodically with a definite timeline agreed upon by the DMU and the PC.

The second is the monitoring of the ESMP (section 8).

This Plan was elaborated through close collaboration among the PMU officers.
The final component is the list of recommendations for improved performance.

These are summarized below: I.

Selection of indicators to monitor during project implementation II.

Monitoring of the ESMP III.

Listing of recommendations I.


Selection of indicators to monitor during the development of the ESIA & ESMP ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 71 The consultancy team worked collaboratively to develop the ESIA and the ESMP.

The DMU and PC will hold discussions to develop a list of possible indicators to monitor throughout project implementation.
Once the final set of indicators have been drafted, the Data Manager will approve them.

The final M&E report will present a summary of these indicators along with the monitoring information.

Examples of these indicators are, but not limited to, the following: 1.

ESIA indicators: a. Number/summary of consultations held b. Demographic profile prepared c. Impacts of works on stakeholders 2.

ESMP indicators: a.

Monitoring of risks b.


Risk mitigation measures identified c. Benefits gained by stakeholders II.

Monitoring of the ESMP The ESMP for this activity is presented above in section 8.

The status of implementation of this plan will be monitored periodically.

The relevant information will be extracted and inserted in the M&E report.

Similar to the indicators defined above, a final M&E report will present a summary of the monitoring information.

III.
III.

Listing of recommendations This section will include a list of recommendations that will provide insight to both the consulting, as well as the DoE team on ways to improve implementation.

9.1 DOE Complaints Mechanism Any project affected persons can communicate project related concerns through the Complaints Mechanism of the DOE.

Complaints can be submitted electronically via email, in person to an Environment Officer, or in writing.
The complaint is presented to the Ethics Committee, which can follows the following general process: Received & Acknowledg e Evaluate Investigate Collaborativ e resolution Implementat ion Monitor and Close Figure 14.
General process for handling a grievance/complaint via the DOE mechanism ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 72 The DOE complaints mechanism is also outlined on the website in video format: Figure 15.

Video summary of the DOE Complaints Mechanism.


Source: https://environment.gov.ag/contact ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 73 10.
PUBLIC CONSULTATION AND ENGAGEMENT PLAN 10.1 Summary of Public Consultations on the ESIA Two one-day ESS and Gender stakeholder consultations with representatives of schools, clinics, Government Ministries on 8 January 2018; and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) was conducted on 9 January 2018.

The agenda is included at Appendix I.

In total, 35 participants, inclusive of five (5) DOE staff members, thirty-one (31) women and four (4) men were in attendance.
Representatives from the Ministries of Education; Health and the Environment; and Works and Housing were present, alongside representatives from Schools and Clinics, as well as Non- Governmental Organizations.

Community groups were invited but not able to attend since community group members usually have day time jobs.

Alternative ways of reaching out to community groups needed to be employer.
Targeted outreach and one-on-one meetings were held opportunistically during site visits to include the findings into the ESIA.

The Director of the UNDP GEF Small Grants Programme participated; participants consisted primarily of nurses, teachers, and NGO staff members.
Stakeholders were asked to deliver ten (10)-minute presentations on the social and gender context of their clinics and schools and participated in a discussion on possible social and gender impacts facilitated by the ESS and Gender Expert Consultant.

In addition, brief presentations were delivered by the Antigua and Barbuda Network for Persons Living with HIV/AIDS and a representative of CariSun Renewable Energy who provided information on data collection.
The day concluded with participatory discussions on social and gender impacts as well as risk mitigation measures and monitoring and evaluation.

The process for information sharing was further supported by intensive interviews of one hour with approximately 25 community groups and individuals through one on one interactions before commensing the two formal consultations.

An analysis of stakeholder issues and options for project-responsive design is included in Table 9.
Stakeholder inputs and responsive project design.

