The Project will be developed to comply with all applicable national regulatory and lender’s international requirements. The applicable national regulatory requirements, referred to as the E&S reference framework are, but not limited to:

• Applicable social and environmental laws, regulations and policies of Malawi relating to concessions, land acquisition and resettlement, labour and working conditions, pollution prevention and control, public health and safety, biodiversity protection and conservation, ethnic groups/indigenous peoples, and environmental protection.
• Relevant international treaties to which Malawi declarations, and conventions that Malawi has ratified and is a signatory, such as (but not limited to) the United Nation (UN) Declarations, United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) conventions, International Labor Organization (ILO) Core Conventions and all other ILO Conventions ratified by Malawi.
• International Financing Institution (IFI) standards including:
  1. The IFC Performance Standards (2012);
  2. World Bank Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) (2018);
  3. Equator Principles 4 (EP4) (July 2020);
  4. Relevant World Bank Group (WBG) Environmental, Safety, and Health (ESH) Guidelines.
• The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) (2011).

Where discrepancies occur within the reference framework, the Project Company will follow whichever requirement is more stringent.

A number of studies and reports are currently being undertaken by consultants appointed by MHPL, to assess the impacts and find mitigating measures. The E&S studies that are now underway are building on data previously collected and the findings of earlier studies.

Summary versions of study ToRs are available here and on Ministry of Energy website. 

Updates on their progress is being shared regularly; in regular meetings with communities in proximity to the main dam area; in quarterly meetings with a broader set of stakeholders including government agencies and civil society organisations (CSOs); and in regular update meetings with other affected stakeholders. Study progress is also summarised in the Project’s quarterly newsletters.

As various international lenders will be mobilised to support financing of the Mpatamanga Project, the studies are being led by international environmental and social (E&S) consultancies that are very experienced with these lender E&S requirements in partnership with Malawian E&S consulting firms. In addition to these E&S studies that have been contracted by and are being managed by MHPL, the Ministry of Energy (MoE) Project Implementation Unit (PIU) has also commissioned and will manage studies related to labour influx management and cultural heritage impact assessment. The findings of these studies will be integrated into the Mpatamanga Project Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA), Resettlement Policy Framework (RPF) and phased Resettlement Action Plans (RAPs), and relevant Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMPs).

The Mpatamanga Hydro Power Project (MHPP) has developed a draft Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP) that includes a Grievance Redress Mechanism. You can Download the draft Stakeholder Engagement Plan here The draft SEP is hereby published on this website and shared with stakeholders for ongoing review and feedback. This SEP is the overall management plan addressing how the MHPP will conduct regular consultations and interact with identified stakeholders. Please send any feedback to the following email address:[email protected].

An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and supporting documentation will be lodged to the Malawi Environmental Protection Authority (MEPA) in order to secure an environmental permit for the Project. The E&S Studies will also be used by MHPL and the GoM to secure international financing for the MHPP. 

The ESIA Non-Technical Summary (RevB, 31^st July 2024) attached here  highlights the anticipated impacts of the MHPP.

The Draft Environmental and Social Safeguards documents were presented to a key group of stakeholders in July 2024 and the presentation can be accessed here.

Stakeholder consultation on the Draft ESIA and Draft ESMMP (RevB, 31^st July 2024) is ongoing throughout September 2024. The Draft ESIA and ESMMP (Rev B, 31^st July 2024) are saved here: