Current SEA Practice in Hydropower EXAMPLES REVIEWED Senegal BC Hydro Alaknanda Vietnam Lower Kafue TVA Nepal Lao PDR Nile Basin Penobscot R. Bhutan
Why? Project identification: It is necessary to institute a transparent and participatory process for [hydropower] project selection that recognizes technical, economic, financial as well as social concerns. (Nepal, plus: Vietnam, BC Hydro, Nile Eq Lakes) Integrated water resources planning: Multi-purpose water management, with a hydropower component (TVA, Lower Kafue, Lao) Transboundary cooperation: Identification of benefits to be shared across nations through hydropower or water resources development (Nepal, Senegal) Optimization: Consideration of system-wide operations for increased economic, social or environmental benefit (Penobscot, Alakananda)
Who? Utility/Project proponent BCHydro, TVA, Penobscot Government Nepal, Bhutan, Vietnam Basin organizations Senegal, Eastern Nile Role of financiers/donors Alaknanda, Nile Eq Lakes
Project screening Outcomes E.g., Nepal from 138 projects to 7 projects Mixed energy portfolio E.g., Nile Eq Lakes thermal, hydro, geothermal Positioning exports E.g., Laos PDR assessment under domestic and export futures Eco-efficiency E.g., Penobscot increase in shad run (zero to 1.5 million) Water resources management E.g., Tennessee Valley Authority multi-purpose hydropower infrastructure Transparency and public acceptance E.g., Lower Kafue public acceptance/strong basis for project development Funding E.g., BC Hydro rate justification Learning E.g., Nepal
Common Basics Stakeholder involvement Environment and social criteria Project level information Comparison of alternatives Assessment of need Considerable variation in the scope and approach of each
Some important divergences Water-driven vs. Energy-driven Water resources strategy vs. Hydropower on a basin scale vs. Energy options with aquatic criteria Scope and purpose Proactive sustainability vs. Environmental/social screening vs. Financial assessment Iteration Commitment to regular review vs. one time studies Timing Strategic planning vs. programme vs. projecttriggered
Innovations Improved participatory approches Upstreaming involvement (e.g., in shaping objectives and criteria More focus on blending languages/epsitomologies across disciplines and backgrounds Scenarios TOC Layered consultation Visual techniques for presenting data and analysis
Innovations (cont d) Risk and uncertainty More explicit treatment of risk and uncertainty Resilience approach to social-ecological systems Adaptive management Improved modelling Agent based Bayesian belief networks Interactive for stakeholder dialogue
Innovations (cont d) Portfolio and system assessments Greater attention to impacts and opportunities at the system level Resource mixes (e.g., managing technological risk) Operating regimes (e.g., flow management) Integrated resource planning (e.g., multi-purpose management)
Innovations (cont d) Integrating environmental and social criteria Indices to enable more factors and easier comparisons Natural units matched with techniques for trade-off analysis Ban Chat Lai Chau (Nam Nhun) Nam Na Srepok 3+4 120 100 80 Nho Que 3 Ban Uon Dong Nai 2 60 Huoi Quang 40 Song Bung 2 20 Upper Kon Tum 0 Dak Mi 1 Bac Me Song Bung 5 Dak Mi 4 Song Con 2 Hua Na Duc Xuyen Khe Bo Song Bung 4 Hoi Xuan Trung Son DETRIM BENEFIC ALTERN
Challenges Data Availability Existence/Format Sharing Evenness Timing Time available Timing against project pressures Dynamic nature
Challenges (contd) Roles and responsibilities Defining Responsibilities What part of government is responsible? How to involve multiple sectors? What responsibility does the proponent have? Capacity Institutional Legislative Sponsor Funding
Challenges (contd) Scope and scale Water/energy Broader sustainability planning Cross-sectoral integration Conservation plans/policies Energy plan/ policies Project Water resources plans/policies Regional economic development plans How far is required? How to address what doesn t exist?
Challenges (contd) Complexity and trade-offs No right answer Multiple objectives Substantial information Requires cross-disciplinary assessments Requires strategic thinking Inflated expectations of SEA
In closing National and/or regional energy policies should include a Strategic Assessment process that includes assessment of cumulative impacts, determination of land use and environmental priorities, as well as goals for poverty allevaition and economic growth. It should be a participatory, streamlined process using common sense and readily available information, and with short and definitive time limits for its completion. page 4 Governments and, where applicable, project proponents should apply sustainability criteria when comparing project alternatives in order to focus on options that maximize environmental, social, and economic benefits and, conversely, eliminate unacceptable alternatives early in the planning process. IHA Sustainability Guidelines