Table 15.
Summary of stakeholder inputs and responsive project design Stakeholder Input and Concerns Disruption of schools and/or clinics Options for incorporating into Project Design While the stakeholders suggested that the installation of the solar panels should be during the weekend or school vacation in order to avoid disrupting the service of the schools, it is not expected that the installation of the solar panels will disrupt the ability of the schools and clinics to continue their service to patients and to students.
Rather, it is expected that installing the ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 74 Stakeholder Input and Concerns Options for incorporating into Project Design solar panels on the sites while the clinics and schools are in operation will help to bring awareness to renewable energy initiatives for both patients and students.
However, per the request of the stakeholders, it is encouraged that one weeks notice is provided by the DoE in order to allow clinics and schools to prepare in any way for the installation of the solar panels Recourse: The DOE has a complaints mechanism where any challenges can be reported online or in-person, and must be addressed.
CDB’s Grievance Mechanism: • • • • • • Project Complaints Policy http://www.caribank.org/about- cdb/corporate-governance/office-of-integrity-compliance-and- accountability/accountability Whistleblowing Policy Complaints may be submitted through/by: The globally accessible Whistleblower Hotline at 770-409-5029; The online Whistleblower Webform Email to ICA at ica@caribank.org DOE Complains Mechanism: • Vandalism of solar panels and schools/ clinics Public awareness of alternative and renewable energy (RE) Employment opportunities Sustainable maintenance of solar panels Safety measures are put in place to ensure solar panels cannot be vandalized This also reiterates the importance of the mandate of the project which specifically requires the project to ensure community ownership of climate resilient community solar panels Stakeholders suggested installing external charging portals are setting up picnic benches and interpretation signs on RE so community members can access electricity during power outages without vandalizing clinics/ schools.
However, this particular recommendation, although not implemented under this project, is already facilitated under the AF and waterway projects The DOE should partner with Schools and Clinics to host Information Days for students, parents, nurses, patients, and Community Members around solar panel installation and renewable energy.
One school, the Victory Centre, volunteered to host such an information day and all stakeholders agreed that these should be open to those from other schools and clinics Ensuring that persons from within schools/ clinics/ the local community, including persons with disabilities, women, the elderly and persons living with HIV/AIDS, are trained by contractors to maintain solar panels.
This will support the mandate of the project which involves capacity-building and will also meet the need of stakeholders to provide technical skills that can be used by vulnerable communities; Stakeholders suggested that the DOE engage and integrate students, community members, and those of vulnerable communities into its planned training on operating and maintaining solar panels.
ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 75 Stakeholder Input and Concerns Options for incorporating into Project Design The project is only scheduled to train five locals for a limited amount of time and the stakeholders have suggested a wider much wider range of training that is expected to exceed the allocated time for training as well as the number of persons that is expected to exceed the number of persons that the project has the capacity to train.
However, the Department has offered general training for groups under the project Due to the Information Day as well as the installation of solar panels during school hours and public clinic hours, it is expected that nurses and teachers will become knowledgeable in understanding any defects that may come with the installation of the solar panels and should be able to report such defects to the Ministry of Public Works and Housing for the clinics and to a private maintenance company for the private schools Stakeholders working within government health facilities expressed concern that budgetary savings by government would not be reallocated/ redound to the benefit of health clinics.
However, the bill is being paid by all citizens as citizens pay taxes.

The Government is doing the reallocation in the capital cost of the project which should have a payback rated of a few years.

So there will not be any paybacks for some time) They also indicated that citizens are dis-incentivized in switching to solar panels given current APUA standards, which allow them to only utilize solar energy in their own private homes during the off-grid/ evening periods.
While these may be considered as outside the remit of the current project, the DOE should bear these in mind for future negotiations/ projects.

At least one stakeholder noted that the roof of her clinic could not support solar panels.

The project coordinator advised that feasibility assessments would be carried out prior to the installation of solar panels and where necessary, solar panels will be ground mounted.
Reallocation of budgetary savings Infrastructural Concerns regarding Roofs 10.2 Engagement and Communication Plan Community resistance to redevelopment projects can slow them down or prematurely kill them.

On the other side of the coin, fear of opposition can push development efforts away before they even get started.

Winning over sceptical residents can appear a daunting task, but it is one worth making, and early and consistent stakeholder engagement is a critical component of project success.
Table 16.

Step-by-step process for conducting community consultations Step 1.

Plan and organize Commit to considering the results of the consultation in the decision–making process.
Consultations should only be done if there is a reasonable chance that they will affect the • Identify and map stakeholders by importance and influence relative to the project • The consultation plan should be approved before starting the consultations • Consultations should be planned thoroughly with considerations of the key decisions for which input is sought, the methods to be used ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 76 outcome of a decision.
Consultations should not be undertaken to convince stakeholders that a particular course of action is the right one.

to obtain this input, the resources needed, identification of participants, schedules and plans for evaluation of the consultation Step 2.

Conduct the consultations Accountability responsibilities during the consultation process.

refers roles the to and Step 3.


Follow-up Transparency requires that the consultations be documented and the outcomes distributed appropriately in a timely fashion.

