China

The China Shandong Power Plant Flue Gas Desulfurization Project was rated as follows: outcomes were unsatisfactory, risk to development outcome was moderate, and both... Show More + Bank and borrower performance were unsatisfactory. The lessons learned during this project are - (1) A project supporting mandatory targets should carefully time project support with the targets' timeline. (2) Early communication to the final borrowers of the Bank's project cycle and timing of availability of funding is needed, especially when working with corporations. (3) Advance procurement of technical assistance, on a retroactively financed basis, and greater attention to final recipients of the technical assistance could mitigate risks of poor loan-financed TA execution. (4) Strong project management units are needed to support finance bureaus in supervising multiple subprojects. (5) The Bank needs to be more proactive and clearer on initiating project restructuring. Show Less -

Ratings for the Demonstration of Alternatives to Chlordane and Mirex in Termite Control Project for China were as follows: outcomes were moderate satisfactory, the risk... Show More + to development outcome was moderate, the Bank performance was moderately satisfactory, and the Borrower performance was satisfactory. Some lessons learned included: capacity building with a perception-and-behavior-change approach at the both national and provincial levels guarantees project sustainability. This was a pioneering project trying to achieve change in a complex institutional environment with little practical example to follow. Capacity building in policy and regulatory framework establishment and enforcement, effective organization of public awareness raising activities, accurate and practical Integrated Pest Management (IPM) technical knowledge education, and institutional management with improved IT technologies are crucial for making changes for this type of project. The provincial Project Implementation Units (PIUs) played a key role in coordinating with local government agencies and following up on project activities, which was a key factor for ultimate project success. Undertaking in-depth needs assessment is required to ensure project is accurately designed to directly respond to local needs. Based on past ten-year termite threats in the selected provinces, the project was initially designed to procure 900,000 bait systems, of which 500,000 are above-ground and 400,000 in-ground. It was found during installation that the proportion of the two types was inappropriate, leaving a huge gap between real and designed demands. Miscalculation in project design leads to frequent component adjustment, significantly impeding implementation and lengthening project development period for one year. In addition, given that procured above-ground systems largely exceeded local demands for termite control, termite control stations in demonstration areas intentionally neglected instructions when installing these systems at an early stage so that they can finish their tasks on time. Impact analysis and the integration in project design of mechanisms for generating new solutions are needed when confronted with higher operational costs derived from the application of new technologies. Show Less -