Mekong River Basin Hydropower
The estimated hydropower potential of the lower Mekong Basin (i.e., excluding China) is 30,000 MW, while that of the upper Mekong Basin is 28,930 MW. In the lower Mekong, more than 3,235 MW has been realized via facilities built largely over the past ten years, while projects under construction will represent an additional 3,209 MW. An additional 134 projects are planned for the lower Mekong, which will effectively exhaust the river's hydropower generating capacity. The single most significant impact—both now and in the future—on the use of water and its management in the Mekong Region is hydropower.
Given current development trends in the region, power demands are expected to rise seven percent per year between 2010 and 2030, yielding a substantial and potentially lucrative energy market. Hydropower is the favoured energy option for the Mekong's riparian countries.
The development of the Mekong River Basin is highly controversial, and is one of the most prominent components in the discussion about the river and its management. This debate occurs in both the academic literature, as well as the media, and is a focus for many activist groups.
Table 1: Commissioned dams in the Mekong River Basin (15 MW installed capacity and above)
Table 2: Hydropower dams under construction in the Mekong River Basin (15 MW installed capacity and above)
The CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems, which monitors dams development in the Mekong Region, distinguishes between 'planned' dams - those for which bureaucratic processes to license, or enable the dam to be constructed (for example, feasibility studies, concession agreements, environmental impact assessments, power purchase agreements and other government authorisations); and those dams that have been suggested, but for which these processes have not commenced.
Table 3: Planned and Proposed Hydropower dams in the Mekong River Basin (15 MW installed capacity and above)
Table 4: Dams on the Mekong Mainstream
COD = Commercial Operating Date.
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