• Define the roles responsibilities of all beforehand.
and involved • Document the following: Input that is given at key decision points; statements of the decisions taken; a list of participants; the issues on which the consultation was based; a summary of views, important comments, and suggestions; specific responses to significant issues criticisms Continuous stakeholder engagement throughout the project cycle is important to bringing about behavioural change in tandem with projects interventions.
Stakeholder engagement being conducted on a continuous sustained basis allows for insight into the social consequences of the project, an appropriate gauge on the expectations that stakeholders have of the project; identification and analysis of social, political, environmental, economic contexts in the target area; and the determination of their appropriate responses and strategies for mitigation of conflict.
Women’s CSOs in Antigua and Barbuda ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 77 Figure 16.
Women’s Organizations in Antigua and Barbuda, identified by the Directorate of Gender Affairs Source: https://genderaffairs.gov.ag/uploads/1494248893ANTIGUA%20&%20BARBUDA%20CEDAW%20REPORT.compressed.pdf Concrete steps and requirements should be in place to ensure the heads of the HIV groups, specially abled and other key groups are involved in the project meetings since they are mentioned and again as a risk mitigation strategy.
Youth is also mentioned but for them to really benefit from the training, the groups and places they frequent must have information disseminated to them in a timely manner for possible involvement through the work of the contractors.

This is a mitigation against theft and for ongoing maintenance since there is local ownership and buying once the youth is included and involved in the installation process where knowledge and awareness will take place and green jobs provided.
Churches can serve as entities for the dissemination of information for increasing public awareness creating the local ownership and buy in for this project.

Stakeholders for this project are mapped below and it is recommended that the project provided targeted outreach to these stakeholders.

Power Interest Grid Guiding questions for: Opinion, interests, feelings, discourse, information etc about the ecosystem service and the change in question.
• What financial/ emotional or other interest does this group have with regard to the ecosystem service and the changes necessary for its maintenance/enhancement?

ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 78 • How well informed are they on the issue?

• What is their current opinion on the issue?

Discourse (ie the economy is most important)?

Is it based on good information?


• • Who influences their opinions, and whose opinions do they influence?

If they are not in quadrants B or D (high interest), how can you increase their interest?

If their support in unlikely, how can you manage their indifference or opposition?

(is it important to do so?)

• Figure 17.


Guidelines for identifying stakeholder groups and guiding project engagement ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 79 Table 17.

Stakeholder engagement plan for the The key person responsible for implementation will be the Department of Environment’s Public Awareness and Community Liaison Officer.
This stakeholder engagement plan is a living document and will be updated during project implementation.

Type Stakeholder Ministry of Education Ministry of Health & Environment Ministry of Works & Housing Ministry of Energy t n e m n r e v o G APUA Position in Power / Interest Grid18 Keep Satisfied Keep Satisfied Keep Satisfied Keep Satisfied Manage Closely Opinion, interests, feelings, discourse, information etc about the project change in question How can they help in making the necessary change happen?
(Concretely, what can they do?)

