Report

Two years after the tragic collapse of the Xe Pian-Xe Namnoy hydropower project in Laos, construction is complete and the project is operational, exporting electricity to Thailand. Meanwhile, thousands of people who lost family members, homes, land and livelihoods in the dam collapse remain in difficult conditions and without answers or accountability from those responsible for the disaster. Displaced families continue to reside in temporary housing and face food and water shortages. Many are yet to receive full compensation for the losses and harm suffered. This new factsheet by International

Healthy rivers are critical in sustaining communities and ecosystems. Yet our rivers around the world are under threat. As many as 3,700 new dams have either been proposed or are already under construction. Despite the enormous diversity in size, scale and geography of new dams being built, a relatively small number of corporations are responsible for their construction. Thus the policies and practices of these companies have tremendous implications for rivers and human rights. This report provides context for this situation and features seven in-depth case studies of dams at final stages of c

In this report, International Rivers commissioned two experts to provide comments on the Mekong River Commission’s ‘Review of Design Changes Made for the Xayaburi Hydropower Project’ (the ‘MRC Review’), which was released in early 2019. The MRC Review examines information provided by the Government of Laos and the project developer about the redesign of the Xayaburi Hydropower Project. The MRC Review assessed this information against the findings and recommendations of the MRC’s original Xayaburi Technical Review Report (TRR), which was produced by the MRC during the Xayaburi Prior

One year after the tragic collapse of an auxiliary dam of the Xe Pian-Xe Namnoy Hydropower Project in Laos, this report by International Rivers and Inclusive Development International examines the situation for survivors. Close to 5,000 people made homeless by the disaster remain in temporary camps, surviving hand to mouth on meager rations and daily allowances and without adequate compensation or redress. The report identifies the various project stakeholders in the Xe Pian-Xe Namnoy Hydropower Project, including government and corporate actors, financiers and insurers, and their responsibili

This brief introduces the Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Myanmar Hydropower Sector and seeks to generate dialogue, including around the study’s process, findings and recommendations. While the assessment was a contested process, it produced important outcomes, including the recommendation to reserve the mainstream of Myanmar's major river basins from hydropower development to keep these rivers free-flowing. The brief offers perspectives on the assessment’s outcomes—outlining the limitations and concerns with the assessment as well as ways its analysis and recommendations can b

A clean energy transformation is urgently needed to mitigate worst impacts of climate change and deliver power to the millions who currently lack it. Development finance institutions have an important role to play in delivering this transformation and helping developing countries meet their energy, climate, and poverty alleviation goals. Traditional development banks like the World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB) can help fill the gaps but lack the resources on their own. A new suite of actors has recently emerged with the potential to scale up development finance, including the China-le

The Nam Theun 2 Hydropower Project (NT2) is a dam constructed in central Laos’ Khammouane Province to acquire foreign currency by exporting electricity to Thailand. The World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB) decided to support the NT2 project in 2005, and operations began in 2010. Approximately 6,200 people, most of them ethnic minorities and indigenous people, were forced to relocate to make way for the project reservoir. Many other environmental and social impacts have occurred as a result of the project, including negative impacts on livelihoods due to increasing floods and unnatura

The Brahmaputra River has repeatedly been the centre ground of diplomatic hostility between China, India and Bangladesh. With no transboundary treaty or common understanding between the countries sharing the river, downstream countries have repeatedly raised concerns that China, the upstream riparian country, would dam and divert the glacial meltwaters that are crucial not only for towns, cities and industry, but for the millions of farmers in the plains of India and Bangladesh downstream. Others have expressed concern about the cumulative impacts of long-standing plans to build more than 100

L'Afrique bénéficie d’un énorme potentiel d'énergie renouvelable, cependant le continent souffre de l’une des plus fortes pauvretés énergétiques au niveau mondial. Cet écart est particulièrement marqué en République démocratique du Congo (RDC), où seulement 13,5% de la population a accès à l'électricité. Le déficit entrave le développement économique et appauvrit des millions de personnes : en 2015, le PIB par habitant de la RDC se classe parmi les plus bas du monde. La bonne nouvelle est qu’il existe des solutions à la pauvreté énergétique du pays. Notre nouvell

Le rapport «Endetté et à l’aveuglette» est la première analyse approfondie de l'économie du projet Inga 3. Elle examine les hypothèses et les revendications clés des promoteurs du projet, y compris les coûts de construction probables, les tarifs de l'électricité, et le montant d’électricité produite par Inga 3. Nous avons effectué une analyse financière afin de déterminer les niveaux de revenus probables pour le gouvernement de la RDC en fonction des coûts de construction et d'exploitation, du prix et du montant de l'électricité vendue, des pertes techniques et des coÃ