08.03.2019
Chinese companies are pushing to resume destructive dam
projects, ignoring a key assessment.
(Image: International
Rivers)
Much media attention in Myanmar is focused on
China’s apparent efforts to revive the stalled Myitsone
dam, its role in advising the Myanmar government on developing a new
hydropower strategy white
paper, and the implications of these developments for the adoption of the
World Bank-led strategic environmental
assessment of Myanmar’s hydropower sector, which was released in late
2018.
The debate appears to revolve around the assumption that the country must choose between a strategy for large hydropower development supported by western donors and the World Bank or one supported by China. While its contents are unknown, there is concern that the white paper may push forward highly environmentally and socially destructive projects such as the Myitsone dam and the series of mega dams proposed for the Salween River main stem (also known as Thanlwin), each involving Chinese companies and financiers. But is this assumption right?
The long-awaited environmental assessment recommended not building dams on the main stem of five major river basins, including the Ayeyarwady and Salween. This would remove the controversial Myitsone and the Salween main stem dams from Myanmar’s energy development plans, which have been fiercely opposed by civil society groups. Government adoption of this recommendation would reflect sound science on the adverse ecological impacts of large hydropower dams on mainstream river systems and provide critical recognition of the multiple values – ecological, social, economic and cultural – delivered by these rivers.
The debate appears to revolve around the assumption that the country must choose between a strategy for large hydropower development supported by western donors and the World Bank or one supported by China. While its contents are unknown, there is concern that the white paper may push forward highly environmentally and socially destructive projects such as the Myitsone dam and the series of mega dams proposed for the Salween River main stem (also known as Thanlwin), each involving Chinese companies and financiers. But is this assumption right?
The long-awaited environmental assessment recommended not building dams on the main stem of five major river basins, including the Ayeyarwady and Salween. This would remove the controversial Myitsone and the Salween main stem dams from Myanmar’s energy development plans, which have been fiercely opposed by civil society groups. Government adoption of this recommendation would reflect sound science on the adverse ecological impacts of large hydropower dams on mainstream river systems and provide critical recognition of the multiple values – ecological, social, economic and cultural – delivered by these rivers.
What we need is peace, not dams.
At the same time, the
environmental assessment still anticipates a significant role for large
hydropower dams in Myanmar’s future energy mix to address pressing domestic
power demand and for export to neighbouring countries. Sixty percent of
Myanmar’s population has no access to electricity and the government has
ambitious targets for 100% electrification by 2030. But this includes the
possibility of building large dams in areas suffering from past and present
armed conflict. The majority of large dams are targeted for ethnic minority
states in regions where fighting is ongoing or the peace process has stalled.
This means there is no way forward for building local autonomy and
participatory decision-making over natural resource management and use.
Concerns over the negative impacts of large dams and their potential to
exacerbate or even drive conflict has prompted many community and civil society
groups to boycott the environmental assessment.
The Salween flows through the Three Parallel Rivers World
Heritage Site, which is home to 7,000 plant species and 80 rare or
endangered animal species (Image: International
Rivers)
Myitsone as a decoy
Yet an exclusive public focus on Myitsone risks obscuring other harmful large dam projects that are quietly moving forward, absent public information or transparency. The environmental impact assessments for the 1,400 megawatt Kunlong and 1,200 megawatt Naopha dams on the Salween River in Shan state have recently been completed and submitted for review. Both projects are located in sites of active or historic armed conflict. Both have prompted concern from local communities over land that would be inundated for reservoirs and the downstream impacts on the river system. The assessments have not been made publicly available, despite revisions to Myanmar’s environmental impact assessment procedure, to improve information transparency.
The latest hydropower white paper is equally opaque, with little information in the public domain on its contents or drafting process. The strategic environmental assessment, while emphasizing broad and extensive stakeholder engagement, has significant limitations in its reflection of local views. Led by the International Finance Corporation, the World Bank’s private sector lending arm, the study is in keeping with its mandate to support the hydropower sector. It assumes a significant role for large dams without a wider assessment of the country’s energy and export needs and different options available for meeting them. The assessment also failed to engage many local stakeholders or enable broad participation. Most documents were only made available in English. Many people we spoke to felt that they were not given enough time to provide input to the process. Others who attended consultations reported that their concerns were omitted from meeting reports. Large numbers of people already displaced by fighting from areas targeted by dams were not involved.
Local people have their own set of demands. They are calling for transparency, public participation, and meaningful decision-making power in resource governance. Many also have pressing energy needs. As mentioned, only an estimated 40% of Myanmar’s population currently has grid access. But most large dams are designed to transmit power for export or to urban and industrial centers rather than local communities. Large dams on the Salween were designed to export power to Thailand and southern China, where there is currently significant overcapacity and little need for new electricity imports. There are also thousands of decentralized off-grid and very small power plants that are already helping to serve local needs, yet the role of these, and the potential for expansion of new, affordable, appropriate technologies is largely ignored in leading energy plans.
A variety of energy and development pathways exist for Myanmar, but these have not yet been systematically studied. A pathway to peace and environmentally-sound development requires the country’s energy planners to listen first and foremost to her people.
Myitsone as a decoy
Yet an exclusive public focus on Myitsone risks obscuring other harmful large dam projects that are quietly moving forward, absent public information or transparency. The environmental impact assessments for the 1,400 megawatt Kunlong and 1,200 megawatt Naopha dams on the Salween River in Shan state have recently been completed and submitted for review. Both projects are located in sites of active or historic armed conflict. Both have prompted concern from local communities over land that would be inundated for reservoirs and the downstream impacts on the river system. The assessments have not been made publicly available, despite revisions to Myanmar’s environmental impact assessment procedure, to improve information transparency.
The latest hydropower white paper is equally opaque, with little information in the public domain on its contents or drafting process. The strategic environmental assessment, while emphasizing broad and extensive stakeholder engagement, has significant limitations in its reflection of local views. Led by the International Finance Corporation, the World Bank’s private sector lending arm, the study is in keeping with its mandate to support the hydropower sector. It assumes a significant role for large dams without a wider assessment of the country’s energy and export needs and different options available for meeting them. The assessment also failed to engage many local stakeholders or enable broad participation. Most documents were only made available in English. Many people we spoke to felt that they were not given enough time to provide input to the process. Others who attended consultations reported that their concerns were omitted from meeting reports. Large numbers of people already displaced by fighting from areas targeted by dams were not involved.
Local people have their own set of demands. They are calling for transparency, public participation, and meaningful decision-making power in resource governance. Many also have pressing energy needs. As mentioned, only an estimated 40% of Myanmar’s population currently has grid access. But most large dams are designed to transmit power for export or to urban and industrial centers rather than local communities. Large dams on the Salween were designed to export power to Thailand and southern China, where there is currently significant overcapacity and little need for new electricity imports. There are also thousands of decentralized off-grid and very small power plants that are already helping to serve local needs, yet the role of these, and the potential for expansion of new, affordable, appropriate technologies is largely ignored in leading energy plans.
A variety of energy and development pathways exist for Myanmar, but these have not yet been systematically studied. A pathway to peace and environmentally-sound development requires the country’s energy planners to listen first and foremost to her people.