How should they be reached?
Interest in the intervention and endorsement of the project; usually understaffed and unable to fully participate Interest in the intervention and endorsement of the project; usually understaffed and unable to fully participate Interest in the intervention and endorsement of the project; usually understaffed and unable to fully participate Interest in the intervention and endorsement of the project; usually understaffed and unable to fully participate Generally not supportive of grid- interactive system installations; however APUA Management has shown high commitment to supporting the Integrating renewable energy into curriculum Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Environmental Management Systems to support energy efficiency Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Operations and maintenance Operations and maintenance Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Scaling-up project interventions to all facilities nation-wide Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Project Engineer has been assigned from APUA Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Additional support to installations and commissioning 18 Manage Closely (high power, high interest); Keep Satisfied (high power, low interest); Keep Informed (low power, high interest); Monitor (low power, low interest) ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 80 Keep Satisfied Keep Informed Keep Informed Keep Informed Keep Informed Keep Informed Keep Informed Keep Informed NODS Beneficiary schools and clinics Antigua and Barbuda Waste Recycling Company E-waste recycling Zero Waste Antigua Barbuda A&B Training School Bendals Community Group A&B Association for Persons with Disabilities s n o i t a z i n a g r O l a c o L project; the PMU should maintain positive collaboration Interest in the intervention and endorsement of the project; usually understaffed and unable to fully participate Generally interested but the project needs to empower and structure ownership Supportive; organization
 faces financial difficulties so would expect payment for assistance Collects and processes e-waste in Antigua and Barbuda Recently formed NGO, several very active members; likely to support project interventions Interest in the intervention and activities; usually teachers are busy but if they see the benefits they may be interested in closer collaboration Supportive; an active community group with capacity to support implementation, O&M, and other training Early adopted of Solar PV and very experienced with lessons learned; the association received a GEF SGP to install solar PV and build a hydroponics setup Disaster preparedness and recovery Certification of hurricane shelters Information Day Monthly Project Implementation Unit (PIU) meetings Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Small grant to host Information Day All aspects of the project Ensure proper disposal of waste panels and batteries Feris 562 - 6038 720 - 3574 Ensure proper disposal of waste panels and batteries Could assist with identifying solar and battery waste management options Facilitate vocational training of PV technicians, energy efficiency and wind technicians Emailing list (268) 776-8453 recycle@antiguabarbuda ewastecenter.org Elliot Lincoln Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) Benefit from training with Bendals Clinic RE installation and post-O&M Emailing list Linley Winter linleywint@yahoo.com Benefit from experience and training; specialized training for special needs populations Invite to Information Day Bernard Warner President ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 81 Women Against Rape Red Cross Red Crescent l a c o L e t a v i r P r o t c e S Antigua & Barbuda Institute of Architects s n o i t a z i n a g r O l a n o i g e R Caribbean HIV AIDS Alliance Caribbean Policy Development Center CANARI Keep Informed Keep Informed Keep Informed Generally supportive; national non–
 governmental organization formed in response to the unprecedented reported number of rape cases in Antigua and Barbuda in 2007 Supportive, would like to learn more Supportive; sceptical of working with Government in general due to pace of implementation Keep Informed Likely to be interested in the impact of an energy project on the health sector Keep Informed Keep Informed Likely to be interested; lessons learned from capacity building and multi-sector partnerships Sustainable energy is one of CANARI’s focus areas; likely to be interested to learn from experiences Demonstrate benefits to women of installation stable energy sources and mini-grids Emailing list Alexandrina Wong Experienced in deploying new technology through community networks Infrastructural works Could be an avenue for scaling up lessons learned for RE systems with batteries for all clinics in the Caribbean Could be an avenue for scaling up lessons learned for RE systems with batteries for all clinics in the Caribbean Could be an avenue for scaling up lessons learned for RE systems with batteries for all clinics in the Caribbean Invite to Information Day Adolph Audain adolpha@email.com Emailing list ial@candw.ag +1-268-562-2770 Disseminate lessons learned Disseminate lessons learned Disseminate lessons learned Information regarding the CDB as well as the DOE Complaints/Grievance Mechanism will be disseminated to all stakeholders above via: • Electronically sharing a one-page procure and link • Verbally informing participants at each workshop/event/information day related to project activities • The video on accessing the DOE Complaints Mechanism can be screened at appropriate info-sessions: https://environment.gov.ag/contact ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 82 Procurement and RE system design • Government stakeholders (permitting) Installation of RE systems • Students • Technical
 and training institutions • Local private sector Management at beneficiary facilities will be involved at each stage Commissioning and operations • Handover to local NGOs and community groups Evaluation, lessons learned, scaling up •Regional NGOs •Potential donors Figure 18.
Summary of project delivery process and the main stakeholders to engage at each step ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 83 11.

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IFC Performance Standards on Environmental and 2012 Effective Social https://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/c8f524004a73daeca09afdf998895a12/IFC_Performanc e_Standards.pdf?MOD=AJPERES Sustainability.
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Antigua and Barbuda Country Profile International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), 2013.

The Environment and Gender Index http://genderandenvironment.org/wp- D.C., (EGI) content/uploads/2014/12/The-Environment-and-Gender-Index-2013-Pilot.pdf Pilot.

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IRENA (2016), Renewable Readiness Assessment: Antigua and Barbuda, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Abu Dhabi.

KAIRI consultants Ltd, 2007.

Living conditions in Antigua and Barbuda: Poverty in a services economy in Transition.
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(e.g.

Knutson and Tuleya, 2004; Knutson et al., 2008; Chauvin et al., 2006; Hasegawa and Emori, 2005; Tsutsui, 2002 Reuters.

7 September 2017.

“Irma wreaks 'absolute devastation' on Caribbean isle of Barbuda”.
Available at: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-storm-irma-barbuda/irma-wreaks-absolute- devastation-on-caribbean-isle-of-barbuda-idUSKCN1BH36H [accessed 11.09.2017].

ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 85 Solar Electronic Technology, New Zealand https://www.esolar.co.nz/what-does-pv-or-photo-voltaic- mean/ UNDP (United Nations Development Programme),2012.
Stock Taking Report: Rio +20 – Antigua and Barbuda.

UNDP (United Nations Development Programme), 2016.

Briefing note for countries on the 2016 Barbuda.

Human http://hdr.undp.org/sites/all/themes/hdr_theme/country-notes/ATG.pdf Accessed on January 12, 2018 Development Antigua Report: and UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2011.
The World's Women 2010: Trends and Statistics http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/Worldswomen/WW_full%20report_color.p df UN Women Advocacy Brief: Strengthening Women’s Economic Security and Rights http://www.unifemcar.org/ge_iss.cfm?SubID=168&link_=1 UNIFEM, 2010. Who Answers to Women?

Gender & Accountability: Progress of the World’s Women 2008-2009 http://www.unifem.org/progress/2008/media/POWW08_Report_Full_Text.pdf World Bank, 2011.
Antigua and Barbuda social protection assessment World Bank Group Climate Change Knowledge Portal (2017) World Travel & Tourism Council, 2017.

Travel and Tourism Economic Impact 2017: Antigua and https://www.wttc.org/-/media/files/reports/economic-impact-research/countries- Barbuda.
2017/antiguaandbarbuda2017.pdf Accessed on January 12, 2018 World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Statement on the State of the World Climate, June 11, 2017. http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2017/11/wmo-statement-on-state-of- climate-in-2017/ ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 86 Annex I – Index of Terms of Reference for the ESIA and ESMP TERMS OF REFERENCE CONSULTANCY FOR SITE-SPECIFIC ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL INVESTIGATIONS FOR THE GRID INTERACTIVE SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC WITH BATTERY STORAGE ELECTRIC SYSTEMS AND ACCESSORIES FOR CLINICS AND SCHOOLS IN ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA In undertaking the surveys and assessments, the consultants will be required to undertake the following tasks: (b) Social and Environment Risk Assessment Requirement per CDB provided Terms of Reference (i) conducting a assessment of potential significant environmental and social impacts (including gender assessment) and the associated mitigation and monitoring measures required for successful implementation of the proposed project.
It should include an assessment of baseline environmental and social conditions as they relate to the proposed locations of major works as well as relevant policies, legislation and regulation which have implications for successful implementation of the proposed works; (ii) detailing the socio-cultural characteristics of the resident population in the project area, disaggregated by sex; (iii) meetings with stakeholders and in particular, community representatives and residents, users of and workers in the facilities who will be directly impacted by the project; (iv) stakeholders, recommend risk mitigation measures, and monitoring indicators, disaggregated by sex; assessing the impact of the works on preparing a demographic profile and conducting consultative and participatory Section in the ESIA Report Section 7: Risks and Impact Analysis Annex III: DOE Environmental Scoping Evaluation Section 4: Environmental and Socio-Economic Baseline Section 5: Site-specific Description of Beneficiary Facilities Section 10: Public Consultation and Engagement Plan Section 7: Risks and Impact Analysis Section 8: Environmental and Social Management Plan (v) developing an Environmental and Social Management Plan to monitor and mitigate risks identified; exploring how the economic (vi) opportunities generated by the civil works can Section 8: Environmental and Social Management Plan Section 9: Monitoring Plan Section 8: Environmental and Social Management Plan ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via
 the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 87 benefit socially-excluded groups including youth and women; Section 10: Public Consultation and Engagement Plan Convening a stakeholders’ workshop to (vii) discuss the findings of this consultancy and to seek clarification on issues from participants for incorporation in the draft final report; Section 10: Public Consultation and Engagement Plan ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 88 Annex II – Stakeholder List NAME Ms. Cathy-Ann Robinson Ms. Jenita Cuffy Tehe Ms. Clarissa Christopher Ms. Charmaine L. Gouveia Ms. Shaundell Osbourne-Ramsey Ms. Denise Williams Ms. Eletha George Ms. Soria Durie-Winston Ms. Sharon Martin NO.
