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Sustainable Hydropower Development: Theun-Hinboun Expansion Project Case Study, Laos
Abstract
I examine sustainability and benefit-sharing mechanisms in the context of the Theun-Hinboun Expansion Project (THXP) in central Laos. THXP has been planned and implemented in accordance with international good practice, and is now at the stage of preparing for closure on a number of key issues, in particular on livelihood restoration. With most of the infrastructure and service improvements completed, the long-term challenge relates to institutional development, environmental management and sustainability of the new livelihood systems. A strategy is being developed to ensure that local government, the private sector and the Theun-Hinboun Power Company (THPC) contribute in terms of budget, staff and expertise to ensure sustainability is achieved by 2017, or until targets are met and local communities can manage resources on their own. This approach to mitigating project impacts is an example of a new paradigm in which hydropower can achieve sustainable development for project affected communities.
... Importantly, rather than merely for domestic electricity demand, multilateral agencies and regional governments in the Mekong have also promoted hydropower development in transboundary power trade, through discourses of regional power interconnection. Hydropower proponents further underscore hydropower development as an important driver for modernity and poverty reduction (Porter & Shivakumar 2011;Sparkes 2014a). They are also optimistic that dam resettlement can help resettlers have better livelihoods after resettlement. ...
... This is a steeper decline than the findings of Kura et al. (2017, p. 143) for the Theun Hinboun Expansion project, in which the resettlers' level of cash income dropped a 43% decline after three years of resettlement. Other studies (see Sparkes 2014aSparkes , 2014b assert that the resettlers from the Theun Hinboun Expansion project enjoy improved livelihoods post-resettlement. However, Sparkes' assertations seems to present the developers' view of this project, and has been challenged by Blake and Barney (2018). ...
... This is a steeper decline than the findings of Kura et al. (2017, p. 143) for the Theun Hinboun Expansion project, in which the resettlers' level of cash income dropped a 43% decline after three years of resettlement. Other studies (see Sparkes 2014aSparkes , 2014b assert that the resettlers from the Theun Hinboun Expansion project enjoy improved livelihoods post-resettlement. However, Sparkes' assertations seems to present the developers' view of this project, and has been challenged by Blake and Barney (2018). ...
Hydropower development is a pressing issue for water governance in the Mekong Basin; the world's top hydropower development location. Mainstream hydropower discourses in the Mekong Region, especially in Laos, overestimate the economic and renewable potentials of hydropower development with inadequate attention to sustainability, especially social impacts. Numerous studies have debated such impacts, especially the changes of resettlers' livelihoods due to dam resettlement. Yet, there remains a need to critically analyse how the multiple policies of national and sub-national governments and their unequal power relations in resettlement processes significantly shape resettlers' livelihoods, and outcomes of vulnerability or precarity. In addition, there is an inadequate debate on how ineffective governance of hydropower can entail economic risks at the national level. This thesis takes political ecology as a broad theoretical framework and mobilises three main supporting concepts: the political economy of powersheds, governance and scale, and livelihoods and vulnerability, to examine the politics of hydropower development and governance in the region, with a focus on Laos, the regional export-based hydropower hub. It uses a mixed methods approach, including policy interviews, case studies, household surveys, and ethnographic analysis. I develop a multi-scalar analysis and a relational approach to understand the complexities of Laos' hydropower governance regime. I hierarchically trace how Mekong regional power sector trends interact with Lao national hydropower development discourses and regulatory institutions, which critically shape local resettlement process and outcomes. I argue that the current rapid-paced hydropower development with weak governance not only marginalises the livelihoods of local communities, but also exposes new risks to the national economy. These problems are sliding Laos out of a sustainable hydropower pathway. At the regional level, the hydropower boom in Laos has benefited the energy security of the Mekong Region. However, there has been increasing evidence of pitfalls in Laos: significant oversupply of domestic electricity capacity, a sovereign debt crisis, and privatization of national strategic assets; even though decision makers in Laos view hydropower as a key driver for economic growth. At the national level, I show a series of structural regulatory and institutional disconnects that bedevil sustainable hydropower governance in Laos, across and within key state agencies, both due to and resulting in ineffective hydropower governance. At the local scale in two case study communities, I present the multiple political, social, and environmental objectives that are mobilised in state-led hydropower resettlement, extending existing scholarly literature on dams, towards an understanding of what I call "multi-purpose resettlement." Of surveyed HHs involved in multi-purpose resettlement under the State-owned Enterprise model and a regional Independent Power Producer model, 75% and 45% respectively, identified significant difficulties with regaining their pre-resettlement livelihood standards. Such resettlement also exposes them to new livelihood vulnerability and precarity. This is primarily because the different objectives of multi-purpose resettlement are largely in conflict with each other, and changes in access to agricultural land and natural resources are undercompensated or uncompensated. The ongoing hydropower development paradigm and the evidence of drawbacks in Laos; livelihood vulnerability at the community level, financial risk at the national level, and the collapse of four dams; is in contrast with the country's sustainable hydropower discourse. The evidence assembled in this thesis aims to support decision makers and energy regulators, to review the country's energy development policy, especially in relation to hydropower investment.
