Publication: A Guide for Local Benefit Sharing in Hydropower Projects
Loading...
Published
2012-06
ISSN
Date
2014-05-15
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
Local benefit sharing in hydropower projects can be defined as the systematic efforts by project proponents to sustainably benefit local communities affected by hydropower investments. Benefit sharing is a promising approach for implementing hydropower projects sustainably, and is emerging as a supplement to the requirements of compensation and mitigation. Benefit sharing can provide equitable development, sustainability, and smooth project implementation for hydropower development. For benefit sharing mechanisms to work, the key enabling conditions are government policies, the legal and regulatory framework, corporate social responsibility strategies of development companies, and the capacity of local communities. Stakeholder engagement is essential in initiating and designing benefit sharing programs. This guide provides some advice to task teams on how to design effective local benefit sharing mechanisms in hydropower projects. Benefit sharing arrangements would ensure that local communities have the opportunity to benefit directly from hydropower development, which will make hydropower projects more environmentally and socially sustainable. As a long-term arrangement, benefit sharing can facilitate local development. It can respond to unexpected environmental circumstances in the operation of dams to ensure local communities receive adequate benefits. Arrangements for the equitable sharing of benefits can offer scope for local communities and all other stakeholders to avoid conflicts and focus on creating synergies to maximize local development opportunities.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“Wang, Chaogang. 2012. A Guide for Local Benefit Sharing in Hydropower Projects. Social Development Working Paper;No. 128. © http://hdl.handle.net/10986/18366 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
Associated URLs
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication Cumulative Impacts and Joint Operation of Small-Scale Hydropower Cascades(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2014-02-01)Increasing energy demands and concerns about global warming call for an increase in energy generation from renewable sources. Small hydropower plants represent a significant contribution to meet this demand. But the optimal use of this resource in a sustainable manner still remains a challenge. A cascade of small dams may have detrimental impacts on the environment and water use without implementation of proper mitigation measures and planning. To obtain more insight in the consequences of hydropower cascades and possibilities to improve the cascade planning process in order to reduce such impacts, the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade and the World Bank jointly initiated the study on cumulative impacts and joint operation of small-scale hydropower cascades Supported by the Renewable Energy Development Program (REDP) in Vietnam. Chapter two provides a brief background on the small-scale hydropower development in Vietnam including its current planning procedures, while Chapter three provides a description of the six studied river basins. Chapter four describes the approach, methods and definitions of the study. During the first phase of the study all six rivers were screened for potential significant cumulative impacts. The results of this screening were presented in a separate report, of which the summary is given in chapter five. This screening showed that for four of the rivers significant cumulative impacts can be expected, which merited further detailed analysis. These four rivers are Ngoi Xan, Nam Tha, Nam Chien and Sap. For each of the four detailed study cases a description of the river basin and hydropower cascade has been made, the hydrological and environmental impacts were assessed and opportunities for joint operations quantified. This report presents summaries of the cumulative impact analyses (chapter six) and draws general conclusions with respect to present and future environmental conditions (chapter seven). It also summarizes the results of the optimization modeling for each cascade (chapter eight) and provides recommendations for future planning and cascade operation (chapter nine).Publication Good Dams and Bad Dams : Environmental Criteria for Site Selection of Hydroelectric Projects(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2003-11)This paper provides a simple, yet robust, methodology for comparing proposed hydroelectric project sites in terms of their expected negative environmental impacts, and relating these to power generation benefits. The paper also summarizes the environmental mitigation options for large dams. If properly implemented, these mitigation measures can effectively prevent, minimize, or compensate for many (though not all) of a hydroelectric project's negative impacts. Nonetheless, the most effective environmental mitigation measure is good site selection, to ensure that the proposed dam will cause relatively little damage in the first place. The paper presents quantitative indicators (using data that are relatively easy to obtain) for rating and ranking proposed new hydroelectric projects in terms of their likely adverse environmental impacts. Projects with a small reservoir surface area (relative to power generation) tend to be most desirable from both an environmental and social standpoint, in part because they minimize natural habitat losses as well as resettlement needs. In general, the most environmentally benign hydroelectric dam sites are on upper tributaries, while the most problematic ones are on the large main stems of rivers.Publication Damming the Commons : An Empirical Analysis of International Cooperation and Conflict in Dam Location(World Bank Group, Washington, DC, 2014-07)This paper examines whether countries consider the welfare of other nations when they make water development decisions. The paper estimates econometric models of the location of major dams around the world as a function of the degree of international sharing of rivers. The analysis finds that dams are more prevalent in areas of river basins upstream of foreign countries, supporting the view that countries free ride in exploiting water resources. There is weak evidence that international water management institutions reduce the extent of such free-riding.Publication Afghanistan - Scoping Strategic Options for Development of the Kabul River Basin : A Multisectoral Decision Support System Approach(Washington, DC, 2010-01)The objective of this study is to develop an integrated basin planning framework for analyzing and prioritizing water resources development options in Afghanistan, and to demonstrate its application in the Kabul River basin. Accordingly, the study focuses on the tasks of: (a) analyzing the medium and long-term options for developing the water resources of the Kabul River basin for multiple purposes, including domestic and industrial water supply, hydropower, mining, irrigated agriculture, and environment; and (b) collating information on the basin, including the existing and potential water resources development options, water uses and demands, in a simple and user-friendly Decision Support System (DSS), so as to enable multisectoral analysis and optimization of development options in the basin by the concerned ministries and development partners. The study, conducted in collaboration with the government of Afghanistan, is expected to help strengthen the adoption