Banie Phase 3 and Sepopol Wind Farm

Overview
Project Summary Document
Environmental and Social Documentation
Procurement
Complaints

Overview

Provision of two long-term senior secured loans available to Gaberpoint Investments sp. z o.o Banie 3 sp.j. and Derickar Investments sp. z o.o. Eneal sp.j (the "Borrowers") to finance development, construction and operation of two wind farms: 81.4MW Banie Phase 3 wind farm located in the north-western Poland and the 44 MW Sepopol wind farm located in north-eastern Poland (together, the "Project"). The Project has been developed by Energix Polska Sp. z o.o, (the "Developer"). The Borrowers and Developer are owned by Energix Renewable Energies Ltd., an Israeli renewables company publicly listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, and operating internationally.

Project ID 52312

Status Repaying

Location

Poland

Business Sector

Energy

Notice Type

Private

Project timeline

Exploratory
Passed Concept Review
Passed Structure Review
Passed Final Review
Board Approved
Signed
Implementing
Completed

Company Contact Information

Artur Violante
arturv@energix-group.com
+972-3-5668855
+972-3-5668822
www.energixpolska.com
Plac Stanisława Małachowskiego 2, 00-066 Warszawa, Poland

Project ID 52312

Status Repaying

Location

Poland

Business Sector

Energy

Notice Type

Private

Environmental Category

Approval Date

13 May 2021

Disclosure date

12 Mar 2021

Banie Phase 3 windfarm (Polish) (PDF, 0.97MB)

Project description

Project objectives

The Project will contribute to climate mitigation by adding 125.4 MW wind generation capacity to the Polish national energy system. In addition, the Project contributes to strengthening of the private sector's role in the renewable energy sector in Poland.

Transition impact

ETI Score:60

Project targets the "Green" Transition Impact quality by supporting the construction of two wind farms with a total installed capacity of 125.4MW. This capacity is expected to replace coal-fired plants in the generation mix and consequently result in associated CO2 savings of over 258,400 tonnes annually. For part of the expected generation volume, the Project has was awarded support in December 2019 auctions under the Polish Contract for Difference support scheme

Client information

GABERPOINT INVESTMENTS SP ZOOBANIE 3

Gaberpoint Investments sp. z o.o Banie 3 sp.j. is a private general partnership company incorporated in Poland, created for the sole purpose of constructing and operating the Banie 3 windfarm.

Derickar Investments sp. z o.o. Eneal sp.j.is a private general partnership company incorporated in Poland, created for the sole purpose of constructing and operating the Sepopol windfarm.

EBRD Finance Summary

PLN 275,000,000.00

Total project cost

PLN 746,000,000.00

Additionality

n/a

Environmental & Social Summary

The Project consists of two windfarms: the Banie 3, which has been categorized as A category, and Sepopol, which has been categorized as B. The details are below:

Banie 3. Categorised A (ESP 2019). The Banie Phase 3 windfarm is the subsequent phase of an existing Banie wind farm complex, located in north-western Poland. Earlier two phases of this complex were financed by the Bank in year 2012 (DTM 47932). Banie Phase 3 will add 37 turbines (additional 81.4 MW) to the existing 106 MW wind farm complex. The Banie Phase 1 and Phase 2 as well as Banie Phase 3 have been categorized A due to cumulative impacts. For Banie Phase 3 wind farm the Developer has prepared an Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA) disclosure package, which was disclosed on the Bank's website on 5th February 2021, in line with the Bank's Performance Requirements and 60 day public disclosure period requirement.

An Environmental and Social Due Diligence (ESDD) was undertaken by an independent consultant, who confirmed that the Banie Phase 3 wind farm is structured to comply with the Bank's Performance Requirements (PR's) and that the Developer has the institutional capacity to implement the Bank's PRs.

All three phases of Banie wind farm complex have been permitted by the relevant competent authorities and no objections or issues have been raised to date by third parties. The Banie Phase 3 wind farm will not impact residential areas, and noise modelling has not shown any noise exceedance. The ESIA disclosure package included a cumulative assessment of all three phases and the ESDD confirmed that the Bank funded Banie Phase 3 wind farm is compliant with the Bank's PRs and will likely not impact Natura 2000 areas. There is an on-going assessment undertaken by the Borrower as well as required under existing permits and the Bank agreed ESAP to assess potential impacts to the white tailed eagle population in the region. The Banie Phase 3 wind farm will not impact residential areas, and noise modelling has shown compliance with national and EU legal requirements. This have been verified as part of commissioning audits for Banie Phase 1 and Phase 2 and will be further confirmed for Banie Phase 3 during operation, by implementing noise monitoring programs. All land acquisition has been undertaken based on voluntary contracts and the Banie wind farm design is in line with the local development plans. No significant labour issues were identified. Developer is considering 56MW additional project in the area. The Developer will undertake appropriate assessment inclusive of cumulative assessments and obtain relevant permits as required by national and EU legislation.