... Rights reserved. Kaunda et al. (2012), Kaygusuz (2002Kaygusuz ( , 2009, Klimpt et al. (2002), Morimoto (2013), Onat and Bayar (2010), Sarkar and Karagöz (1995) and Sparkes (2014) Waterborne diseases/human health concerns Capik et al. (2012), Carrera and Mack (2010), Kaygusuz (2002Kaygusuz ( , 2009, Klimpt et al. Morimoto (2013), Onat and Bayar (2010), Sarkar and Karagöz (1995) and Sparkes (2014) Job creation/employment Afgan et al. (2000), Bakis and Demirbas (2004), Capik et al. (2012), Kaygusuz (2002), Maxim (2014), Onat and Bayar (2010), Sarkar and Karagöz (1995), Scannapieco et al. (2014) and Rosso et al. (2014) Public acceptance/public participation/public perception Carrera and Mack (2010), Klimpt et al. (2002), Maxim (2014), Onat and Bayar (2010), Sarkar and Karagöz (1995), Scannapieco et al. (2014) and Sparkes (2014) Recreation/tourism/heritage sites Capik et al. (2012), Kaygusuz (2000Kaygusuz ( , 2009, Klimpt et al. (2002), Onat and Bayar (2010), Sarkar and Karagöz (1995) and Yuksel (2010) Irrigation/water supply Balat (2007), Capik et al. (2012), Evans et al. (2009), Kentel and Alp (2013), Klimpt et al. (2002) and Sparkes (2014) Living standards/shared benefits/livelihood Bakis and Demirbas (2004), Capik et al. (2012), Carrera and Mack (2010), Klimpt et al. (2002), Sparkes (2014), Yuksel (2010), Supriyasilp et al. (2009) andYuksel (2010) Navigation Capik et al. (2012), Kaygusuz (2002, 2009), Sparkes (2014 and Yuksel (2010) Flood protection Capik et al. (2012), Evans et al. (2009), Kaygusuz (2009) and Yuksel (2010 Infrastructure development/accessibility Capik et al. (2012), Sparkes (2014), Supriyasilp et al. (2009) andYuksel (2010) Traffic Carrera and Mack (2010), Kaygusuz (2002), Sarkar and Karagöz (1995) and Scannapieco et al. (2014) Social conflict/legal obstacle/loss of livelihood and cultural heritage/impact on locals Carrera and Mack (2010), Kaunda et al. (2012), Kentel and Alp (2013) and Supriyasilp et al. (2009) Loss of agricultural land Morimoto (2013) Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. ...
... Kaunda et al. (2012), Kaygusuz (2002Kaygusuz ( , 2009, Klimpt et al. (2002), Morimoto (2013), Onat and Bayar (2010), Sarkar and Karagöz (1995) and Sparkes (2014) Waterborne diseases/human health concerns Capik et al. (2012), Carrera and Mack (2010), Kaygusuz (2002Kaygusuz ( , 2009, Klimpt et al. Morimoto (2013), Onat and Bayar (2010), Sarkar and Karagöz (1995) and Sparkes (2014) Job creation/employment Afgan et al. (2000), Bakis and Demirbas (2004), Capik et al. (2012), Kaygusuz (2002), Maxim (2014), Onat and Bayar (2010), Sarkar and Karagöz (1995), Scannapieco et al. (2014) and Rosso et al. (2014) Public acceptance/public participation/public perception Carrera and Mack (2010), Klimpt et al. (2002), Maxim (2014), Onat and Bayar (2010), Sarkar and Karagöz (1995), Scannapieco et al. (2014) and Sparkes (2014) Recreation/tourism/heritage sites Capik et al. (2012), Kaygusuz (2000Kaygusuz ( , 2009, Klimpt et al. (2002), Onat and Bayar (2010), Sarkar and Karagöz (1995) and Yuksel (2010) Irrigation/water supply Balat (2007), Capik et al. (2012), Evans et al. (2009), Kentel and Alp (2013), Klimpt et al. (2002) and Sparkes (2014) Living standards/shared benefits/livelihood Bakis and Demirbas (2004), Capik et al. (2012), Carrera and Mack (2010), Klimpt et al. (2002), Sparkes (2014), Yuksel (2010), Supriyasilp et al. (2009) andYuksel (2010) Navigation Capik et al. (2012), Kaygusuz (2002, 2009), Sparkes (2014 and Yuksel (2010) Flood protection Capik et al. (2012), Evans et al. (2009), Kaygusuz (2009) and Yuksel (2010 Infrastructure development/accessibility Capik et al. (2012), Sparkes (2014), Supriyasilp et al. (2009) andYuksel (2010) Traffic Carrera and Mack (2010), Kaygusuz (2002), Sarkar and Karagöz (1995) and Scannapieco et al. (2014) Social conflict/legal obstacle/loss of livelihood and cultural heritage/impact on locals Carrera and Mack (2010), Kaunda et al. (2012), Kentel and Alp (2013) and Supriyasilp et al. (2009) Loss of agricultural land Morimoto (2013) Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved. ...
... Kaunda et al. (2012), Kaygusuz (2002Kaygusuz ( , 2009, Klimpt et al. (2002), Morimoto (2013), Onat and Bayar (2010), Sarkar and Karagöz (1995) and Sparkes (2014) Waterborne diseases/human health concerns Capik et al. (2012), Carrera and Mack (2010), Kaygusuz (2002Kaygusuz ( , 2009, Klimpt et al. Morimoto (2013), Onat and Bayar (2010), Sarkar and Karagöz (1995) and Sparkes (2014) Job creation/employment Afgan et al. (2000), Bakis and Demirbas (2004), Capik et al. (2012), Kaygusuz (2002), Maxim (2014), Onat and Bayar (2010), Sarkar and Karagöz (1995), Scannapieco et al. (2014) and Rosso et al. (2014) Public acceptance/public participation/public perception Carrera and Mack (2010), Klimpt et al. (2002), Maxim (2014), Onat and Bayar (2010), Sarkar and Karagöz (1995), Scannapieco et al. (2014) and Sparkes (2014) Recreation/tourism/heritage sites Capik et al. (2012), Kaygusuz (2000Kaygusuz ( , 2009, Klimpt et al. (2002), Onat and Bayar (2010), Sarkar and Karagöz (1995) and Yuksel (2010) Irrigation/water supply Balat (2007), Capik et al. (2012), Evans et al. (2009), Kentel and Alp (2013), Klimpt et al. (2002) and Sparkes (2014) Living standards/shared benefits/livelihood Bakis and Demirbas (2004), Capik et al. (2012), Carrera and Mack (2010), Klimpt et al. (2002), Sparkes (2014), Yuksel (2010), Supriyasilp et al. (2009) andYuksel (2010) Navigation Capik et al. (2012), Kaygusuz (2002, 2009), Sparkes (2014 and Yuksel (2010) Flood protection Capik et al. (2012), Evans et al. (2009), Kaygusuz (2009) and Yuksel (2010 Infrastructure development/accessibility Capik et al. (2012), Sparkes (2014), Supriyasilp et al. (2009) andYuksel (2010) Traffic Carrera and Mack (2010), Kaygusuz (2002), Sarkar and Karagöz (1995) and Scannapieco et al. (2014) Social conflict/legal obstacle/loss of livelihood and cultural heritage/impact on locals Carrera and Mack (2010), Kaunda et al. (2012), Kentel and Alp (2013) and Supriyasilp et al. (2009) Loss of agricultural land Morimoto (2013) Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved. ...
