For the execution of an environmental impact assessment (EIA) of a solar PV-based hybrid mini-grid in Shedder camp, Somali Region, Ethiopia

Project Background

Powering infrastructure in relief settings, where clinics, offices, communications towers, water pumping stations and other necessary services are commonly fueled by diesel generators, represents a substantial economic burden for humanitarian agencies & for the businesses and households located in refugee settlements and host communities. In 2019-2021, Mercy Corps, in partnership with Shell under Shell’s Enter Energy – Ethiopia (EE-E) initiative has been exploring the feasibility of deploying and operating clean and commercially viable energy infrastructures in displacement settings and for humanitarian operations. The strategic objective was to assess the potential to develop a replicable, market-based model to provide clean, sustainable, reliable and affordable energy services for the humanitarian sector. To this end, Mercy Corps has conducted a baseline study on energy access in Jijiga, Somali Region, which has resulted in the potential for the development of a scalable, replicable model for integrated renewable electrification that would improve operational sustainability for humanitarian organizations while enabling better service delivery for people living in refugee settlements and host communities.

Mercy Corps will undertake this effort through the incorporation of an Ethiopian commercial entity and in collaboration with private sector actors to ensure sustainability of the business model proposed and with the aim to reach scale for access to energy in displacement settings for all segments of the population. For its first phase, Mercy Corps has chosen to pilot its model in the host and refugee communities of Sheder, Aw Barre District, Somali Region. The project aims at designing, funding, deploying and operating, in collaboration with the private sector under a market-based model, a 300 kWp PV-powered mini-grid in the Sheder camp.

Objective of the vacancy

For its solar PV-based mini-grid of about 300 kWp in the Shedder camp, Aw Barre District, Somali Region, Mercy Corps is looking for a sole Consultant or a Firm that could:

• Carry out an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) compliant with the applicable legislation
• Ensure the obtention of the Environmental Authorization/Clearance Certificate (EA/CC) from the Ethiopian Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) or its equivalent designed authority
• Develop an Environmental Management Plan (EMP) which complies with the requirements of the prevailing environmental policies and legislations in Ethiopia