An immediate priority for the MRC is to assess the long-term implications of the mainstream dam proposals and provide better understanding of the risks and opportunities. While the benefits of hydropower are potentially considerable for Mekong countries, the construction of one or more of the 11 hydropower schemes currently under consideration could have profound implications for the sustainable development of the basin and affect the lives and livelihoods of millions of people in all four member countries of the MRC. To identify and assess these implications the MRC recently launched a 14-month Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) process of the mainstream Mekong dams under consideration.
The SEA seeks to identify the potential opportunities and risks as well as the contribution of hydropower to regional development. There will be many opportunities for various stakeholders to engage with and provide inputs to the SEA. The team conducting the assessment will engage with NGOs, civil society and community representatives, as well as work closely with the Basin Development Plan's stakeholder consultation process.
The SEA, which will report its findings in late 2010, will help to systematically assess and make recommendations on alternative mainstream Mekong hydropower development strategies, including the regional distribution of costs and benefits with respect to economic development, social equity and environmental protection and among different affected interests and sectors.
Particular emphasis is given to the importance of looking at the proposed dams as a group and the cumulative impact from an integrated basin-wide perspective through the Basin Development Plan scenarios and other methodologies.
Click here to make submissions to the MRC regarding hydropower
Click here to see past submissions from stakeholders
Alternatively you may also fax or post submissions via the details below:
Postal address:
Hydropower submission
P.O. Box 6101,
Vientiane 01000
Lao PDR
Fax: + (856) 21 263 264
Who can make submissions?
Submissions can be made by individuals or organizations. The MRC welcomes submissions from all stakeholders including:
Submission content
Your submission should pertain to one of the thematic areas under analysis by the team working for the MRC on the Strategic Environmental Assessment, which includes, but is not limited to:
Please indicate which of these above subjects is the main focus of your submission
SEA Baseline Workshop Presentations