Mekong River Commission


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The MRC Initiative on Sustainable Hydropower (ISH)

Since 2007, interest in the potential for hydropower development in the lower part of the basin has escalated. Many new proposals to develop hydropower schemes are being advanced by Mekong governments and the private sector, both on the tributaries; and more recently, a revival of interest on the mainstream, on the Lao, Lao-Thai and Cambodian reaches of the Mekong mainstream. Click to find out more about proposed hydropower developments

Hydropower brings with it several concerns regarding the potential for impact on the environment, fisheries and people's livelihoods. These concerns need to be balanced with the economic and poverty alleviation priorities of the MRC Member Countries. The MRC is working with Mekong governments to develop coordinated and integrated impact assessments, consistent and fair mitigation measures, and hydropower development strategies and policies.

The Initiative on Sustainable Hydropower (ISH) was formulated in Development in 2008 and endorsed by the MRC Joint Committee in March 2009. The Initiative is coordinated across many of MRC's programmes and includes a range of activities, for example:

  • Studies on fish migration, the barrier effect of dams to fish migration and potential mitigation measures by the Fisheries Programme
  • A collaborative venture with the Asian Development Bank and World Wide Fund for Nature to develop a hydropower sustainability assessment tool under the Environment Programme
  • Designing specifications for the design of standard navigation locks with the Navigation Programme
  • Providing a basin-wide integrated water resources management strategy within which individual project proposals can be assessed under the Basin Development Plan
  • Capacity building within MRC Bodies, line-agencies and other stakeholder groups under Integrated Capacity Building Programme, and
  • Stepped-up dialogue with developers, line agencies and regulators to share multi-disciplinary data, applied research, analysis and other outputs that are available from all MRC Programmes ongoing basis.

Facilitating dialogue to balance economic, social and environmental performance -
Central to the MRC's role in helping governments plan and strategize sustainable hydropower schemes is the need to facilitate dialogue on hydropower issues among the major stakeholder groups. More »

The Increasing interest in hydropower development in the Mekong Basin
There are several factors driving the increased interest in the potential for hydropower on the Mekong. Volatility in the price of oil and gas and concerns over climate change have all intensified the focus on hydropower. More »

Hydropower and the 1995 Mekong Agreement
The development of mainstream dams in the lower Mekong Basin, in particular, is perhaps the most important strategic decision the four counties of the LMB have faced since the signing of the 1995 Mekong Agreement on the cooperation for sustainable development of the Mekong basin. More »

Understanding the sustainable development implications of mainstream Mekong dams – the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)
An immediate priority for the MRC is to assess the long-term implications of mainstream dam proposals and provide a broader 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 would have profound implications for the sustainable development of the basin. To identify and assess these implications the MRC recently launched a 14-month Strategic Environmental Assessment process. More »

Guidance for dam design founded on the principles of integrated water resource management

While Implementation of the proposed hydropower schemes on the mainstream Mekong brings potential opportunities for economic development, mainly with improved electricity supply and navigation, the projects will inevitably be accompanied by major risks in the four Member Countries.

One of the ways that the MRC is helping to assess the balance between opportunity and risk for these proposed projects is to highlight a range of key issues that need to be considered by developers at the project design stage as well as by MRC Bodies, government line-agencies and other stakeholders when any proposed hydropower scheme is submitted for the MRC prior consultation process (as part of the PNPCA) . This preliminary guidance includes a range of minimum standards, performance targets and best practices for reducing the environmental and social risks posed by hydropower schemes. More »

Support for implementation of Prior Notification, Prior Consultation Procedures
According to the 1995 Mekong Agreement, before Member Countries may initiate any large scale infrastructure development on the Mekong, they must notify and consult with other riparian states in the basin. This process is formalised in the Procedures for Notification, Prior Consultation and Agreement (PNPCA). The MRC supports the various MRC bodies and national line-agencies in implementing this process. More »

Formulating the cross-cutting Initiative on Sustainable Hydropower
The MRC's Initiative on Sustainable Hydropower formally began a number of fast-track activities in 2008. Work to determine the final structure continued throughout 2008 involving national and regional multi-stakeholder consultations. More »

MRC position on proposed mainstream hydropower dams:

At least 11 hydropower dams are currently being studied by private sector developers for the mainstream of the Mekong. The 1995 Mekong Agreement requires that such projects are discussed extensively among all four countries prior to any decision being taken. That discussion, facilitated by MRC, will consider the full range of social, environmental and cross-sector development impacts within the Lower Mekong Basin. So far, none of the prospective developers have reached the stage of notification and prior consultation required under the Mekong Agreement. MRC's position is that it supports sustainable hydropower development implemented within the framework of the 1995 Mekong Agreement and which serves the joint interests of its member countries. MRC has already carried out extensive studies on the consequences for fisheries and peoples livelihoods and this information is widely available, see for example a report of an expert group meeting on dams and fisheries. MRC is undertaking a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the proposed mainstream dams to provide a broader understanding of the risks and opportunities of such development. Dialogue on these planned projects with governments, civil society and the private sector is being facilitated by MRC and all comments received will be considered.

 

 

 


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