Mekong River Commission Strategic Environmental Assessment of Hydropower on mainstream Mekong River

ICEM was commissioned by the Mekong River Commission (MRC) to undertake a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of 11 planned hydropower dams along the mainstream Mekong River. The SEA ran from May 2009 until June 2010 and included Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam. It assessed the wider economic, social and environmental implications of the proposed developments.

The SEA built on the work undertaken by various MRC programs, including the fisheries, navigation and agricultural programs as well the Basin Development Planning process. Country-level consultation were facilitated by the National Mekong Committees and included engagement with government line agencies, NGOs, civil society organizations and the private sector. The SEA was an advisory study to guide and inform MRC member countries.

The purpose of the SEA was to identify the potential opportunities and risks as well as contribution of hydropower to regional development by assessing:

• Mainstream Mekong hydropower development strategies; and
• The regional distribution of costs and benefits with respect to economic development, social equity and environmental protection.

Outputs of the SEA included:

• Specific recommendations supporting decisions relating to mainstream development plans;
• Environmental safeguards and mitigation measures linked to hydropower planning in the Lower Mekong Basin;
• Recommendations for institutional and policy reform;
• Recommendation for improving the guidelines for SEA in the hydropower sector;
• A set of tools and a database for future SEAs in the hydropower sector; and
• Enhanced capacity for conducting SEAs.

All project documentation is available to be downloaded from the ICEM publications page for the Strategic Environmental Assessment on the Mekong Mainstream.

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