Reports

International Rivers produces in-depth reports on a number of issues affecting the world's rivers and the people who depend on them. All of our materials are available for free, and can be downloaded from our website and reprinted without restriction. 

Learn more about our other publications here.

Below is a complete list of our reports, sorted chronologically.

 
Factsheet | The Xe Pian-Xe Namnoy Dam Disaster: Situation Update Two Years On 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.... 07.29.20
Watered Down: How do big hydropower companies adhere to social and environmental policies and best practices? 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... 11.05.19
Expert Commentary on the ‘Review of Design Changes Made for the Xayaburi Hydropower Project’ 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 ‘... 10.21.19
Report | Reckless Endangerment: Assessing Responsibility for the Xe Pian-Xe Namnoy Dam Collapse 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... 08.10.19
Report | Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Myanmar Hydropower Sector: Discussion Brief 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... 08.01.19
Catalyzing A Renewable Energy Transformation: Lessons learned from Multilateral Development Banks 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... 09.26.18
Nam Theun 2 Hydropower Project: Field Report, February 2018 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... 06.18.18
Working Transboundary: Building Resilience and Democratizing Governance in the Brahmaputra Basin 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... Villagers from Gazaldoba 12 downstream from the barrage face heavy erosion for several months in the year 12.06.17
Renewable Riches: How Wind and Solar Can Power DRC and South Africa International Rivers' new study, “Renewable Riches,” has found that the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is endowed with abundant wind and solar potential that could transform the... 09.25.17
In Debt and In The Dark: Unpacking the Economics of DRC’s Proposed Inga 3 Dam “In Debt and In The Dark” is the first in-depth assessment of the economics of the proposed 4,800 MW Inga 3 Dam in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Authored by noted economist Tim... 06.23.17
Nu River Conservation Studies: Biodiversity, Management, and Hydropower Development The Nu/Salween River originates in the Tibetan plateau and flows south through Thailand and Burma before emptying into the Andaman Sea. It is the western-most river in the “Three Parallel... 06.28.16
Ocekadi: Hydroelectric Dams, Socio-Environmental Conflicts, and Resistance in the Tapajós Basin A bacia do rio Tapajós, localizada no coração da Amazônia brasileira, é uma região de enorme diversidade social e biológica, que liga dois biomas importantes: o Cerrado e a Amazônia. A... 06.27.16
Designing Low Carbon Electricity Futures for African and Other Developing Countries Wind and solar resources are abundant throughout the world, but their dependence on uncontrollable factors such as weather has been one of the biggest impediments to their development.... 10.29.15
Right Priorities for Africa's Power Sector An Evaluation of Dams Under the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) In 2012, African heads of state launched the Programme for Infrastructure Development... 09.29.15
Lower Sesan 2: Same Company, Two Dams, One River Report China’s enthusiasm for dam building has in recent years spilled over into the Mekong region. Development plans and construction for a 28 dam cascade on the Upper Mekong (Lancang River) have... 05.27.15
China's Ministry of Environmental Protection's Wudongde Approval Letter (includes rejection decision of Xiaonanhai Dam) 04.09.15
Building Sustainability into the East African Power Pool UC Berkeley’s Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory and International Rivers have co-published a review of the energy planning and resource assessment efforts being done by the East... Solar Energy International installs a solar system in Ethiopia. 03.11.15
Starving the Mekong: A Report on the Impacts of Cambodia’s Lower Sesan 2 Dam In order to understand the magnitude of anticipated environmental and social impacts the Lower Sesan 2 Dam in Northeastern Cambodia poses and the nature of its decision-making process,... 02.03.15
The Scramble for Water, Land and Oil in the Lower Omo Valley The remote Omo watershed in East Africa encompasses life-giving rivers and a huge desert lake in both Kenya and Ethiopia. Home to a number of tribal peoples who make their living from the... Womens Group around Lake Turkana 01.20.15
The Environmental and Social Impacts of Lancang Dams Despite the completion of lower cascade of six hydropower dams on the Lancang River (Upper Mekong) in 2014, little is known about the environmental impacts of the Lancang Dams.... 08.20.14
New Report: Indigenous Rights Violations at Baram Dam Site in Sarawak A new report entitled "No Consent to Proceed: Indigenous Peoples' Rights Violations at the Proposed Baram Dam in Sarawak" is being launched in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The report is based on... 08.16.14
Unbalanced Interests: A Review of the Xayaburi Dam’s Power Purchase Agreement An independent analysis done on the Xayaburi Dam’s agreement to sell around 95% of its electricity to the Thai government provides important insight into the first Mekong mainstream dam... 06.20.14
Legal Briefing: How International Law Applies to the Don Sahong Dam The Government of Lao PDR is proceeding with the Don Sahong Dam after claiming that it is only required under the 1995 Mekong Agreement to notify neighboring governments, rather than to... 06.10.14
Dam Standards: A Rights-Based Approach When large dams are built, increasingly, companies, banks, and governments commit to follow internationally-recognized standards for such projects. Some of these standards are voluntary,... 02.11.14
Congo River: Death by a Thousand Cuts? A briefing paper by International Rivers finds that the Environmental Impact Assessment of the World Bank's proposed Inga 3 Dam violates good international practice and the World Bank's... 02.04.14
Corruption and Infrastructure Megaprojects in the DR Congo The Grand Inga Dam, planned for the Congo River in DR Congo, is being promoted by USAID, the World Bank and other international financiers But Africa's biggest hydropower project is a... The Inga II Dam 12.18.13
An Introduction to Integrated Resources Planning Integrated Resources Planning (IRP) is a public process in which planners work together with other interested parties to identify and prepare energy options that serve the highest possible... 11.11.13
Independent Expert Review of the Myitsone Dam EIA A survey of the “Environmental Impact Report of Hydropower Development in the Upper Reaches of the Ayeyawady River” has found that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) contains some... 10.30.13
Dam Planning Under the Spotlight in India In the past decade, the central and state governments of India threw caution to the wind when approving hundreds of hydroelectric dam projects in the upper reaches of Himalayan rivers. But... 10.08.13
Civil Society Guide to Healthy Rivers and Climate Resilience Healthy, flowing rivers are the lifelines of our planet. They provide people with water, food, medicines, building materials, land-replenishing silts, navigation, recreation, and cultural... 10.02.13

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