By the end of 2013, China railway had built a network of about 10,000 route-km of high-speed railways (HSR). The network has been built rapidly and at a relatively low unit cost compared with similar projects in other countries.
... Vea más + This note takes a look at this expansion, its construction unit costs and some of its key cost components. It also outlines reasons that may explain the comparatively low cost of HSR construction in China.
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By the end of 2013, China railway had built a network of about 10,000 route-km of high-speed railways (HSR). The network has been built rapidly and at a relatively low unit cost compared with similar projects in other countries.
... Vea más + This note takes a look at this expansion, its construction unit costs and some of its key cost components. It also outlines reasons that may explain the comparatively low cost of HSR construction in China.
Ver menos -
The overall outcome rating of the Second Guangdong Pearl River Delta Urban Environment Project for China was judged to be moderately satisfactory.
... Vea más + The Bank and borrower performance ratings were moderately satisfactory. The risk to development outcome was moderate. Significant changes include a re-design of the Foshan sludge treatment component and the restructuring paper amended the project description of Part A.2. Other changes included: (a) reallocation of funds; (b) an increase in the disbursement percentages; (c) a one year extension of the loan closing date; and (d) amendments to the subsidiary loan agreements. Several lessons were learned. Projects that fit into a broader government program can more easily maintain relevance over time. The project remained relevant because it fed into an active, broader government program to clean up the Pearl River Delta (PRD). It is important to be realistic when defining the conditions that need to be in place to ensure the financial and institutional sustainability of project investments. Although raising wastewater tariffs is necessary to improve cost recovery, the Bank was too dogmatic about requiring full cost recovery in utilities of the wastewater sector, and in trying to promote an institutional model that was not accepted in the case of Jiangmen. A better analysis of influent characteristics is needed at the appraisal stage to avoid overdesigning the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). Collection of wastewater is as important as treatment. While in principle centralized approaches are preferred for sludge treatment facilities to achieve economies of scale, the analysis should be case specific and conducted using real data rather than estimates and assumptions. Local factors should be carefully considered such as gas prices, distances from the different WWTPs to the centralized treatment facility, the effect of the dilution problem in the amount of sludge to be produced and policy restrictions and/or market access issues related to the reuse of sludge by-products. There is potential for extending collaboration with the Bank to support innovative investments to keep working on the environmental quality of the urban waterways of the PRD and other similar regions in China.
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Informe final de ejecución y resultados ICR3107 JUN 25, 2014
Ratings for the Shandong Minhe Poultry Biogas Project for China were as follows: outcomes were satisfactory, Bank performance was satisfactory, and project entity performance was highly satisfactory.
... Vea más + Some lessons learned included: carbon finance has been demonstrated to be a critical and successful financial instrument in providing incentives to project developer and ensuring sustainable project operation. Favorable national and local regulatory frameworks and policy instruments for clean development mechanism (CDM) development were the critical factor in successful project implementation. A strong commitment of a capable project entity was the key factor to ensure project ownership, sustainability, and success. Well established procedures and operational and monitoring systems were an important factor in ensuring successful operation of the project.
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Informe final de ejecución y resultados 88277 JUN 23, 2014
Ratings for the Guiyang Transport Project for China were as follows: outcomes were moderately satisfactory, risk to development outcome was moderate, Bank performance was moderately satisfactory, and Borrower performance was satisfactory.
... Vea más + Some lessons learned included: in general, the improvement of accessibility and mobility should be measured by corridor traffic and travel time. At appraisal, the project's development objectives (PDO) monitoring was not well arranged. During implementation, the Guiyang project management office (GPMO) monitored the indicators inconsistently with some initial delays: different approaches were used (variability in sampling method) from one report to another and traffic counts were not collected and processed professionally. Approval and provision of additional funding for the project after restructuring took time, which contributed to implementation delays. Future engagements should place greater emphasis on development and review of project feasibility studies, investigation of any relevant government policies, construction industry related market studies, and improved coordination with resettlement document preparation and activities. Related to the bus terminals, governments at both municipal and county levels need to develop a proper strategy and policy, apply adequate regulation and management, and provide sufficient support to the operation and maintenance.
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Informe final de ejecución y resultados ICR2512 JUN 20, 2014