The project poses risks to the environment and local communities, including soil erosion; health impacts from air emissions; water contamination; and fuel, limestone, and waste storage mechanisms. Also of particular concern is the recent construction of a second 230-MW power generating facility, not financed by the IDB but sharing common facilities with the Termoeléctrica del Golfo Project. The project’s potential cumulative environmental and social impacts were not disclosed to the public, nor adequately considered in impact studies or Bank documents, prior to Board approval of the project.
The Call for Accountability
In August 2000, the case was submitted to the IDB’s Independent Investigation Mechanism by an environmental organization, Rescate Ecológico de Tamuín, formed by residents of the town. After taking over two years to approve the inspection, the IIM final report was completed in March 2003, citing violations of the IDB’s information disclosure policy and raising questions about the sufficiency of social development programs and cumulative environmental assessments related to the project. However, Bank management’s response—which, along with the panel report, did not become publicly available until July 2003—fails to commit the Bank to any concrete corrective actions related to the case.
For full project information, see BIC Project Factsheet: The IDB-Funded Termoeléctrica del Golfo Project, August 2003 (Acrobat pdf 223 KB)