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The Xiluodu Dam, when completed, will be the second largest hydropower project in China after the Three Gorges Dam. As part of a cascade of dams, including the Xiangjiaba (which is currently under construction), Baihetan, and Wudongde, the Xiluodu seeks to alleviate much of the sedimentation that has been rapidly accumulating behind the Three Gorges. Together with Xiangjiaba, it will generate 12.6 Gigawatts of energy, roughly equal to the Three Gorges's maximum capacity expected in 2015. It will also displace an estimated 180,000 people, mostly from the city of Zhaotong.  All four

by Ercan Ayboga Dam Almost Exploding Dam removal (full decommissioning) may be the most direct and effective method for eliminating the negative effects of dams on the structure and function of river ecosystems, but it is only one of several dam management alternatives. Depending on the particular dam, these options may include no action, structural repair, dam removal, partial dam removal or changes to dam operations [according American Society of Civil Engineers, 1997]. Full Decommissioning / Removal The removal of a dam re-establishes fully the free flowing conditions in a river b

Muddy Waters: Impacts of Damming the Amazon's Principal TributaryPrefaceThe articles in this book are intended to serve as a tool for those who seek to better understand the Madeira River hydroelectric and industrial waterway complex (hidrovia), its history, and its implications for the Amazon region. The initiative to publish this book came from the non-governmental organization Bank Information Center, headquartered in Washington DC, as part of the studies on the projects of greatest impact in the Initiative for the Integration of South American Regional Infrastructure (IIRSA) for its BICECA

Salween River: Sinohydro is one of the developers for Hatgyi Dam in Burma. International Rivers This spreadsheet lists dam projects with various types of Chinese involvement. It includes projects which are developed or funded by Chinese institutions, or for which Chinese companies have won major contracts. For some of the projects, only a memorandum of understanding has been signed. Others are currently being studied regarding their feasibility or are under construction. Yet others have already been completed. Download the spreadsheet (updated 10 November 2014)The spreadsheet is based on medi

A Lao man, his face and hands hardened by the sun and years of fishing, tends his water buffalo by the Theun River and wonders what his life will be like "after the flood". That's how he referred to the water that has now started rising behind the Nam Theun 2 Dam, which will flood an area more than four times the size of Paris - including the land his family has tilled for generations Will this fisherman and the more than 6,000 other villagers who have been displaced ultimately be better off thanks to the Nam Theun 2 hydropower project, as the Lao government, the dam develop

BHP Billiton, the world's largest mining corporation, wants to build a $5 billion aluminum smelter at the Democratic Republic of Congo's Atlantic coast. The massive smelter would consume 2,500 MW of electricity, more than DR Congo’s entire current power supply. Prerequisites for the smelter include construction of the proposed $3.5 billion Inga 3. But Inga 3 and the smelter would cost Congolese citizens electricity, jobs and development. Building Inga 3 to power BHP Billiton's planned smelter would derail the government's commitment toward widespread electrification for its citizens. Increas

Inga 1 (351 MW) and Inga 2 (1,424 MW) were commissioned in 1972 and 1982, respectively, as part of a failed industrial development scheme under then-Zaïre's dictator, Sese Sekko Mobutu. The two dams currently operate at around 50% capacity because they never received maintenance for many years. When Inga 2 was built, a 1,770 km transmission line, known today as the Inga-Kolwezi line, was also built to transport power to the state-owned copper mines in the Katanga province, bypassing nearly every town and community underneath. The two dams, combined with the Inga-Kolwezi line, contributed heav

Official Press Statement The organizing commission of the Xingu Alive Forever Encounter regrets the incident in which a representative of the state electric company, Eletrobrás, suffered an attack that left him wounded. The representative is the coordinator of studies for Belo Monte Hydroelectric Dam. He was wounded after making a presentation today at the Xingu Encounter in Altamira, Brazilian Amazon. The Xingu Encounter has brought together representatives of indigenous communities, river bank dwellers, farmers and social movements to discuss hydroelectric projects planned for the Xi

Kayapó women paint their faces in preparation Glenn Switkes May 19-23, 2008 The Xingu Encounter 2008 was a 5-day gathering of over 1,000 Brazilian Amazon Indians and their allies to protest multiple government-supported hydroelectric dam projects on the Xingu River. Much discussion and emphasis was placed on protesting the Belo Monte Dam, whose construction would result in the displacement of 500 indigenous people and 16,000 other Brazilians. The dam would also require the construction of four additional dams on the Xingu River in order to store water during the dry season, and would destroy