Ms. Kelly Hedges 11 Mr. Curtis Adams 12 Mr. Jeffrey Lewis 13 Ms. Therese Richards 14 Ms. Tanasha Roberts 15 Ms. Nathaniel 16 Ms. Nadia Josiah-Matthew 17 Mr. Alton Forde 18 Ms. April King-Francis 19 Ms. Andrea Airall 20 Ms. Wanda Samuel 21 Ms. Jenesha Parker Marshall 22 Ms. Ruth Spencer.
23 Ms. Lori-Ann Henry Johnson 24 Ms. Kem Brown 25 Mr. Anton O’garro 26 Mr. Andrew Morton 27 Ms. Walker 28 Ms. Melinda Simon 29 Ms. Eleanor Frederick 30 Ms. Asiya Mohammed 31 Mr. Churchill Norbert 32 Ms. Joan Sampson 33 Mr. Alex Spencer 34 Ms. Rashauna Adams-Matthews ORGANISATION Community Nursing, District Nurse and Midwife Barbuda Council Fiennes Institute Bishopgate Health Centre Community Nurse Community Nursing Service, Public Health Nurse Registered Nurse Community Nursing: Vice–Public Health Nurse Ministry of Health and the Environment, CBH Victory Centre Superintendent, Ministry of Public Works and Housing Antigua and Barbuda HIV/AIDS Network Grays Farm Health Centre Swetes Clinic Clare Hall Clinic Old Road Clinic Fiennes Institute Potters Clinic Ministry of Education Brownes Avenue Clinic Group Farm Clinic GEF/SGP/MEPA S.M.O, Ministry of Health and the Environment, Disaster Coordination Committee Cedar Grove Clinic Liberta Clinic United Nations Environmental Programme, Energy and Engineering Programme Manager Antigua and Barbuda Care Project Antigua and Barbuda Care Project Antigua and Barbuda HIV/AIDS Network DOE, ESS & Gender Expert Consultant DOE, Project Coordinator DOE, Deputy Project Coordinator Technical Engineer - CariSun Renewable Energy DOE, Trainee and Rapporteur ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 89 ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the
 Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 90 AGENDA Tuesday, 9th January, 2018 TIME AGENDA ITEMS PRESENTER 9:00 AM - 9:20 AM Welcome and Greetings Asiya Mohammed, ESS and Gender Expert Consultant, DOE 9:20 AM – 9:30 AM Project Overview and Background Churchill Norbert, Project Coordinator, DOE 9:30 AM – 9:30 AM Photovoltaic Solar Panels and the Experience of Haiti Andrew Morton, Energy and Engineering Programme Manager, UNEP 9:40 AM – 10:30 AM 10 minute presentations Representative from each school and clinic 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM COFFEE BREAK - 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM Focus Groups on Environment, Social and Gender Impacts All Participants 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM LUNCH - 1.00 PM- 1.10 PM Collection of Data Alex Spencer, CariSun Renewable Energy 1.10 PM- 1.20 PM Social Challenges faced by Persons Living with HIV/AIDS Eleanor Frederick, Executive Director Antigua & Barbuda HIV/AIDS Network 1:20 PM – 2:00 PM Continuation of Focus Groups on Environment, Social and Gender Impacts All Participants 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM Risk Mitigation, Monitoring and Evaluation and Wrap Up All Participants Annex III – Sensitization Workshop for Project Management Unit DOE staff A four-week workshop was held at the Department of Environment in February 2018 with PMU staff to sensitize staff of Environmental and Social Safeguards, managing interactions with diverse stakeholders, and building and managing productive and supportive relationships.
ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 91 1 | Integrated Health Outreach * Dr. Nicola Bird * nicolabird@gmail.com * SELF-Adult ©2018 SELF ADULT PROGRAMME: LEVEL 1 The Social-Emotional Learning Facilitation (SELF) Adult Level 1 Programme provides participants with the skills and knowledge necessary to understand and manage their emotions, thoughts and behaviours; establish and maintain positive peer, client, professional, and community relationships; and make effective decisions.
The SELF-Adult Level 1 Programme is a series of three introductory-level workshops.

Each one runs for 75-minutes once per week for a three-week duration.

The workshops focus on emotional awareness, coping skills, stress management, and peer/community building.
SELF-Adult Level 1 is recommended for: Vulnerable and marginalized individuals and groups; First responders, community outreach professionals, front line staff; Team leaders who train or advise staff or volunteers; Teachers and healthcare professionals; Employees, managers, and general staff members; and Community groups and agencies.
Agenda and Learning Objectives Coping Styles: Understanding and Mastering Your Emotions and Stress Responses Week 1, 75-minutes This workshop introduces participants to a three-step framework for understanding their stress responses and techniques to master them.

It includes: understanding the nature of coping styles, positive focusing, and self-management proficiencies.