of integrated approaches to basin planning and water resources management in the country.Publication New Approaches for Medium-Scale Hydropower Development in Vietnam(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2012-01-01)This paper provides an overview of the Trung Son hydropower project preparation experience and highlights the innovative features of the project, primarily focusing on the adoption of new approaches in project design and integration of social and environmental concerns. Through disseminating the Trung Son project experience, this paper is intended to contribute to the sustainable scale-up of medium scale hydropower in Vietnam, based on practical experience. This paper was funded by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) as part of a broader activity supporting sustainable hydropower development in Vietnam. Resources from the AusAID-East Asia infrastructure for growth trust fund supplemented those available to the World Bank task team in charge of the project. This paper is made up of three parts: Part A introduces the Trung Son hydropower project. Part B presents highlights from the Trung Son hydropower project, focusing on the main themes addressed during preparation. Part C contains the authors' conclusions about why the Trung Son hydropower project experience matters, and discusses the features that make it a good example for future scale-up of sustainable hydropower development in Vietnam as well as for hydropower development in other countries.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication Classroom Assessment to Support Foundational Literacy(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-03-21)This document focuses primarily on how classroom assessment activities can measure students’ literacy skills as they progress along a learning trajectory towards reading fluently and with comprehension by the end of primary school grades. The document addresses considerations regarding the design and implementation of early grade reading classroom assessment, provides examples of assessment activities from a variety of countries and contexts, and discusses the importance of incorporating classroom assessment practices into teacher training and professional development opportunities for teachers. The structure of the document is as follows. The first section presents definitions and addresses basic questions on classroom assessment. Section 2 covers the intersection between assessment and early grade reading by discussing how learning assessment can measure early grade reading skills following the reading learning trajectory. Section 3 compares some of the most common early grade literacy assessment tools with respect to the early grade reading skills and developmental phases. Section 4 of the document addresses teacher training considerations in developing, scoring, and using early grade reading assessment. Additional issues in assessing reading skills in the classroom and using assessment results to improve teaching and learning are reviewed in section 5. Throughout the document, country cases are presented to demonstrate how assessment activities can be implemented in the classroom in different contexts.Publication Argentina Country Climate and Development Report(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022-11)The Argentina Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR) explores opportunities and identifies trade-offs for aligning Argentina’s growth and poverty reduction policies with its commitments on, and its ability to withstand, climate change. It assesses how the country can: reduce its vulnerability to climate shocks through targeted public and private investments and adequation of social protection. The report also shows how Argentina can seize the benefits of a global decarbonization path to sustain a more robust economic growth through further development of Argentina’s potential for renewable energy, energy efficiency actions, the lithium value chain, as well as climate-smart agriculture (and land use) options. Given Argentina’s context, this CCDR focuses on win-win policies and investments, which have large co-benefits or can contribute to raising the country’s growth while helping to adapt the economy, also considering how human capital actions can accompany a just transition.Publication World Development Report 2006(Washington, DC, 2005)This year’s Word Development Report (WDR), the twenty-eighth, looks at the role of equity in the development process. It defines equity in terms of two basic principles. The first is equal opportunities: that a person’s chances in life should be determined by his or her talents and efforts, rather than by pre-determined circumstances such as race, gender, social or family background. The second principle is the avoidance of extreme deprivation in outcomes, particularly in health, education and consumption levels. This principle thus includes the objective of poverty reduction. The report’s main message is that, in the long run, the pursuit of equity and the pursuit of economic prosperity are complementary. In addition to detailed chapters exploring these and related issues, the Report contains selected data from the World Development Indicators 2005‹an appendix of economic and social data for over 200 countries. This Report offers practical insights for policymakers, executives, scholars, and all those with an interest in economic development.Publication Lebanon Economic Monitor, Fall 2022(Washington, DC, 2022-11)The economy continues to contract, albeit at a somewhat slower pace. Public finances improved in 2021, but only because spending collapsed faster than revenue generation. Testament to the continued atrophy of Lebanon’s economy, the Lebanese Pound continues to depreciate sharply. The sharp deterioration in the currency continues to drive surging inflation, in triple digits since July 2020, impacting the poor and vulnerable the most. An unprecedented institutional vacuum will likely further delay any agreement on crisis resolution and much needed reforms; this includes prior actions as part of the April 2022 International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff-level agreement (SLA). Divergent views among key stakeholders on how to distribute the financial losses remains the main bottleneck for reaching an agreement on a comprehensive reform agenda. Lebanon needs to urgently adopt a domestic, equitable, and comprehensive solution that is predicated on: (i) addressing upfront the balance sheet impairments, (ii) restoring liquidity, and (iii) adhering to sound global practices of bail-in solutions based on a hierarchy of creditors (starting with banks’ shareholders) that protects small depositors.Publication Morocco Economic Update, Winter 2025(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-04-03)Despite the drought causing a modest deceleration of overall GDP growth to 3.2 percent, the Moroccan economy has exhibited some encouraging trends in 2024. Non-agricultural growth has accelerated to an estimated 3.8 percent, driven by a revitalized industrial sector and a rebound in gross capital formation. Inflation has dropped below 1 percent, allowing Bank al-Maghrib to begin easing its monetary policy. While rural labor markets remain depressed, the economy has added close to 162,000 jobs in urban areas. Morocco’s external position remains strong overall, with a moderate current account deficit largely financed by growing foreign direct investment inflows, underpinned by solid investor confidence indicators. Despite significant spending pressures, the debt-to-GDP ratio is slowly declining.