Sofia Hilton

completed

- 2 - September 18, 1996 Environmental Review Summary (ERS)Project Name Bulgaria-Hilton Hotel, SofiaRegion Europe and Central Asia Sector TourismProject No. 07770 September 18, 1996 1. This project involves the construction of a 256 room top quality business hotel in Sofia, Bulgaria, which will be managed by Hilton International. The Sponsors include, FEAL International S.A, (a French construction company and subsidiary of Compagnie Generale des Eaux), Hilton International and a group of Bulgarian interests. The hotel will be situated south of the centre of the city, adjacent to the city’s main conference centre and many tourist attractions.2. This is a category B projects according to IFC''s environmental review procedure because specific impacts may result which can be avoided or mitigated by adhering to generally recognized performance standards, guidelines or design criteria. The review of this project consisted of appraising technical and environmental information submitted by the project sponsor. The key environmental, health and safety issues considered in this project include:· liquid effluent treatment and disposal;· water supply;· solid waste disposal;· recovery of dry cleaning solvents;· use of refrigerants;· contaminated land; · socio-economics; and· fire safety and emergency response.The sponsor has presented plans to address these issues and demonstrate that the proposed project will comply with applicable governmental and World Bank requirements. The information provided about how these potential impacts are addressed in the development of the project is summarized in the paragraphs that follow.3. Hotel wastewater will be pretreated through grease traps prior to serving it into the existing public sanitary sewage system. Storm water will be collected and discharged into the urban storm sewer system. Drinking water for the hotel use meets World Health Organization requirements.4. Solid waste will be collected and disposed of in accordance with local laws and regulations. The hotel will collect and crush its solid waste on-site for its subsequent pickup by the city service once a day. Consistent with World Bank guidelines, cleaning products will be handled efficiently to ensure that waste liquids (i.e., residue, solvents and oils) are produced in minimal quantities and properly disposed of.5. The hotel''s air conditioning system and food storage facilities will not use a CFC-based refrigerant in its compressors, thereby complying with World Bank guidelines.6. The project will be located in corner of Juhzen Park. The project has been deemed consistent and in compliance with local zoning laws, land use practices and local sanitation and environmental requirements. Prior site use did not involve practices that may have caused land contamination. No family or business relocation will be necessary.7. The hotel’s design and construction plans have been reviewed by the local civil works and engineering authorities and found to comply with the local regulations. A construction permit was issued by the relevant authorities. 8. A comprehensive fire protection and life safety system will be provided for the hotel. A complete programmable fire alarm and voice communication system will be installed throughout the hotel living and storage areas, where necessary. Complete standpipe, hose reels and sprinkler system will be also installed. Smoke exhaust system with automatically controlled louvre and weather closure open to exterior will be installed at the end of guest room corridors and at the top of staircases. This system will be activated by the fire alarm system and manually controlled from the ground level in staircases. The hotel will have emergency lighting and sign system to direct guests and personnel toward evacuations routes, and fire suppressing equipment and extinguishers strategically deployed throughout the hotel. All cooking equipment with surface fires will be provided with an automatic fire suppression system. The fire protection and life safety systems will meet World Bank guidelines.9. The sponsor has developed an emergency response and evacuation plan. The plan will address emergency response coordination with local authorities, personnel training and regular drills to address emergency situations of various magnitudes. There will be fire procedures and evacuation pictograms located at each elevator lobby and on the back of each guess room door.7. Based on its review of available information regarding potential environmental impacts and proposed mitigation measures, IFC concludes that the proposed project is being designed to meet Government of Bulgaria requirements, and World Bank policies, and environmental, health and safety guidelines.8. IFC will monitor Hilton Hotel, Sofia’s compliance with World Bank policies and guidelines during the life of the project by evaluating environmental performance reports submitted annually to IFC by the sponsor and by conducting periodic site reviews during project supervision.P:\PIC\BGE07770.DOCSeptember 19, 1996 6:28 PM