Story | 18 May, 2020

Sekong, Sesan and Srepok River Basin energy profile

In many ways, the 3S river basin of Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Vietnam is the last frontier of development with national governments seeking to harness the area’s rich natural resources to drive economic growth. This has included the development of hydropower dams, first in Vietnam starting in the late 1990s, then Laos, and most recently in Cambodia, where the Lower Sesan 2 dam was completed in 2017.

Photo: Seprok river in Dak Lak Province, Viet Nam © Bui Bich Thuy

Energy planning takes place at the national rather than the regional level and the benefits that accrue are often described in terms of contribution to each country’s national power goals. This results in significant missed opportunities to optimize the competing demands for water for energy, fisheries, and agriculture.

This study was prepared by the Stimson Center as a contribution IUCN’s BRIDGE program analyses energy options in the 3S and came up with four scenarios that deliver similar amounts of electricity but with very different social and environment impacts. The bottom line is that the best outcome in terms of minimizing trade-offs between power and food security is in achievable but requires active cooperation between the three countries.

To download the study, please click HERE.

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