The ESDD confirmed that the the Developer has been implementing the existing ESAPs for previous phases, inclusive of on-site avifauna (birds and bats) monitoring and no material issue have been identified. Construction of existing wind farms in Banie complex has been well managed to date and no EHS incidents have been reported. Stakeholder engagement activities have been aligned to social distancing and other communication restrictions caused by COVID-19. Based on the ESDD the ESAP has been updated and includes, and contains actions to further monitor the impacts of projects on avifauna, noise and communities including the use of the grievance mechanism and ensuring H&S applied during construction process.

An ESIA disclosure package for Banie Phase 3 wind farm is available on the Energix Polska website under https://www.energixpolska.com/banie-3-docs and Bank website https://www.ebrd.com/work-with-us/projects/esia/energix-banie-phase-3-wind.html

The Bank will continue to monitor the implementation of the Banie 3 wind farm.

Sepopol. Categorised B (ESP 2019). The Sepopol windfarm is the development of a medium sized windfarm comprising of 20 wind turbines and associated project components, located in the area of Rozyna and Sepopol in the Warminsko-Mazurskie Voivodship, in north-eastern Poland.

An Environmental and Social Due Diligence (ESDD) has been undertaken by an independent consultant confirmed that the Sepopol wind farmis structured to comply with the Bank's Performance Requirements (PR's) and the Energix Polska Sp. z o.o. has the institutional capacity to implement the Bank's PR's.

The ESDD confirmed that the land has been acquired based on willing buyer seller agreements and the Sepopol wind farm is consistent with the local development plans. The local commune will receive payments for each turbines in line with the Polish building code.

The ESDD identified that part of the site (9 turbines) are located in a Natura 2000 site Ostoja Warminska (PLB280015), Special Protection Area (Birds Directive) and 2 km North-West of Warmia IBA site. The Sepopol wind farm has been approved by the National Competent Authorities and valid development and construction permits are in place. The stand-alone Appropriate Assessment has not been required by the Competent Authorities. The ESDD included additional biodiversity/bird studies and impact assessment, including additional ornithological review and confirmed the conclusions of the preliminary studies undertaken at the permitting stage, that the Sepopol wind farm does not raise potential impacts on integrity of Natura 2000 site or Critical Habitat. This has been confirmed by ongoing monitoring.

The Developer committed in the ESAP to appointing an independent ornithological expert to continue with avifauna surveys (birds and bats) throughout construction and operation over the next 3 years (to be potentially extended based on the findings), implementing a fatality (carcass) monitoring program and based on these developing additional mitigation measures in line with national guidance, the 2020 EU Guidance document on wind energy developments and EU nature legislation as required. The ESAP commits the Developer to development and implement the shutdown protocol as and when required, based on the continued avifauna monitoring, and contains actions to further monitor noise and impact on communities including the use of the grievance mechanism and ensuring H&S applied during construction process. Stakeholder engagement activities have been aligned to social distancing and other communication restrictions caused by COVID-19.

An NTS has been developed for the Sepopol wind farm and can be obtained at Bank website https://www.ebrd.com/what-we-do/project-information/environment-social-info-documents/1395296688636/Sepopol_NTS_(English).pdf as well as ESIA disclosure is available on the Energix Polska Sp. z o.o website https://www.energixpolska.com/copy-of-banie-3-docs

The Bank will continue to monitor the implementation of the Sepopol wind farm.,

Update 2021

The Company has been implementing the Project in line with existing ESAP. Reports will be made available on the Company web site

In 2021/2022 the Company is developing a new project in the near vicinity of Banie (Zelechowo Project) with the addition of 16 wind turbines, under a separate SPV project. In line with agree ESAP a cumulative assessment has been undertaken.

The NTS for this is available here: https://www.ebrd.com/work-with-us/projects/esia/energix-banie-phase-3-wind.html

And Energix has updated the local disclosure here: https://pl.energixpolska.com/copy-of-banie-3-docs-1

Technical Cooperation and Grant Financing

n/a

Company Contact Information

Artur Violante
arturv@energix-group.com
+972-3-5668855
+972-3-5668822
www.energixpolska.com
Plac Stanisława Małachowskiego 2, 00-066 Warszawa, Poland

PSD last updated

22 Dec 2021

Understanding transition

Further information regarding the EBRD’s approach to measuring transition impact is available here.

Business opportunities

For business opportunities or procurement, contact the client company.

For business opportunities with the 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.

Environmental and Social Policy (ESP)

The ESP and its associated Environmental and Social Requirements (ESRs) set out the ways in which the EBRD implements its commitment to promoting “environmentally sound and sustainable development”. The ESP and the ESRs include specific provisions for clients to comply with the applicable requirements of national laws on public information and consultation, and to establish a grievance mechanism to receive and facilitate resolution of stakeholders’ concerns and grievances, in particular, about the environmental and social (E&S) performance of the client and the project. Proportionate to the nature and scale of a project’s environmental and social risks and impacts, the EBRD also requires its clients to disclose information, as appropriate, about the risks and impacts of projects or to undertake meaningful consultation with stakeholders and consider and respond to their feedback.

More information on the EBRD’s practices in this regard is set out in the ESP.

