Report

Halfway through Nam Theun 2's construction, livelihood restoration programs for affected villagers are in jeopardy. IRN visited the area in March 2007 and gathered first-hand information from communities about how the project is affecting their lives.

IRN comments on the long-overdue mitigation plan for Nam Song and Nam Leuk, to be funded by the Asian Development Bank, and the response from Electricite du Laos and the ADB.

International Rivers analyzed the Bujagali Hydroelectric Project’s compliance with the decision-making framework of the World Commission on Dams. The project will need to comply with the WCD framework if the developer intends to sell carbon credits to the European market. The analysis shows that the project fails to fully comply with most of the strategic priorities outlined in the WCD report. Key findings of the report include: Lake Victoria: The world’s second largest lake is now being drained by the release of excessive water through existing dams in violation of an agreement d

In June 2006, three IRN staff members visited the Nam Theun 2 hydropower project area. The report from their visit outlines concerns and recommendations concerning downstream channel compensation, the Xe Bang Fai livelihood restoration program, resettlement, salvage logging, biomass clearance, environmental impacts of construction and information disclosure.

This summary of the report, “Twelve Reasons to Exclude Large Hydro from Renewables Initiatives,” has been prepared for distribution at the International Conference for Renewable Energies, Bonn, June 2004. This summary has been endorsed by 247 groups and networks in 61 countries. Funds to reduce the climatic and other environmental impacts of energy production and consumption, to advance sustainable development, and to increase energy security should be used for the promotion of “new renewables.” The most important “new renewables” are modern biomass, geothermal, wind, solar, ma

The World Commission on Dams' recommendations have gained widespread acceptance in the five years since the WCD released its final report. This positive trend was impressively documented at "Taking the WCD Report to the next level", an international conference to mark the fifth anniversary of the WCD report in November 2005 in Berlin, Germany, organized by International Rivers in cooperation with the Heinrich Böll Foundation. More than 80 decision-makers, activists, development experts and private sector participants gathered to discuss the progress in the large dams debate in t

A Powerpoint on using the WCD guidelines for dam planning in Mozambique.

An analysis by IRN and Environmental Defense citing the Nam Theun 2 project's non-compliance with six World Bank policies and guidelines.

IRN and Environmental Defense examine Nam Theun 2’s compliance with the WCD’s seven strategic priorities. The analysis shows that the project fails to comply with six of the seven strategic priorities outlined in the WCD report.

Because an independent review of the developers’ plans is not possible in Lao PDR, International Rivers Network and Environmental Defense invited several experts in Thailand and the United States to review the November 2004 drafts of the Nam Theun 2 Social Development Plan, Environmental Assessment and Management Plan, and Watershed Management Plan (SEMFOP-1). The reviewers found serious flaws in the Company’s assessment of the Nam Theun 2 Project’s environmental and social impacts. This not only casts doubt on the project’s technical and economic viability, but also su