Hydropower projects are site specific which require huge investment and have long gestation periods. These characteristics expose hydropower projects to various uncertainties and risks such as economic, environmental, social, geological, regulatory, political, technological, financial, climate, natural, and safety. These risk factors, if not managed in time, lead to schedule and cost overruns which ultimately cause delays in the availability of power that too at a higher cost and in extreme cases lead to project failures. Sustainability has also become a critical and unavoidable issue in hydropower development due to associated environmental and social impacts. Sustainable development is related to techno-economic development along with preserving the environment. Hence, to assure this equity and manage the critical risks more efficiently, there arises a strong need for comprehensive risk management in hydropower projects. This paper presents a systematic review of risk management in hydropower projects with a specific focus on sustainable development. The paper discusses various risk assessment techniques and recommends sensitivity analysis as a primary method to evaluate the significant risk factors. The construction phase of hydropower projects is identified as the most critical phase associated with uncertainties and involves considerable cost. Thus, the review highlights the need for incorporation of risk analysis in the cost estimation process and the provision for finance with sufficient margin on the ex-ante base cost to account for uncertainties, especially for developing countries. For future research, the use of fuzzy hybridized with artificial neural network and genetic algorithm is suggested for risk assessment of hydropower projects.
... Supporters of Laos' hydraulic development paradigm argue that the negative impacts of dams can be mitigated, while revenues can be mobilized for poverty reduction and environmental protection (Porter & Shivakumar, 2011). Since the World Bank's return to backing large dam projects, presaged by the financing of the 'flagship' Nam Theun 2 (NT2) Dam in Laos , the hydropower industry has claimed it can establish effective resettlement and livelihood reconstruction, through adherence to national legislation, and the application of 'best practice' social and environmental managerial standards (Illangovan, 2011;Scudder, 2005;Sparkes, 2014). ...
... International Rivers claimed the process violated both the Equator Principles and Lao domestic law concerning resettlement (Matsumoto, 2009). Public consultation was cursory at each stage of the resettlement process, following focal site resettlement logics where several villages would be combined, adopting practices at odds with industry 'best practices' (Sparkes, 2014). Little remedial action was taken by the developer consortium or the GoL to address a number of fundamental procedural and material concerns, despite sustained civil society lobbying (Whitington, 2012). ...
Laos has rapidly expanded its hydraulic infrastructure, creating profound environmental, economic and social ruptures. We combine frameworks of environmental justice with political ecology to examine the multiple expressions of water injustice evident in three hydropower project case studies involving resettlement. We find that livelihood restoration measures have not ameliorated, but reproduced underlying problems of poverty, inequity, exclusion and coercive expressions of social injustice. These are viewed as the structural outcomes of political choices. We conclude that there is little potential for a water justice paradigm in Laos without significant reforms to the national frameworks for water govern-ance and human rights. ARTICLE HISTORY
... This agrees with the contribution made by the authors, who highlight the need to overcome a business framework that focuses merely on economic considerations to move towards an approach that seeks to create value both for companies and the society [78,79], i.e. to a position that moves beyond compensation, thus enabling a balance between the social, economic and environmental factors involving the installation and operation of hydropower projects [58]. Further, other authors argue that hydropower sustainability should offer a value proposal that articulates elements such as planning, construction, operation, management and governance [80]. In other words, there is a need to establish proper governance to ensure comprehensive water-use management [78]. ...
... As an extension to Model 1.0, Soliev et al. [14], in line with Lebel et al. [21], propose the need to establish a governance model for the coordinated and comprehensive management of water resources that defines parameters in terms of strategy, planning, decision-making and operation. Biedenweg et al. [87], Sparkes [80] and Soliev et al. [14] agree on the need for a comprehensive collaborative governance model that moves beyond economic compensation to offer a comprehensive overview of well-being. These facets expand Model 1.0 and support the proposed model (Version 2.0), because from a holistic view, other relations come into play that are oriented to the comprehensive sustainability of the territory from an increasingly participative standpoint [14,88]. ...
The negative impact of hydropower companies is cushioned frequently through compensation that is proportional neither to the needs of communities nor to the energy business. Considering the dependence of hydropower on the environment, it is unclear how the good living of communities can be combined with the long-term sustainability of power companies. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to establish a benefit sharing scheme between hydropower companies and local communities. We conducted a systematic literature review using a sequential mixed-method approach. In the first stage, we performed a quantitative bibliometric analysis, and its results, described in Model 1.0, were the basis of the second stage. Consequently, in the second stage, we conducted a content analysis of 40 documents to enrich the previous version of the model in Framework 2.0. After completing both the methodological stages, we prepared a theoretical operational framework for benefit sharing based on collaborative governance that assigned different specific weights for companies and local communities. Equal benefit sharing is the result of an adaptive process that depends on (1) the performance of companies, (2) the level of empowerment of communities and (3) the state’s capacity to intervene in setting rules of engagement that help reduce power asymmetries between companies and the society.