Integrity and compliance

The EBRD's Office of the Chief Compliance Officer (OCCO) promotes good governance and ensures that the highest standards of integrity are applied to all of the Bank's activities in accordance with international best practice. Integrity due diligence is conducted on all Bank clients to ensure that projects do not present unacceptable integrity or reputational risks to the Bank. The EBRD believes that identifying and resolving issues in the project assessment and approval stages is the most effective means of ensuring the integrity of Bank transactions. OCCO plays a key role in these protective efforts andhelps to monitor integrity risks in projects post-investment.

OCCO is further responsible for investigating allegations of fraud, corruption and misconduct in EBRD-financed projects. Anyone, either within or outside the Bank, who suspects fraud or corruption should submit a written report to the Chief Compliance Officer by email to compliance@ebrd.com. OCCO will follow-up all matters reported. It will review all matters reported. Reports can be made in any language of the Bank or of the Bank's countries of operation. The information provided must be made in good faith.

Access to Information Policy (AIP)

The AIP, which entered into force on 1 January 2025, sets out how the EBRD discloses information and consults with its stakeholders to promote better awareness and understanding of its strategies, policies and operations. 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 (for example, 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 the 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 and how to submit a Request for review. Alternatively, contact IPAM by email at ipam@ebrd.com for guidance and more information on IPAM and how to submit a request.

Project ID 52312

Status Repaying

Location

Poland

Environmental Category

Disclosure date

04 Feb 2021

Project description

A loan for the construction, commissioning and operation of 81.4 MWe wind power project located in north-western Poland (the "Project"). This is an extention of a Bank funded Project (DTM 47932), approved Phase 1 and 2 of the same Project. The Project has been categorized A category due to cumulative impacts.

The Project has been developed by by Energix Polska Sp.z.o.o, (the “Developer”). The Project will contribute to climate mitigation by increasing the share of renewable energy generation in Poland and add 81.4 MW wind generation capacity to the national energy system. In addition, the Project will strengthen the private sector's role in the renewable energy sector in Poland.

ESIA disclosure for Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the Project

ESIA disclosure package

1. Non-Technical Summary (NTS)
2. Stakeholder Engagement Plan
3. Draft Environmental and Social Action Plan (ESAP)
4. ESIA Supplemental Study
5. Environmental Impact Assessment
6. Environmental Permit

Download entire package in in Zip format

NTS: English | Polish

SEP: English | Polish

ESAP: English | Polish

The documents are also available on the Energix web site

The Company is developing another wind farm (Zelchowo) in the near vicinity and has disclosed the local EIA and NTS for this project.

NTS for Zelchowo Wind farm: Polish | English

Full EIA for Zelechow

Full ESIA availability

Full ESIA documentation is available locally at:

Energix Polska Sp. Z o.o.
Plac Stanisława Małachowskiego 2
00-066 Warszawa
Contact: Magdalena Sankowska, Office Manager, email: magdalenas@energix-group.com, tel. +48 514 482 156

And

Banie commune
Urząd Gminy Banie, ul. Skośna 6, 74-110 Banie, (tel.) +48 91 41 66 381, urzad@banie.pl
Major Arkadiusz Augustyniak (tel.) +48 91 41 66 381, wojt@banie.pl

And

Widuchowa commune
Urząd Gminy Widuchowa, Grunwaldzka 8, 74-120 Widuchowa, (tel.) +48 91 41 67 255, org@widuchowa.pl
Major Paweł Wróbel, (tel.) +48 606 363 632

Enquiries

Environmental or social enquiries

Magdalena Sankowska,
email: magdalenas@energix-group.com,
tel. +48 514 482 156;
Energix Polska Sp. z o.o. Plac Stanisława Małachowskiego 2; 00-066 Warsaw

This document was prepared at an early stage of project development, before consideration by the EBRD Board of Directors. Details of a project may change following disclosure.

Environmental and Social Impact Assessments and ESIA summaries are produced by project sponsors, and the EBRD makes them available without any comment or implied endorsement. Any views expressed or statements made in the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment or the ESIA Summary do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the EBRD.

Last updated 25 June 2014

Selected procurement notices related to this project may be shown below. Further procurement opportunities related to this and other projects, if available, maybe be viewed in the EBRD Procurement Portal.

The EBRD's Environmental and Social Policy (ESP), Access to Information policy (AIP) and Project Accountability Policy (PAP) enable sound and sustainable development in its projects. The Independent Project Accountability Mechanism (IPAM) deals with complaints about environmental, social and disclosure matters related to the Bank’s investments.

No complaints about this project have been made so far.

Our story

How we invest in changing lives

What we offer for businesses

Search

Banie Phase 3 and Sepopol Wind Farm

Overview

Project timeline

Company Contact Information

Project description

Project objectives

Transition impact

Client information

EBRD Finance Summary

Total project cost

Additionality

Environmental & Social Summary

Technical Cooperation and Grant Financing

Company Contact Information

PSD last updated

Understanding transition

Business opportunities

General enquiries

Environmental and Social Policy (ESP)

Integrity and compliance

Access to Information Policy (AIP)

Independent Project Accountability Mechanism (IPAM)

Project description

ESIA disclosure package

Full ESIA availability

Enquiries