Baoma Solar Renewable Energy Project - Sierra Leone

Project summary

RSK Tanzania together with RSK Biocensus provided environmental and social advisory services for the development of a solar PV facility in Sierra Leone. The project objective was to understand historical biodiversity values of the site, with particular reference to chimpanzees, as well as understanding legacy displacement risk at the site for local farmers, and developing a lender-compliant way forward for livelihood restoration.

The background

Sierra Leone faces structural challenges in sustaining a reliable energy supply, with significant dependence on thermal power and limited rural electrification. The Baoma Solar Project is a critical component of the government’s renewables integration roadmap, aimed at decarbonising the energy mix and improving access for underserved communities. Backed by international lenders, the project required strict adherence to International Finance Corporation (IFC) standards, the Equator Principles voluntary risk management framework and regional environmental regulations. RSK provided environmental and social advisory services for the solar project, bringing its experience in integrated environmental and social governance.

The challenges

• The sites chosen for the Baoma solar project are located in weak-grid rural areas where infrastructure is lacking, creating logistical challenges.
• A lack of data existed for the project sites, particularly around biodiversity and the likelihood of chimpanzee presence.
• Land-use competition between solar infrastructure and subsistence farming in the area heightened the risk of social conflict unless there was robust mitigation.

The solutions

RSK deployed a cross-regional team comprising biodiversity experts and social practitioners to deliver the required assessments.

The team travelled from Freetown to Eastern Sierra Leone, where the first phase of the project had been established. Staff were inducted to the site and started their preliminary engagements with communities.

Throughout the engagement period, the team started to get a feel for any chimpanzee corridors that would enable visiting these areas to look for evidence of chimpanzee activity. This included searching for chimpanzee nests (current or previous) and ad hoc engagements with farmers who could share their experiences.

To support engagement and reduce the risk of social conflict, RSK developed visual tools, including maps and photoboards, to support engagements focused on primates within the area of influence. Local leadership was involved within the project area to garner support, and local non-governmental organisations were engaged to help form partnerships for biodiversity offsets where necessary.

Economically displaced farmers were engaged to understand compensation and livelihood restoration approaches to be utilised at the site.

The impact

RSK was able to gain an understanding of chimpanzee activity in the landscape surrounding the project. This could then be used, retrospectively, to evidence that the project had not had a significant adverse effect on chimpanzee behaviour or ranging. As such, proportionate, effective and pragmatic measures could be recommended to deliver net gains for the species without having to compensate for or offset negative impacts. This allowed the project to demonstrate, to the satisfaction of all stakeholders, compliance against its no net loss and net gain aspirations and commitments.

By providing evidence of biodiversity risk, as well as a foundation for biodiversity offsets, RSK’s work created a way forward for IFC Performance Standard 5 compliance and livelihood restoration.