... The rapid growth of hydropower dams (Figure 2), agricultural specialization and intensification, global markets, and urban industrialization have benefited cities and industrial zones far from the rural places that are the source of resources used to modernize. And much too frequently these projects leave rural people and their communities only marginally better off and often worse off [10]. Many of these modernization and development efforts threaten not only the Mekong natural resource base but also millions of small-scale farmers and fishers that are the underpinning of regional food systems and food security [1] [11]. ...
... It is not clear whether this is a transitional economic situation and the extent to which resettled farmers and fishers will adjust livelihood strategies to rebuild household incomes and climb out of poverty. Joint efforts by the Laotian government and hydropower corporations have put in place dam mitigation interventions and are tracking environmental changes and sustainability of the new livelihood systems [10]. However, with reductions in loss of income options, limited training on new technologies and little infusion of capital for starting new occupations, the flexibility of rural people to spread risk or shift to other livelihood strategies is diminished. ...
The transboundary Mekong River is shared by six SE Asia countries (China, Myanmar, Thailand, Lao PDR, Cambodia, and Vietnam). In this paper the livelihoods of farmers and fishers of Lao PDR, Cambodia and Vietnam are examined to assess impacts of Mekong River development and modernization projects on the rural peoples of the Mekong River and Delta. A high proportion of the 190 million rural people of the Mekong basin are dependent on the diverse and abundant resources of the Mekong River and its tributaries for food security and basic necessities, livelihoods, and cultural identities. Although rice farming and fisheries occupations are primary income sources, many livelihoods involve a diversity of on-farm and off-farm activities. Agricultural specialization and intensification and hydropower dam construction on the Mekong main stem and tributaries are altering traditional rural patterns of household food security, income, and cultural ways of living at an increasingly rapid pace. Rural transformation projects must better assess how these modernization efforts change the ecology of the Mekong River and in turn affect the capacity of rural people to adapt in ways that ensure food security and improve household livelihoods. It will be critical that development efforts recognize, value, and invest in rural people’s roles in producing a stable, affordable food system and managing the integrity of river ecosystems upon which future prosperity depends. Interventions are needed to prevent degradation of the Mekong Basin soil and water resources from large-scale agricultural intensification, water diversion and overbuilding of hydropower dams which are threats to small-scale land holdings and farmers and fishers capacities to provide daily food for their own consumption and to feed SE Asia’s growing urban populations.
... Thirty-five documents were found to be dedicated, either partially or entirely, to this issue. While a few of the selected studies primarily rank generation assets with respect to a set of criteria [46,53,[78][79][80][81][82], the majority focused exclusively on hydroelectric power [83][84][85][86][87][88][89][90][91][92][93][94][95][96][97][98][99][100][101][102]. Table 4 provides a chronological list of research studies along with the reported technical, ecological, economic and social parameters. ...
... Recent literature includes the application of relatively novel methodologies such as fuzzy mathematical functions [88], information network analysis (INA) [89] and emergy analysis [90] for evaluating nontechnical and ecological impacts of hydropower construction. Many researchers provide a rather general [54,[91][92][93] or project/ country-specific narrative [57,[94][95][96][97][98][99][100] that highlights the key issues. A few of the papers are review articles that further extend the scope by suggesting spatial design principles [101] or performing a systematic assessment of hydropower externalities [102]. ...
Recognizing the multidimensional role that hydropower can potentially play in achieving a more sustainable energy supply system, this paper reviews a series of published economic, environmental and social indicators that are often used to characterize this energy source. Getting the right balance between measures assessing benefits and costs is often a challenge in complex evaluations. The current paper argues that present studies sometimes set system boundaries too narrowly so that they omit key factors associated with hydropower. In particular, the role that hydroelectric resources can play to stabilize the overall electrical grid, and thus to leverage investments in other intermittent renewables, is only rarely accounted for in sustainability assessments. Based on a broad literature review, the authors articulate two key recommendations for future assessments: first, that such assessments should reflect on policy issues as well as environmental challenges with respect to existing hydropower potential within the current framework; second, that system boundaries should be extended not only to allow broad hydrological, ecological and geological assessments, but also to reasonably estimate hydro's potential benefits to the functioning of the overall electrical grid.
... Singer et al. [41] highlight the governance issue regarding benefit sharing in Vietnam, emphasizing the role of stakeholder participation in hydropower decisions. Similarly, Sparkes [42] describes the potential role of working closely with local governments to improve capacity and help ensure long-term benefits from hydropower dam development in Laos. In addition, Wichelns [43] discusses the possibility of establishing a regional system to regulate economic rents from hydropower development, thus extending the discussion on benefit sharing from a local or project level to the regional and transboundary levels. ...
... Wichelns [43] proposes broadening the institutional framework to enable wider sharing of the 'benefits' of Mekong Region hydropower development, extending efforts from local and national levels to regional and transboundary levels. Sparkes [42] highlights the joint implementation and monitoring arrangements that are carried out with local government authorities to build capacity and help achieve long-term benefits from hydropower development. ...
Notions of benefit sharing play an increasingly important role in shaping the debate around the merits of existing and future hydropower development in the Mekong region. In this paper we assess how the concept of benefit sharing is articulated and applied in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. We discuss the conceptual strengths and weaknesses of benefit sharing, within the broader context of land and water resources and environmental governance. We argue that while benefit sharing provides an entry point for placing the current debate on hydropower development within the perspective of social justice, better understanding of governance structures and processes is needed. Our primary message is that innovations in policies and programs should not be analyzed in isolation from the wider governance structure, processes, and outcomes. To this end, we are pleased also to introduce this Special Issue of Water Resources and Rural Development, in which several authors analyze current benefit sharing programs in the Mekong region, with a focus on governance, process, and policy implications.
