Azura-Edo Independent Power Plant Environmental Impact ... - IFC

footprint. It does provide a design standard that plant and equipment
associated with the project should aim to achieve where practicable.
In the absence of suitable environmental noise criteria, and given Azura
Power may be seeking funding and/or guarantees from international financial
institutions, the World Bank/ IFC noise guidelines levels for industrial
facilities have been used.
World Bank/ IFC General Environmental, Health and Safety Guidelines
The IFC gives guidance on noise impacts in two ways. The IFC General EHS
Guidelines differentiates between two principal receptor categories,
residential and industrial, but are not specific to any particular source. The
guidelines set out prevention and control measures, noise level guidelines and
advice on monitoring.
The Noise Level Guidelines make reference to noise originating from facilities
as well as stationary noise sources, and are commonly applied as design
standards for industrial facilities. Although the guidelines relate to noise
effects thresholds in a general sense, the IFC has indicated that these are not
directly applicable to transport or mobile noise sources. Measurements
should therefore be taken at noise receptors located outside the project
property boundary.
Table 7.13
IFC Noise Level Guidelines
Type of Receptor Daytime (0700 – 2200)
LAeq, 1hr dB(A)
Residential, institutional or
educational
55 45
Night time (2200 – 0700)
LAeq, 1hr dB(A)
Industrial or commercial 70 70
In some cases, the baseline noise may be sufficiently high that even noise
levels from the plant that exceed the above standards may only give rise to
small changes in ambient noise. In this case, the noise impacts that will not
cause a significant change. In line with the approach of the IFC, if changes in
background noise as a result of noise emissions from the plant are no greater
than 3 dB(A) then noise impacts are not deemed significant, even if they are
above the Nigerian standards. In summary, these general IFC guidelines also
note a significance standard that noise impacts should not:
• Exceed the levels presented in Table 7.13 above; or
• Result in an increase of background noise levels of more than 3 dB.
These are outdoor noise levels and also state that ‘highly intrusive noises, such as
noise from aircraft flyovers and passing trains, should not be included when
establishing background noise levels’.
AZURA EDO IPP
7-30
DRAFT EIA REPORT