Lanza discusses hydroelectric power with Cambodia Daily

The Cambodia Daily published an interview Feb. 14 with Guy Lanza, director of the Environmental Science Program, regarding the Southeast Asian nation’s plans to develop hydroelectric resources.

Lanza has been working with Asian governments to develop hydroelectric power for nearly 40 years. His work included ecological research in the Mekong River related to dam projects, “on the ground” research in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, and planning and education in Vietnam. He has also done critical technical reviews of environmental impact assessments for several projects in Laos.

Although the Cambodian government has said that the country’s many hydroelectric projects will ultimately make electric power more accessible to more people and provide the nation a measure of energy independence, Lanza said he disagrees that hydroelectric power is a good way to meet energy needs in the region.

“I think we should be taking full advantage of the latest technologies that produce energy from renewable green sources,” he told the paper. “Hydroelectric dam projects have already proven to be ecologically destructive, particularly in Southeast Asia. Renewable energy technologies, such as solar and wind, are the best options because they can provide a steady, reliable, and pollution free source of electricity and heat using local, decentralized sources close to the people using the energy. Solar and wind are really abundant in Cambodia and could be an excellent solution to the growing energy needs of the people.”

According to Lanza, the governments in the region have done a “very poor job” of providing adequate research and preparation for hydroelectric dam projects in the Mekong River watershed. “The environmental impact assessments produced by the hydroelectric dam proponents are typically seriously flawed or outright shallow and incomplete,” he said.

Hydroelectric dam projects, he said, lead to ecological damage and human suffering by blocking fish migration, destroying deep pool habitat and depriving villagers of income and a food source.

“Other issues include the loss of wildlife habitat from flooding the reservoir area, severe water pollution that includes toxic bacterial blooms, the release of greenhouse gases that add to global warming, and increased waterborne disease including malaria, schistosomiasis, and liver fluke disease,” he said.

Dam construction also leads to the resettlement of indigenous people, who are often poorly compensated and receive little assistance as they move from their historic homelands, said Lanza.

According to Lanza, “It’s unlikely that many people in Cambodia will benefit from the electricity produced. About 20 percent of Cambodian households currently have access to electricity. But, recent hydroelectric development projects in Laos have not lived up to their promise of cheap electricity for the local populations. Much of the electricity is exported to neighboring countries and is not available to local populations.”

Instead, he said, locally based wind and solar systems would better meet the power needs of Cambodians. “A truly sustainable plan should include increased efforts to conserve energy coupled with renewable energy produced by green technologies including solar, wind, and geothermal,” he said.

While both renewable and hydroelectric energy systems require capital investment, he said, hydroelectric projects are much more expensive than their proponents will admit.

“Hydroelectric dam projects are extremely expensive to build and operate and developers often understate the cost of their projects,” according to Lanza, citing World Commission on Dams data that on average, dams end up costing 56 percent more to build than predicted.

March 25, 2009.

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