... Singer et al. (2014) highlight the governance issue regarding benefit sharing in Vietnam, emphasizing the role of stakeholder participation in hydropower decisions. Similarly, Sparkes (2014) describes the potential role of working closely with local governments to improve capacity and help ensure long-term benefits from hydropower dam development in Laos. In addition, Wichelns (2014) discusses the possibility of establishing a regional system to regulate economic rents from hydropower development, thus extending the discussion on benefit sharing from a local or project level to the regional and transboundary levels. ...
... Wichelns (2014) proposes broadening the institutional framework to enable wider sharing of the 'benefits' of Mekong Region hydropower development, extending efforts from local and national levels to regional and transboundary levels. Sparkes (2014) highlights the joint implementation and monitoring arrangements that are carried out with local government authorities to build capacity and help achieve long-term benefits from hydropower development. ...
Hydropower dams typically produce benefits for their developers. At the same time, large dams have various negative environmental and social consequences, in particular, upon those who must be resettled or whose livelihoods are disrupted. The anticipated and actual revenue earned by hydropower plants from the production and sale of electricity, could be shared with residents of hydropower watersheds, to help offset these adverse impacts of construction and operation. The purpose of this paper is to examine the different ways in which such benefits have been shared in the Sirikit Dam hydropower watershed in Northern Thailand. Four different models for benefit sharing, each with a history in the case study site, were identified: compensation for resettlement; corporate social responsibility; community development funds; and payments for ecosystem services. The earliest program on resettlement was of limited effectiveness, because short-term compensation was insufficient to improve livelihoods or alleviate poverty. The corporate social responsibility program has been ad hoc, with achievements not always geared towards priority needs. The recently launched Power Development Fund is a promising framework, as it involves long-term sharing of revenues from the sale of electricity for projects proposed by local communities and agencies. A pilot exploration of watershed fund, based on payments for ecosystem services concepts, looked likely to falter from lack of interests among potential buyers and other institutional barriers. The case study demonstrates that different benefit sharing models have their merits and limitations which vary as a project matures – a lesson important for the Mekong Region.
... The rapid growth of hydropower dams (Figure 10), agricultural specialization and intensification, global markets, and urban industrialization have benefited cities and industrial zones far from the rural places that are the source of resources used to modernize. And much too frequently these projects leave rural people and their communities only marginally better off and often worse off [54]. Many of these modernization and development efforts threaten not only the Mekong natural resource base but also millions of small-scale farmers and fishers that are the underpinning of regional food systems and food security [55] [56]. ...
The Lancang-Mekong River in China, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Vietnam is the soul and heart of mainland Southeast Asia. Over 60 million people depend on the river and its tributaries for food, transportation, water, and other necessities of life. The river supports one of the world's most diverse fisheries, second only to Brazil's Amazon River. Lancang-Mekong and tributaries are already heavily dammed primarily in China, Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia, with many more dams planned or under construction. Dams can worsen the impact of periodic droughts in the Lancang-Mekong basin and block the river's "pulse effect" that spreads water and nutrients needed for fishing and farming onto the floodplains and delta. The headwaters of the Lancang are in China and its waters are considered a national resource. China regards the Lancang, Yangtze and Yellow rivers as a free resource rather than a shared resource. The primary difference between these rivers is the Lancang flows from China into and through other countries and not directly into a sea or ocean. China and Myanmar have not joined the Mekong River Commission (MRC) as full members but have been Dialogue Partners since 1996. Over the past thirty years, China's Lancang policies and actions have reflected its national resource interests. China has actively engaged with individual trans-boundary countries at various levels including environmental, conservation, and economic agreements. The primary objective of this study is to assess the environmental and human impacts of all Lancang-Mekong mainstem and tributary dams and the plans by many countries for more hydropower utilizing the potential of the river as the continent's energy lifeline. Future dams
... The rapid growth of hydropower dams (Figure 10), agricultural specialization and intensification, global markets, and urban industrialization have benefited cities and industrial zones far from the rural places that are the source of resources used to modernize. And much too frequently these projects leave rural people and their communities only marginally better off and often worse off [54]. Many of these modernization and development efforts threaten not only the Mekong natural resource base but also millions of small-scale farmers and fishers that are the underpinning of regional food systems and food security [55] [56]. ...
The Lancang-Mekong River in China, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Vietnam is the soul and heart of mainland Southeast Asia. Over 60 million people depend on the river and its tributaries for food, transportation, water, and other necessities of life. The river supports one of the world's most diverse fisheries, second only to Brazil's Amazon River. Lancang-Mekong and tributaries are already heavily dammed primarily in China, Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia, with many more dams planned or under construction. Dams can worsen the impact of periodic droughts in the Lancang-Mekong basin and block the river's "pulse effect" that spreads water and nutrients needed for fishing and farming onto the floodplains and delta. The headwaters of the Lancang are in China and its waters are considered a national resource. China regards the Lancang, Yangtze and Yellow rivers as a free resource rather than a shared resource. The primary difference between these rivers is the Lancang flows from China into and through other countries and not directly into a sea or ocean. China and Myanmar have not joined the Mekong River Commission (MRC) as full members but have been Dialogue Partners since 1996. Over the past thirty years, China's Lancang policies and actions have reflected its national resource interests. China has actively engaged with individual trans-boundary countries at various levels including environmental, conservation, and economic agreements. The primary objective of this study is to assess the environmental and human impacts of all Lancang-Mekong mainstem and tributary dams and the plans by many countries for more hydropower utilizing the potential of the river as the continent's energy lifeline.
... The rapid growth of hydropower dams (Figure 10), agricultural specialization and intensification, global markets, and urban industrialization have benefited cities and industrial zones far from the rural places that are the source of resources used to modernize. And much too frequently these projects leave rural people and their communities only marginally better off and often worse off [54]. Many of these modernization and development efforts threaten not only the Mekong natural resource base but also millions of small-scale farmers and fishers that are the underpinning of regional food systems and food security [55] [56]. ...
