Asian countries lead the world today in hydropower generation, with more growth projected in coming years. Indeed, the International Energy Agency estimates that global hydropower capacity will double between now and 2040, with half of that new development to take place in Asia. Emerging economies in particular are under extraordinary pressure to harness the power offered by their rivers and other natural resources. But while hydropower dams are often hailed as sources of clean energy and economic transformation, they are not without tradeoffs, especially when development takes the form of a series of single projects, without consideration for the cumulative impacts on river systems as a whole — and the communities and ecosystems that depend on them. Countries throughout Asia have an opportunity to adopt a new status quo for hydropower development — one that takes into account the potential impacts to communities, regional economies and ecosystems and charts a course toward development that achieves a broader and more balanced range of benefits. In doing so, Asia can become a global leader in smart hydropower development. The power of rivers Rivers are incredibly powerful in ways that go beyond electricity generation. They support agriculture, navigation routes, fisheries and some of the most diverse and productive ecosystems on the planet. Those other resources and ecosystems, and all the benefits they confer, can be disrupted by the fragmentation caused by hydropower dams. Consider the Mekong, one of the primary rivers undergoing hydropower development in Asia, along with the Yangtze, the Irrawaddy and the Salween rivers. In addition to having substantial hydropower potential, the Mekong also sustains fisheries that feed tens of millions of people, including producing 80% of the protein consumed by the people of Cambodia. The Mekong could see its fish productivity cut in half, though, if a proposed series of main-stem dams, which sit on a river’s principal trunk, is completed. Other rivers will face these kinds of extreme negative impacts if hydropower development does not move toward a much more sustainable approach. Poorly planned hydropower dams can have dramatic, irreversible impacts on rivers and the people and ecosystems that rely on them. Social and environmental impacts result in conflict around hydropower development, leading to delays and cancellations of projects and increasing uncertainty for developers, governments and investors. But there is a better way. Planning at the river basin or system scale is a critical first step that governments and developers can take to find development scenarios that allow for significant energy production while minimizing impact to rivers, ecosystems and communities. A system-scale approach seeks to compare alternative development options upfront and identify those that can most effectively balance energy development with the protection or enhancement of other resources. Myanmar, with the entrance of the new government led by Aung Sun Suu Kyi is one country that has an opportunity to put its hydropower development on a better path. Strategic system-scale planning, beginning now, can allow the country to select which hydropower investments will deliver the most benefits, and recent moves by the government signal a potential shift in approach. Already, the Ministry of Electricity and Energy plans to reassess hydropower projects in light of questions about social and environmental impacts. This re-evaluation could help the country secure low-carbon energy while protecting one of its most valuable resources — its rivers. Myanmar’s rivers are, indeed, a source of wealth for its people. They provide food, jobs and a reliable source of water for navigation, irrigation and daily life. In fact, Myanmar’s freshwater fisheries produce more than 1.3 million tons of fish per year and employ approximately 1.5 million people. Myanmar has a pressing need for new power sources, but its new government has expressed a clear commitment to finding energy solutions that are sustainable and minimize social and environmental impacts.
2016 Nikkei Inc.