Publication: Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Myanmar Hydropower Sector
Date
2018
ISSN
Published
2018
Author(s)
International Finance Corporation
Abstract
The Myanmar hydropower sector, in the
early stages of development, has the opportunity to develop
sustainably by balancing electricity generation with
environmental and social outcomes. The country is currently
following a conventional hydropower development process,
with individual projects identified and approved without due
consideration of the overall cumulative impacts that
multiple projects and other pressures have on the river
basin. In many countries this process has resulted in most
major rivers and tributaries suitable for hydropower being
developed, regulating these watercourses for 50-100 years
and beyond. Significant cumulative impacts on basin health
and related ecosystem services have resulted, with minimal
opportunity available to lessen these impacts. This
Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the Myanmar
hydropower sector considers environmental and social values
at the river basin level, recommending an approach to
achieve sustainable hydropower development. The SEA
recommends moving the initial planning focus away from
individual projects to basin health to plan a sustainable
sector development.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“International Finance Corporation. 2018. Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Myanmar Hydropower Sector. © World Bank, Yangon. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/31256 License: CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 IGO.”