The Lancang-Mekong River in China, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Vietnam is the soul and heart of mainland Southeast Asia. Over 60 million people depend on the river and its tributaries for food, transportation, water, and other necessities of life. The river supports one of the world's most diverse fisheries, second only to Brazil's Amazon River. Lancang-Mekong and tributaries are already heavily dammed primarily in China, Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia, with many more dams planned or under construction. Dams can worsen the impact of periodic droughts in the Lancang-Mekong basin and block the river's "pulse effect" that spreads water and nutrients needed for fishing and farming onto the floodplains and delta. The headwaters of the Lancang are in China and its waters are considered a national resource. China regards the Lancang, Yangtze and Yellow rivers as a free resource rather than a shared resource. The primary difference between these rivers is the Lancang flows from China into and through other countries and not directly into a sea or ocean. China and Myanmar have not joined the Mekong River Commission (MRC) as full members but have been Dialogue Partners since 1996. Over the past thirty years, China's Lancang policies and actions have reflected its national resource interests. China has actively engaged with individual trans-boundary countries at various levels including environmental, conservation, and economic agreements. The primary objective of this study is to assess the environmental and human impacts of all Lancang-Mekong mainstem and tributary dams and the plans by many countries for more hydropower utilizing the potential of the river as the continent's energy lifeline.
... The rapid growth of hydropower dams (Figure 10), agricultural specialization and intensification, global markets, and urban industrialization have benefited cities and industrial zones far from the rural places that are the source of resources used to modernize. And much too frequently these projects leave rural people and their communities only marginally better off and often worse off [54]. Many of these modernization and development efforts threaten not only the Mekong natural resource base but also millions of small-scale farmers and fishers that are the underpinning of regional food systems and food security [55] [56]. ...
The Lancang-Mekong River in China, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Vietnam is the soul and heart of mainland Southeast Asia. Over 60 million people depend on the river and its tributaries for food, transportation, water, and other necessities of life. The river supports one of the world's most diverse fisheries, second only to Brazil's Amazon River. Lancang-Mekong and tributaries are already heavily dammed primarily in China, Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia, with many more dams planned or under construction. Dams can worsen the impact of periodic droughts in the Lancang-Mekong basin and block the river's "pulse effect" that spreads water and nutrients needed for fishing and farming onto the floodplains and delta. The headwaters of the Lancang are in China and its waters are considered a national resource. China regards the Lancang, Yangtze and Yellow rivers as a free resource rather than a shared resource. The primary difference between these rivers is the Lancang flows from China into and through other countries and not directly into a sea or ocean. China and Myanmar have not joined the Mekong River Commission (MRC) as full members but have been Dialogue Partners since 1996. Over the past thirty years, China's Lancang policies and actions have reflected its national resource interests. China has actively engaged with individual trans-boundary countries at various levels including environmental, conservation, and economic agreements. The primary objective of this study is to assess the environmental and human impacts of all Lancang-Mekong mainstem and tributary dams and the plans by many countries for more hydropower utilizing the potential of the river as the continent's energy lifeline. Future dams
... Changsaveng et al. [53] emphasized the importance of social and economic perspectives on hydropower development in Laos. An evaluation of the impacts and benefits of two hydropower projects on the community's livelihood and resettlement were evaluated in case studies on the Theun-Hinboun expansion project and Nam Mang 3 hydropower project [54,55]. Vorabout et al. [56] investigated the electrical effects of wind energy generation on the power system with an installed capacity of 75 MW in the central part of Laos by using DigSLENT power factory software. ...
Lao PDR faces seasonal power supply problems due to its heavy reliance on hydropower. Thus, the aim of this paper was to prioritize renewable energy (RE) resources for sustainable electricity generation in Lao PDR using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method, and to further estimate the energy available for the prioritized RE to enhance the seasonal power supply. Four RE alternatives were assessed considering technological, economic, environmental, and social criteria with twelve overall sub-criteria. The results indicated that hydropower was the most highly prioritized alternative, followed by solar. The resulting weights of the RE prioritization were in agreement with the Lao energy policy and plan. In order to address the seasonal power supply problem, setting-up floating photovoltaic (FPV) units in the existing hydropower reservoirs was proposed. The FPV potential was estimated, and the results revealed that the predicted power demand by 2030, as calculated in the latest Lao national power development strategy, could be fully covered by integrating the FPV output from 10% coverage of the water surface in four existing hydropower reservoirs with the existing power supply in 2020. The proposed FPV technology would provide a solution to enhance the seasonal power supply and reduce the power import.
... As the narrative on hydropower development in the LMB becomes more centred on costs and benefits, and trade-offs (Ziv et al., 2012;Intralawan et al., 2019;Wild et al., 2019), focus should be shifted to sustainable hydropower development that promotes economic development and protects the environment and social values (Tang et al., 2018). While the concept of sustainable hydropower development has been applied with certain degree of success (Sparkes, 2014;Bhagabati et al., 2017), common attributes of failures have been the lack of institutional enforcement and policies that recognize environmental values and social rights beyond national boundaries (Moran et al., 2018;Williams, 2019). ...
Transboundary river basins across developing countries, such as the Lower Mekong River Basin (LMB), are challenging to manage given frequent divergences on development and conservation priorities. Driven by needs to sustain economic performance and reduce poverty, the LMB countries are embarking on significant land use changes in the form of more hydropower dams, to satisfy growing energy demands. This pathway could lead to irreversible changes to the ecosystem of the Mekong River, if not properly managed. Given the uncertain environmental externalities and trade-offs associated with further hydropower development and operation in the LMB, this research develops four plausible scenarios of future hydropower operation, and assesses their likely impact on streamflow and instream total suspended solids and nitrate loads of the Mekong River. The findings suggest that further hydropower operations on either tributary or mainstream could result in annual and wet season flow reduction between 11 and 25% while increase dry season flows by 1 to 15%, when compared to a business-as-usual scenario. Conversely, hydropower operation on both tributary and mainstream could result in dry season flow reduction between 10 and 15%. Both instream TSS and nitrate loads are forecasted to reduce under all three scenarios by as much as 78 and 20%, respectively, compared to the business-as-usual one. These effects are predicted to magnify under extreme climate conditions with dry season flow, TSS, and nitrate levels reduced by as much as 44, 81 and 35%, respectively, during a projected extreme dry climate condition, but less severe under improved operational alternatives. With further hydropower development in the LMB being highly unavoidable, these findings can inform effective transboundary management pathways for balancing electricity generation and protection of riverine ecology, water and food security, and people livelihoods.
... From the perspective of the international literature on Benefit-Sharing Mechanism, it is plausible to consider that the quality of resource management also has a relevant role concerning the quantity of these resources. This quality is considered a key point for the effectiveness of Benefit-Sharing Mechanism (Égré et al., 2007;UNEP, 2007;Wang, 2012;Balasubramanya et al., 2014), as well its interconnections with the affected communities (Dombrowsky et al., 2014;Sparkes, 2014;Wichelns, 2014) and also the opportunity to consider the management framework as a system immersed in a complex and dynamic environment (Sadoff and Grey, 2005;Lebel et al., 2014;Soliev and Theesfeld, 2017). ...
Although hydropower companies and governments have promoted monetary-based Benefit-Sharing Mechanisms alone as a vector of local development for flooded municipalities, it is not possible to identify this evidence in the scientific literature. The present work investigates the quantitative influence of Financial Compensation on Human Development Indexes (HDI) in flooded municipalities over 2000-2010. The econometric analysis shows that there are no statistically significant results related to the quantities of Financial Compensation and the development variables. The findings reinforce that Financial Compensation itself could not be considered the only input to improve development processes. Management frameworks should be considered since they can provide a broader view of the affected areas, including elements such as participatory processes, adaptation management, formal and legal guidelines and stakeholder engagement. Specially in the Brazilian case, the Impact Assessment procedures and their products could provide detailed data and criteria to municipalities to manage the inflow resources.
... Yet many of these dam projects are extremely controversial because of their myriad negative environmental and social impacts Kirchherr, Charles and Walton (2016b). Prominent examples of controversial projects in Southeast Asia are Laos' Don Sahong Dam (Baird 2011), Laos' Nam Theun 2 Dam (Baird & Quastel 2015), Laos' Theun Hinboun Dam (Sparkes 2014;Whitington 2012), Laos' Xayaburi Dam (Yasuda 2015), Myanmar's Myitsone Dam (Kiik 2016), Myanmar's Mong Ton Dam or Cambodia's Lower Sesan 2 Dam . Fifty years ago, the main challenges to large infrastructure projects such as dams were mostly technical; nowadays, public protests are seen by project advocates as a prime concern and cause of delays (McAdam et al. 2010, p.401;Plummer 2013b). ...
Academic research on dams' social impacts traditionally focuses on ex-post resettlement impacts. We explore a specific subset of ex-ante resettlement impacts in this paper: ‘Damocles projects’, whose implementation is still uncertain. Our case study is Thailand's Kaeng Suea Ten Dam whose implementation has been uncertain for 36 years. We find the cultural life of the communities studied has been significantly shaped by the looming construction of the dam. Furthermore, most villagers report extreme anxiety induced by the threat of the project. As a consequence, many have postponed private investments. The government has also withheld public infrastructure investments, further hampering the villages' economic development. Our research highlights the negative impacts induced by projects whose implementation is still uncertain. Copyright
The energy transition has provided a framework for designing and implementing renewable energy policies in a growing number of countries in recent years. The discourse from both international energy organisations and national governments around these renewable energy policies highlights its -supposed- sustainable nature. However, much evidence shows that the “renewable” component of these energy policies and the impact on local communities’ sustainable development are much smaller than what is claimed in their discourse. This paper analyses the Mazar-Dudas hydropower project (Ecuador) case study, which is officially classified as a small renewable energy project (21 MW) with presumable low environmental impact and significant positive effects on sustainability of local communities. Although, the sustainability associated with hydropower production is one of the most controversial aspects of this energy production technology. Based on interviews with relevant actors and the subsequent thematic content analysis, the results highlight that the environmental impact is perceived as significant, contrary to what it is said in the official discourse. Additionally, the benefit-sharing scheme's effects of this hydropower project are far below expectations.
Over the last decade, the rapid expansion of hydroelectric power generation has required an intense collaboration process between stakeholders. These relationships between the primary stakeholders – governments and large energy corporations – contextualise the discussion regarding governance regimes from a territorial perspective. The different levels of intervention that companies can exercise at the local, regional and national levels influence the various territorially embedded scales, places and networks that enable large-scale energy production. Therefore, the evolving role of borders and boundaries across territorial social groups and material interests influences the reach and extent of conflict/collaboration dynamics. With the purpose of exploring the effects of territorial factors of governance regimes on hydropower sustainability, this study adopts a mixed-methods sequential design approach using content analysis preceded by bibliometric data recollection and processing with high-end visualisation of the similarities mapping technique. These territorial factors can be divided into three separate fields of enquiry: institutional arrangements and spatial fixes, which can be captured spatio-temporally, and the role of local culture; stakeholder interdependencies, which must be studied in terms of the diverse scales on which they must interact to understand territorial-level conflict/collaboration dynamics; and joint actions and adaptative mechanisms that help to explain why changes in hydropower business governance regimes are attached to the territorial context. If we can understand the evolution of corporate sustainability dimensions in certain contexts, we might be able to capture the structured coherence of governance regimes in terms of the action–impact–adaptation cycle in the hydropower industry.
