Participants:

CINEA, MoEW (BG), MTITC (BG), BG IBER BAS (BG), MTI (RO), MWEF (RO), AFDJ Galati, IAPPD Ruse, Halcrow Romania SRL/ Jacobs, GeoMarine Ltd. (BG), EPC Consultanta de mediu SRL (RO).

Location: Microsoft Teams

 

The overall aim of the meeting was to discuss the status of the Action in relation to the last steps done, to discuss / check and approve the Action Status Report and other`s documents, for the progress within 2020.

The main points on the agenda were:

• Preliminary Design and Feasibility Study:

The Preliminary Design Report shows the concept, the design options with different scenarios, the estimate investments cost and construction methods. The principal key was described as follow: morphological principle, uncertainty principle, flexibility principle and adaptive management principle. The types of intervention considered are: capital dredging works, maintenance dredging works in future, large scale river training, rigid engineering works, morphological river training worksand river bank stabilisation works. All types of the interventions were assessed during Multi-Criterial Analysis (MCA) evaluation process and the two preferred options were selected.

• Cost Benefit Analysis – draft:

The Cost Benefit Analysis focus on the preferred options, to present if the solution is feasible. Within the Financial analysis, was shown the incremental method (with project vs without project), used during the selected reference period of 2020 – 2054. The implementation period is considered 2023 – 2026 and the average economic lifespam of the assets: 40 years. The Economic benefits was calculated for the period 2025-2054. The sensitivity and risk analysis shows/measure the effect over ENPV, EIRR and BCR. A Risk matrix were developed with 9 categories, consider as debits, design, land acquisition, administrative and tendering, construction, operational, financial, legal & regulations and other risks.

• SSCO, N2K – RO – BG:

The EIA Report will contain the AA – RO, the AA – BG, water body impact assessment study (WFD Study) and the climate change report. The topic for this meeting, was just the AA in Romania.

• EIA Baseline (AA - WFD):

This topic, started with information about the status progress for EIA, AA`s, WFD Reports and technical aspects from the last year. The main body of EIA Baseline Report consider the project description, design solution, reasonable alternatives, baseline scenario and outline of likely evolution of the environment, etc. and the specific appendix, as example, Annex A - Consultant documents, Annex B - Permits, agreements issued for the project, Annex C - Annexes related to chapters of EIA, Annex D - Study of impact assessment on the water bodies, Annex E - Climate Change Report, Annex F - AA Study Romania and Annex G – AA Study Bulgaria.

• Climate change report:

The Climate Change Report aims to identify adaptation measures for optimal navigation along Lower Danube. There have been analysed, following aspects, as: relevant climate parameters of change at both Danube and local scales, hydrological factors of risk, the Project sensitivity and exposure to climate change to further assessing its climate vulnerability and risks for both current and future stages, the greenhouse gas emissions by predicted traffic scenarios in the Traffic Report, the carbon footprint of the fluvial traffic and the effects of the fluvial traffic loss within the multimodal transport.

• Action Status Report 2021:

It was presented, The Action Status Report, with the Reporting period: 1 January 2020 - 31 December 2020. The overall technical progress achieved at the end of 2020, is for about 52%. Within, 2020, all the actions were in the direction of environmental aspects (EIA, AA). In September 2020, was submitted a request for Action prolongation with 2 years (end of December 2022). It was clarified the issue, about the contract between the BG IBER BAS and the BG MoEW, for elaboration of SSCO, for 39 N2K sites. The milestones time schedule for 2021 and 2022, was establish takin into consideration the ongoing process for elaboration of SSCO, with impact to EIA (AA).

• Action Communication Plan – update:

Action Communication Plan was updated to version 6.0, with administrative information regarding the online meetings (due to pandemic COVID-19), and as well, a concept for Final Event (face-to-face or hybrid one), start to be ongoing process. The number of items for dissemination materials, was reduced for the specific materials and select the type of materials for producing this year.