Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
. It would be located on the mainstream of the Lower Mekong River. The project is controversial for several reasons, including its possible impact on the fisheries, as well as other ecological and environmental factors.
History
In 2007, the Russian company Bureyagesstroy, a subsidiary of
RusHydro
RusHydro (previous name: Hydro-OGK, russian: РусГидро) is a Russian hydroelectricity company. As of early 2012 it had a capacity of 34.9 gigawatts. In late 2009, it was the world's second-largest hydroelectric power producer
and is ...
, received a license to conduct a feasibility study on a dam. The feasibility study was carried out and the company asked permission to build the hydroelectric power station. However, on December 9, 2009, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the Cambodian Government and the Vietnam Industrial and Urban Area Investment Development Corp ( IDICO) to conduct a new feasibility study on the dam. The results of this survey have not been released.
In March 2020, due to ecological concerns, the Cambodian government halted all hydroelectric developments on the Mekong River until 2030, pushing back the Stung Treng dam project along with its neighbour the
Sambor Dam
The Sambor Dam is a proposed dam and hydroelectric power station on the Mekong River south of Sambor village in Prek Kampi District, Kratie Province, Cambodia. If built, it would be the lowest dam of the Mekong's mainstream dams, and largest in C ...
project.
Despite the ban,
The Royal Group
The Royal Group, based in Phnom Penh, is Cambodia's largest diversified conglomerate and holding company with investments in various industries in the country including telecommunication, media, banking, insurance, resorts, education, property, t ...
conglomerate received permission from the Ministry of Mines and Energy to conduct feasibility studies for the dam at three potential sites in 2022.
Description
The Stung Treng Dam would be an earth core rock-fill
gravity dam
A gravity dam is a dam constructed from concrete or stone masonry and designed to hold back water by using only the weight of the material and its resistance against the foundation to oppose the horizontal pressure of water pushing against it. ...
. If completed, the dam's crest would be long and high. Its rated head would be . It would have an installed capacity of 980 MW, and would, on average, generate 4,870 GWh per year. The dam's reservoir, which would extend well beyond the mainstream canal, would have an active storage of , and would inundate an area of . The reservoir would be long.
Impact
Multiple independent agencies, including International Rivers, the Save the Mekong campaign and others have raised concerns about the dam's construction. In addition, Cambodia is a member of the
Mekong River Commission
The Mekong River Commission (MRC) is an "...inter-governmental organisation that works directly with the governments of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam to jointly manage the shared water resources and the sustainable development of the Mekon ...
, which requires prior notification of hydropower construction on the river's mainstream – i.e. plans for the Stung Treng will be subject to scrutiny by
Laos
Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
,
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
and
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
. A report authorized by the Mekong River Commission and released in January 2010 recommended that the Stung Treng along with the
Sambor Dam
The Sambor Dam is a proposed dam and hydroelectric power station on the Mekong River south of Sambor village in Prek Kampi District, Kratie Province, Cambodia. If built, it would be the lowest dam of the Mekong's mainstream dams, and largest in C ...
be delayed for 10 years. A 2012 study by the
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries may refer to:
* Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Cambodia)
* Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Japan)
* Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Niue)
* Depar ...
's Inland Fisheries Research and Development Institute found that the Stung Treng dam would reduce yields of fish and other aquatic animals by 6% to 24%.
The dam site lies within the Stung Treng
Ramsar Site
A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O)
*** Permanent 8 ha (P)
*** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts)
**
Ramsar Convention
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. It i ...
:
* ensuring the conservation and wise use of wetlands it has designated as Wetlands of International Importance,
* including as far as possible the wise use of all wetlands in national environmental planning,
* consulting with other Parties about implementation of the Convention, especially in regard to transboundary wetlands, shared water systems, and shared species.
It is expected that fish migration routes (which support the world's largest inland fishery on the Tonlé Sap) will be essentially wholly impeded. The two proposed dams of the Sambor and the Stung Treng would have the
Mekong
The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's List of rivers by length, twelfth longest river and List of longest rivers of Asia, the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , ...
river basin's highest sediment trapping efficiencies of all the Lower Mekong Basin's proposed mainstream projects, destabilizing downstream channels between Kratié and
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh (; km, ភ្នំពេញ, ) is the capital and most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since the French protectorate of Cambodia and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its economic, indus ...
and reducing over bank siltation in the Cambodian floodplain.
If built, an estimated 21 villages with 2,059 households and 10,617 people will be displaced with the construction of the dam.
See also
*
Lower Se San 2 Dam
The Lower Se San 2 Dam (also: Lower Sesan 2 Dam and Han Se San 2 Dam) is a hydroelectric dam under development on the Se San River in Stung Treng Province, northeastern Cambodia. The Se San River is a major tributary of the Mekong River. The dam ...
References
Further reading
*Halls, A.S. and Kshatriya, M. 2009. Modeling the Cumulative barrier and passage effects of mainstream hydropower dams on migratory fish populations in the Lower Mekong Basin.
*MRC Technical Paper No. 25. Vientiane,
Mekong River Commission
The Mekong River Commission (MRC) is an "...inter-governmental organisation that works directly with the governments of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam to jointly manage the shared water resources and the sustainable development of the Mekon ...
.
*King, P., Bird, J. and Haas, L. 2007. The current status of environmental criteria for hydropower development in the Mekong Region: a literature compilation. Vientiane, Lao PDR, WWF-Living Mekong Program.