Strategic Environmental and Social Assessment (SESA) and Cumulative Impact Assessment (CIA)

Overview
Project Summary Document

TCRS 21459

Status TC Com approved

Location

Egypt

Business Sector

Energy

Notice Type

State

PSD Disclosed

29 Oct 2025

Project Description

Enquiries

Business opportunities

For business opportunities or procurement, contact the client company.

For business opportunities with EBRD (not related to procurement) contact:

Tel: +44 20 7338 7168
Email: projectenquiries@ebrd.com

For state-sector projects, visit EBRD Procurement:

Tel: +44 20 7338 6794
Email: procurement@ebrd.com

General enquiries

Specific enquiries can be made using the EBRD Enquiries form.

TCRS 21459

Status TC Com approved

Location

Egypt

Business Sector

Energy

Notice Type

State

PSD Disclosed

29 Oct 2025

Project Description and Rationale

The Gulf of Suez (GoS) has world class wind resources but is also located on the second largest migratory bird flyway in the world. More than 1.5 million birds fly through the area each year between Europe and Africa. Various wind power projects are located in the GoS, including those financed by the EBRD. Wind projects and their associated power lines present a significant collision risk to migrating birds. Egypt, and wind developers, have undertaken substantial studies over the years to understand this risk and designed turbine shut down measures to reduce it allowing for the development of wind power while at the same time protecting the flyway. Bird fatalities still occur but are significantly lower than they would be in the absence of the turbine shut down programme. This work has served as a benchmark for sustainable wind development and earned Egypt a strong international reputation. EBRD, and other DFIs, have been able to finance multiple wind projects in the GoS on the basis of such studies and mitigation measures.

With the substantial, and successful, development of the GoS over the years, previous studies are now outdated and do not consider future, and the extensive, renewable development planned in the area, which has high likelihood of causing irreversible impacts on global migratory bird populations if not planned, designed and managed in a strategic and sustainable manner. EBRD can no longer rely on individual Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs) and previous strategic studies to support future projects in the area. A new, GoS wide, Strategic Environmental and Social Assessment (SESA), as well as Cumulative Impact Assessment (CIA), is required to allow EBRD to finance future projects in the GoS, to ensure that projects avoid the most sensitive areas and to ensure that projects are developed in the most sustainable way possible protecting migratory bird populations and other biodiversity. The Government of Egypt has agreed on the need for a new SESA-CIA and is looking to EBRD to provide financial and technical support for the delivery of the SESA-CIA.

TC Services

The Project will support the following tasks undertaken by a qualified consults, which are critical tools to ensure that the GoS's renewable energy transition is aligned with biodiversity conservation objectives while supporting sustainable renewable energy development.

SESA:
• Assess migratory bird flight activity hotspots and aggregation areas (stopovers, resting locations) based upon new and existing bird survey data to understand area sensitivities and potential development and no-go areas.
• Review of efficacy of existing bird collision minimisation measures for wind facilities and transmission lines as well as measures for other biodiversity.
• Review the potential effectiveness and feasibility of new technology and other measures to minimise collision and biodiversity risks and impacts.
• Conduct a cost benefit analysis of wind energy facility location benefits and mitigation measures required to respond to sensitivities.
• Provide recommendations on a GoS mitigation and management strategy, including mitigation approaches at the landscape and project scale.

CIA:

• Quantify species-specific fatality rates related to wind energy developments and transmission lines.
• Screen migratory birds at highest risk from wind energy facilities and overhead transmission lines and assess these within the context of long-term population viability.
• Determine biologically informed annual fatality thresholds for high risk ‘priority’ bird species.
• Develop an adaptive management approach to track annual fatalities against thresholds and a protocol on adaptive management responses when thresholds are exceeded, including changes to mitigation.

In addition the SESA-CIA will include:

• An overview of relevant national and regional regulations and policies as they relate project development in the GoS.
• Development of a stakeholder engagement plan, engagement with stakeholders and provision of capacity building
• Representative E&S baseline surveys
• A broad assessment of impacts associated with Project development in the GoS , future baseline requirements and mitigation and management measures.

Based on the above outlined tasks, SESA and CIA reports will deliver key outputs, ensuring a structured and data-driven approach to biodiversity management. A critical component of this effort is the development of an updatable sensitivity map, which will be made available either as a GIS file or, preferably, as an interactive online tool to facilitate real-time data access and spatial analysis. The outputs would inform the development of wind energy facilities, overheard transmission lines and other infrastructure and activities in the GoS.

To support conservation efforts, the assignment will establish species-specific annual fatality thresholds for priority migratory bird flyway populations and other key biodiversity values. This will provide a science-based framework for assessing and mitigating potential biodiversity risks. Additionally, an updatable fatality rate database tool will be developed, enabling systematic monitoring and adaptive management of biodiversity impacts.

A core deliverable is the adaptive biodiversity management Strategy, designed to ensure biodiversity impacts across the GoS are managed in alignment with No Net Loss requirements. This strategy will integrate monitoring data, impact assessments, and mitigation measures to enable a dynamic and responsive approach to biodiversity conservation, ensuring sustainable development while preserving ecological integrity.

Any competitive selections for business opportunities relating to this project will be published on the EBRD's website: Consultancy Procurement Opportunities.

General enquiries

EBRD project enquiries not related to procurement:
Tel: +44 20 7338 7168
Email: projectenquiries@ebrd.com

Access to Information Policy (AIP)

The AIP sets out how the EBRD discloses information and consults with its stakeholders so as to promote better awareness and understanding of its strategies, policies and operations following its entry into force on 1 January 2020. Please visit the Access to Information Policy page to find out what information is available from the EBRD website.

Specific requests for information can be made using the EBRD Enquiries form

Independent Project Accountability Mechanism (IPAM)

If efforts to address environmental, social or public disclosure concerns with the Client or the Bank are unsuccessful (e.g. through the Client’s Project-level grievance mechanism or through direct engagement with Bank management), individuals and organisations may seek to address their concerns through the EBRD’s Independent Project Accountability Mechanism (IPAM).

IPAM independently reviews Project issues that are believed to have caused (or to be likely to cause) harm. The purpose of the Mechanism is: to support dialogue between Project stakeholders to resolve environmental, social and public disclosure issues; to determine whether the Bank has complied with its Environmental and Social Policy or Project-specific provisions of its Access to Information Policy; and where applicable, to address any existing non-compliance with these policies, while preventing future non-compliance by the Bank.

Please visit the Independent Project Accountability Mechanism webpage to find out more about IPAM and its mandate; how to submit a Request for review; or contact IPAM via email ipam@ebrd.com to get guidance and more information on IPAM and how to submit a request.

Our story

How we invest in changing lives

What we offer for businesses

Search

Strategic Environmental and Social Assessment (SESA) and Cumulative Impact Assessment (CIA)

Project Description

Enquiries

Business opportunities

General enquiries

Project Description and Rationale

TC Services

General enquiries

Access to Information Policy (AIP)

Independent Project Accountability Mechanism (IPAM)