Participants will learn skills through lectures and experiential exercises.
Goal To assist individuals in mastering emotional awareness for personal and professional success.

Objectives At the end of the session, participants will be able to: recognise their emotional responses to stress and challenges; apply effective emotional-regulation techniques; and better manage their emotions, stress, and challenges.
ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 92 2 | Integrated Health Outreach * Dr. Nicola Bird * nicolabird@gmail.com * SELF-Adult ©2018 Emotional Self-Management: Building Effective Skills for Resilience Week 2, 75-minutes Participants will gain skills to effectively recognise the difference between unhealthy and healthy coping styles for better self-regulation and self-management.
Workshop includes techniques for greater self-awareness and self-mastery.

Participants will learn skills through presentations, experiential exercises, and a variety of learning materials.

Goal To assist individuals in mastering healthy coping skills for wellbeing and personal, professional, and community success.
Objectives At the end of the session participants will be able to: identify unhealthy coping styles; develop healthy coping skills; and retrain their brain to manage emotional challenges more effectively for improved personal, professional, and community wellbeing.
Peer/Client/Community Dynamics: Identifying and Managing Emotional Triggers Week 3, 75-minutes In this workshop, participants will gain greater understanding of emotional triggers and how to deal with them for improved peer, client, professional, and community relationships.

This includes techniques for managing emotional triggers and integrating this knowledge into individual, client, network, organizational, and community levels.
A mix of presentations and interpersonal exercises will be used for instruction and learning.

Goal To assist individuals in implementing effective skills for improved interpersonal and intrapersonal relations.
Objectives At the end of the session, participants will be able to: understand triggers that cause conflict with others; effectively manage triggers for greater self-management and positive peer relationships; and reduce professional stress, increase personal calm, and improve relationships with others.
ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 93 3 | Integrated Health Outreach * Dr. Nicola Bird * nicolabird@gmail.com * SELF-Adult ©2018 Facilitator’s Bio Dr. Nicola Bird is Director of Integrated Health Outreach (IHO) a non-profit organization that implements and facilitates preventive mental, behavioural, and social healthcare and wellbeing through programmes, research, and education.
Dr. Bird is an Antiguan psychotherapist who lives between Toronto, Canada and Antigua.

She developed the Social-Emotional Learning Facilitation (SELF) Programmes for children, youth, and adults that are being successfully implemented in Antigua and Barbuda.
Annex IV – Department of Environment: Environmental Scoping Evaluation PROJECT: CLIMATE CHANGE PROGRAMME Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management (SIRF Fund) PROJECT LOCATION: 13 locations in multiple Parishes, Antigua (St. John, St. Peter, St. Phillip, St. Paul & St. Mary) PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The project will install grid-interactive/backup solar PV installations with batteries and accessories on 13 schools and clinics, both public and private, across all parishes in Antigua.
These are listed below, and have been identified based on their target demographic, size, location and feasibility to receive solar panels.
ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 94 SCOPING DATE: SITE VISIT DATE: OFFICER(S) REPORTING: ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 95 Feature being assessed SCORING -2 -1 0 +1 +2 Very Negative Slightly Negative Neutral Slightly Positive Very Positive General Characteristics List applicable policies/legislations/initiatives Briefly describe potential impact 1 Changes in Land use 2 Topography/Elevation x x PPA, 2003 PPA, 2003 This project will not change the land use at any of the sites as the core function of the activity is to facilitate the resilience and further use of these sites during and after a natural disaster.
The installation of solar panels on roofs is not expected to affect topography or elevation in anyway.

However if panels are mounted on the ground there may minimal impact digging holes and erecting foundations with mounting stands.
3 Use of natural Resources x This project will achieve the non-extractive use of sunlight to power solar grids National Energy Policy Interconnection Policy ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 96 Feature being assessed SCORING -2 -1 0 +1 +2 Very Negative Slightly Negative Neutral Slightly Positive Very Positive List applicable policies/legislations/initiatives Briefly describe potential impact 4 Habitat Destruction or Fragmentation 5 Introduction of non-native species 6 Unique/important/Endangered wildlife or wildlife habitat 7 Soil 8 Protected Area/Plans x x x x x No impact No introduction of species Environmental Protection and Management Act.
Sustainable Development Goals Nationally Determined Contributions Environmental Protection and Management Act, 2015 No importation of species Environmental Protection and Management Act 2015 OECS Building Code The installation of solar panels on roofs is not expected to affect soil in anyway.