Through a multi-sited study of the Norwegian state-owned renewable energy corporation Statkraft, this article explores how the increasing embedding of corporate social responsibility in international guidelines impacts the way responsibility is handled when large energy corporations operate overseas. Focusing on one of Statkraft’s projects in Turkey, we detail how standards are used to guide both operations in the field and external reporting, in the process distancing the corporation from its Norwegian origin. We argue that the application of standards results in much less standardization than is often assumed. “Stories” become as important for reporting as standards, and the elusive figure of the “stakeholder” plays an important role in holding together the heterogeneous field of corporate responsibility.
Hydropower is considered as one of the most convenient and popular renewable energy technologies and its capacity is growing rapidly throughout the world. Its rapid deployment also comes up with various environmental issues which cannot be neglected at a glance. Previous studies had imposed questions about its sustainable nature and now it becomes important to think about the sustainability of hydropower projects so that the technology would grow effectively in future. This paper reviews the status of research on environmental assessment of hydropower projects. The factors which affect the environmental impacts associated with hydropower generation are also explored. It is found that environmental impact assessment of hydropower projects must be performed considering all aspects and factors which affects the environmental impacts associated with hydropower projects. Most of the previous studies are focused on the estimation of GHG emissions so it is necessary to give emphasis on other environmental impacts like acidification, land use, energy consumption etc. and also consider biomass decomposition in submerged land. In fact it is not worthy to predict the sustainability of hydropower projects without considering almost all biophysical impacts associated with them. The paper also compares large and small hydro considering all sustainability assessment factors. Small hydropower projects are considered as a good alternative to control the problems associated with large hydropower projects but still many studies found that so many issues are associated with small hydro as well which cannot be neglected completely.
Large areas of the rural Lao landscape are being rapidly transformed by infrastructure development projects. Arguably, it is hydraulic development that is contributing most significantly to rural socio-ecological change, due to the profound socio-political ruptures dams precipitate. The nationally iconic Theun-Hinboun Hydropower Project, commissioned in 1998 and expanded in 2012, provides an illustrative case of hydropower’s complex social-ecological outcomes. Proponents have argued that the project represents a best-case example of planned, sustainable development, through successful mitigation of negative impacts and benefit-sharing with affected communities, and implemented in accordance with international good practice. This article questions the narratives of sustainability. It is argued that while the project could be considered successful in achieving certain economic objectives defined by the government and investors, evidence of social and environmental sustainability is questionable, raising questions about other dam projects in the country with weaker standards and oversight. Given the extent of negative impacts and associated social trauma in the Nam Hinboun basin, the article considers whether and to what extent such hydraulic development processes under authoritarian rule may be framed as expressions of structural injustice and slow violence.
A major driver of change in the Mekong River basin relates to hydropower development and the consequent changes in landscape and natural resource access regime that it induces. In this paper, we examine how the livelihoods of resettlers evolve following resettlement, and examine the determinants of that process. The study takes place in the context of the Theun Hinboun Expansion Project in Lao PDR. Based on longitudinal household surveys conducted before resettlement as well as 1, 2, and 3 years after resettlement , we identify the process of livelihood adaptation in resettled communities. Results show varying capacity to absorb shocks and cope with change even within a small village with seemingly equal conditions. Our results suggest that a more detailed understanding of this adaptation process is key to improving interventions for rebuilding the livelihoods of those resettled by development projects in rural areas.
The purpose is to provoke discussion by exploring and elaborating the concept of sustainable livelihoods. It is based normatively on the ideas of capability, equity, and sustainability, each of which is both end and means. In the 21st century livelihoods will be needed by perhaps two or three times the present human population. A livelihood comprises people, their capabilities and their means of living, including food, income and assets. A livelihood is environmentally sustainable when it maintains or enhances the local and global assets on which livelihoods depend, and has net beneficial effects on other livelihoods. A livelihood is socially sustainable which can cope with and recover from stress and shocks, and provide for future generations. Current and conventional analysis both undervalues future livelihoods and is pessimistic. Ways can be sought to multiply livelihoods by increasing resource-use intensity and the diversity and complexity of small-farming livelihood systems, and by small- scale economic synergy. The objective of sustainable livelihoods for all provides a focus for anticipating the 21st century, and points to priorities for policy and research. -from Authors
Viewed by some as symbols of progress and by others as inherently flawed, large dams remain one of the most contentious development issues on Earth. Building on the work of the now defunct World Commission on Dams, Thayer Scudder wades into the debate with unprecedented authority. Employing the Commission's Seven Strategic priorities, Scudder charts the 'middle way' forward by examining the impacts of large dams on ecosystems, societies and political economies. He also analyses the structure of the decision-making process for water resource development and tackles the highly contentious issue of dam-induced resettlement, illuminated by a statistical analysis of 50 cases.
Trouble on the theun-hinboun: a field report on the socio-economic and environmental effects of the nam theun-hinboun hydropower project in Laos
- B Shoemaker
B. Shoemaker, Trouble on the theun-hinboun: a field report on the socio-economic and environmental effects of the nam
theun-hinboun hydropower project in Laos. Probe International. Available at: <www.probeinternational.org>, 1998.
Safeguard policies: indigenous peoples (1998) and operations manual on involuntary resettlement
- Asian Development
Asian Development Bank, Safeguard policies: indigenous peoples (1998) and operations manual on involuntary resettlement, (October 2003), Manila.
National policy on resettlement and compensation. Final Draft
- Government
- Lao
Government of Lao PDR, National policy on resettlement and compensation. Final Draft, Vientiane. 2003.
Dams and Development: A New Framework for Decision-Making
World Commission on Dams (WCD), Dams and Development: A New Framework for Decision-Making, Earthscan, London,
2000.