Press Release

Press Release | UNESCO World Heritage Committee inscribes Kenya’s Lake Turkana as “in danger” over Gibe Dam impacts

Fishermen at Lake Turkana
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
Today, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee took the decision to officially inscribe Lake Turkana as a World Heritage site “in danger” because of severe impacts caused by the Gibe 3 Dam, constructed upstream on Ethiopia’s Omo River. The dam and associated sugar plantations have severely restricted flows into Kenya’s Lake Turkana, the world’s largest desert lake.

Press Release | Pak Lay Dam Proceeding – Another Expensive Distraction

The Mekong at Pak Lay
Friday, June 15, 2018
The Mekong at Pak Lay International Rivers FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 15 June 2018 The Mekong River Commission (MRC) announced yesterday that Laos has formally notified the Commission of its intention to construct the Pak Lay dam on the mainstem of the Mekong River. The notification triggers commencement of the Prior Consultation procedure under the MRC’s Procedures for Notification, Prior Consultation and Agreement (PNPCA). Pak Lay is the fourth Mekong mainstream dam to be submitted to the procedure. “The MRC and the government of Laos have failed to address outstanding, significant concer

Chinese provincial governments along the Yangtze River unite to stop the “disorderly” development of small hydropower plants

Construction along the Chishui River, a major tributary of the Yangtze (February 2018)
Monday, June 4, 2018
Construction along the Chishui River, a major tributary of the Yangtze (February 2018) Chinese provincial governments are reflecting top leadership priorities that call for increased attention to protect the Yangtze River. On May 30th 2018, the Development and Reform Commission bureaus of ten provinces (Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan) jointly announced a ban on all small hydropower projects along the Yangtze River Economic Belt. An announcement on the National Development and Reform Commission website explains that the provinces op

Press Release | Groups Seek Fundamental Legal Rights for Serbia's Wild Rivers and Ecosystems

Photo of Studenica River courtesy of Mihailo Grbic via Wikimedia Commons.
Friday, April 27, 2018
Today, a coalition of organizations launch a campaign to establish rights of nature in Serbia. The goal is to permanently protect sensitive Balkan ecosystems, including from threats of enormous pesticide use and a flurry of dam construction.

PR | Course Change on the Mekong Needed Now for a Just and Sustainable Future

Thursday, April 5, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 5, 2018 Today, the Prime Ministers of Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam meet in Siem Reap, Cambodia for the 3rd Mekong River Commission (MRC) Summit. The meeting follows a two-day International Conference hosted by the MRC this week in the lead-up to the Summit. The MRC Summit is convened every four years. According to the MRC, its purpose is to achieve agreement on strategies to address major challenges and opportunities facing the Mekong Basin, now and into the future. On the occasion of the 3rd MRC Summit, International Rivers makes the following statement:

Press Release | Tackling Myths on the Mekong: Run-of-River Hydropower

Boats at the Pak Man Dam in Thailand
Saturday, March 31, 2018
Boats at the Pak Man Dam in Thailand International Rivers FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 31, 2018 Today, International Rivers launches a new factsheet, "Swindling the Mekong: Run-of-River Hydro." The fact sheet examines the term "run-of-river" as it is applied to understanding the impacts of hydropower dams in the Lower Mekong Basin. A total of eleven dams are proposed for construction on the lower Mekong mainstream, and over a hundred on Mekong tributaries. Multiple studies, including the Mekong River Commission’s recently released Council Study, warn of severe impacts and trade-offs inhere

Press Release | Thailand Delays Decision on Power Purchase from Pak Beng Dam

The Mekong River in Laos, near the site of the Pak Beng Dam
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
The Mekong River in Laos, near the site of the Pak Beng Dam International Rivers FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 13, 2018 In mid-February, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) issued a letter to the Rak Chiang Khong Group, a Thai Mekong community network. The letter stated that a decision on signing the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for the Pak Beng Dam in Laos has been deferred until the completion of the ongoing review of Thailand’s Power Development Plan (PDP). The 912 MW Pak Beng hydropower project, located in Oudomxay Province in Northern Laos, is the third hydropower d

Press Release | Cambodian Village Now Fully Submerged by Lower Sesan 2 Dam

Thursday, February 1, 2018
Srekor village in Stung Treng, Cambodia, has now been fully submerged by the rising floodwaters of the Lower Sesan 2 Dam. The village remains only in name.

Press Release | Era of Mega Hydropower in Brazilian Amazon Appears to Be Over

Wednesday, January 3, 2018
Brazil’s largest newspaper, O Globo, quoted two high-level government officials in an article on January 2, 2018 strongly suggesting that the era of mega-dams is coming to an end in the Amazon.

Press Release | Congo Can Reap the Rewards of Its Enormous Wind and Solar Potential, Study Says

Sunday, September 24, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tuesday, September 26, 2017 International Rivers is releasing a new study today that shows that the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) can harness its considerable renewable energy potential to power the country. In “Renewable Riches,” researchers modeled the DRC’s best wind and solar sites. They found that the country’s wind and solar potential, at 85 GW, could address the country’s chronic power shortages and would far surpass the output of the planned 4.8 GW Inga 3 Dam on the Congo River. 60 GW of that energy could be installed at less than $0.07 per kWh, wh

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