However if panels are mounted on the ground there may minimal impact digging holes and erecting foundations with mounting stands.
NA ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 97 Feature being assessed SCORING -2 -1 0 +1 +2 Very Negative Slightly Negative Neutral Slightly Positive Very Positive List applicable policies/legislations/initiatives Briefly describe potential impact 9 Scenic landscape x 10 Emerging Trends/Risks in the Area x Panels will not interfere with vistas as they will either follow the slope of the roofs.
As there is also the possibility of mounting panels on the ground no impact is expected on scenic landscape This project aims at addressing the rising trends of climate change OECS Building Code Environmental Protection and Management Act.

Sustainable Development Goals Nationally Determined Contributions Infrastructure and Common Services 11 Air Quality x The use of solar panels and batteries will lead to less exhaust by generators.
However the installation of such may result in fugitive dust and minor construction particulates Environmental Protection and Management Act.
Sustainable Development Goals Nationally Determined Contributions 12 Traffic Patterns x Negligible ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 98 Feature being assessed SCORING -2 -1 0 +1 +2 Very Negative Slightly Negative Neutral Slightly Positive Very Positive List applicable policies/legislations/initiatives Briefly describe potential impact 13 Noise Levels 14 15 Water Supply Water quality 16 Energy Supply & Consumption 17 Accessibility (disabled/other) x x x x Minor noise during construction Less noise due to less reliance on generators Environmental Protection and Management Act.
NA Negligible as a result of construction x Project will improve energy resilience primarily for schools and clinics.

There will also be a secondary benefit to communities Environmental Protection and Management Act.
Sustainable Development Goals Nationally Determined Contributions One of the sites chosen for this project is a school for the disabled and special needs Disabilities and Equal Opportunities Bill Socio-Economic ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 99 Feature being assessed SCORING -2 -1 0 +1 +2 Very Negative Slightly Negative Neutral Slightly Positive Very Positive List applicable policies/legislations/initiatives Briefly describe potential impact 18 Potential for employment x 24 Gender equity & women’s empowerment x A few jobs for construction and erecting panels; panels will be imported from an overseas supplier.
The project benefits both women and men: Consultations – vast majority women in attendance.

Decision-making during project implementation – majority women.

Contractors – majority male owned companies (construction and electrical engineering).

Owners/managers of the beneficiary facilities – majority women.

Clients or patrons of the targeted facilities – generally gender balanced.
ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 100 Feature being assessed SCORING -2 -1 0 +1 +2 Very Negative Slightly Negative Neutral Slightly Positive Very Positive List applicable policies/legislations/initiatives Briefly describe potential impact 25 Poverty 26 Property value 27 Impact on interest groups in the area x x x This project will improve the quality of services available to low-income communities and exceptionally vulnerable people.
Property value expected to increase after installing solar panels.

Most of the buildings are public Disabled students at the Victory centre will be less affected by power outages.

They will also be able to return classes sooner after a disaster.

Clinics in poor communities can function longer.

Medications that need to be kept refrigerator will be safeguarded.
Cultural Heritage ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 101 Feature being assessed SCORING -2 -1 0 +1 +2 Very Negative Slightly Negative Neutral Slightly Positive Very Positive List applicable policies/legislations/initiatives Briefly describe potential impact 28 Archaeological resources 29 Cultural heritage/monument 34 Recreational value 35 Floodplains / wetlands 36 Drainage Basins 37 Stream-flow characteristics/ surface runoff x x x NA NA NA Disaster Reduction Services x x x Panels on roofs will not harm flood plains.
Ground mounted panels may cause site to experience minimal runoff Solar panels will not affect drainage.
Ground-mounted panels should not be in flood- prone areas Ground mounted panels may cause site to experience minimal runoff and erosion ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 102 Feature being assessed SCORING -2 -1 0 +1 +2 Very Negative Slightly Negative Neutral Slightly Positive Very Positive List applicable policies/legislations/initiatives Briefly describe potential impact 38 Climatic susceptibility of the area x 39 Carbon sequestration National Adaptation Plan (under development) Antigua is located in a very active zone for hurricanes.
Climate models are predicting more intense hurricanes and rainfall events.

Contingency measures will be needed for extreme (category 3+) hurricanes x Use of panels will avoid and replace electricity generated from fossil fuels.

Nationally Determined Contributions ESIA & ESMP – Deploying Renewable Energy for Schools and Clinics via the Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Environmental Management – SIRF Fund Page 103