1. The Role of Strategic
Environmental Assessment in
Infrastructure Planning
Dr David Annandale
Senior Partner, DDA
International Consulting Ltd
6th OECD Regional Policy Network Meeting
on Sustainable Infrastructure
Manila, April 25

2. Outline
1
• What is Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)?
• What are its Benefits?
• How does it Apply to Infrastructure Planning?
• Who is responsible for it?
• Examples from the region

3. What is SEA?
SEA
EIA
Policy
Plan
Programme
Projects

4. Legal Status
3
• Adopted (106)
• Partially adopted (33)
• Nothing (58)
• Unknown (7)

5. SEA
Cheaper
faster and
more effective
EIAs
Facilitates
level playing
field
Build
commitment
trust & prevent
conflicts
Support evidence
based DM
Improve quality
of plan &
programme
Identify
sustainable
alternatives
Prevent
costly
mistakes
Support
green jobs &
green
investments
Strengthen
governance
Support
achieving
SDGs
Benefits of SEA

6. Influence
Dialogue
Information
Effective SEA complements planning with:
INFORMATION
A solid assessment
of
environmental and
other issues
PROCEDURE
A mechanism to take
the results
of assessment and
debate into account
(influence)
PROCESS
A well structured public &
government
debate on these issues
DECISION
MAKING

7. How does SEA Apply to Infrastructure Planning?
Sector Multi-sector All sectors
National
- Energy plan
- Agricultural
development plan
- Oil & gas development
plan
- Economic corridors
- Hydropower plan
- Marine plan
- Water strategy
- National 5 yr
development plan
- Climate change
action plan
Regional - Road development
plan
- Water development
plan
- Regional spatial plan
- River delta plan
Local - Waste management
plan
- Drinking water plan
- Port / industrial
development plan
- Urban development
plan

8. How can SEA Apply to Infrastructure Planning?
7
• When plans involve scenarios, SEA can examine the environmental and social
implications of the infrastructure that might be required for each scenario.
• SEA can be used to compare options within a given plan. For example … different
ways in which to reach energy delivery targets within an energy plan … or
different ways in which to reach transport plan objectives.
• An effective way in which to include stakeholders in the analysis of options and
strategic decisions.

9. Who is Responsible for SEA?
8
• In almost all instances, government Ministries/Departments/agencies are the
responsible proponents for policies, plans, or programmes that would be subject
to SEA .
• SEA is usually applied to an “intervention” … such as a new law, regulation,
sector plan etc. However, sometimes it can be applied without being attached to
a specific intervention.
• The outcomes of SEA should be reviewed by a regulatory agency such as a
Ministry of Environment/Sustainable Development.

10. Regional Examples
9
• Extensive experience in Vietnam, Cambodia, Lao, Thailand, Philippines,
Indonesia, China
• Mostly sector-focused: hydropower, transport planning, energy planning, urban
development
• Two brief examples from Myanmar and Mongolia

11. Myanmar
Hydropower
development
plan
10
SEA voluntarily
executed

12. Mongolia Mining Sector: Base Growth Scenario, 2025

13. Mongolia Mining High Growth Scenario, 2025

14. 13
Discussion/Questions?

15. Thank You
51-58 Shelton Street
London, U.K
WC2H 9JQ
www.ddaconsulting.or
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Contacts
david@ddaconsulting.or
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darko@ddaconsulting.or
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