science

Hydropower in the Mekong River Basin

Hydropower in the Mekong River Basin is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Hydropower in the Mekong River Basin rather than just read about it. In short: The estimated hydropower potential of Mekong River Basin about 58,930 Megawatts (MW). As of February 2024, there are an estimated 167 Hydropower Plants (HPPs) in the Mekong, with a combined installed capacity of some 36,376.3 MW.

Key takeaways

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Reference excerpt

The estimated hydropower potential of Mekong River Basin about 58,930 Megawatts (MW). As of February 2024, there are an estimated 167 Hydropower Plants (HPPs) in the Mekong, with a combined installed capacity of some 36,376.3 MW. An additional 20 HPPs are currently under construction and at various stages of completion. These have a combined installed capacity of an additional 4,535.5 MW. The single most significant impact on the use of water and its management in the Mekong Region is hydropower. These developments in the Mekong River Basin have resulted in substantial environmental and social impacts, which are summarised below. These have fuelled controversy and hydropower is a prominent part of the discussion around the river, its basin, and its management. This debate occurs in both the academic literature, as well as the media, and is a focus for many activist groups. The countries that share the Mekong River Basin have all sought the large-scale infrastructural development of its waters. As part of China's Great Western Development program, large-scale hydropower development in China's Yunnan Province has been substantial, on the Mekong, the Jinsha, and the Red rivers. Large amounts of Yunnan's hydropower is exported eastwards to energy intensive load centres, such as Guangxi and Guangdong. Yunnan, however, has large electricity over-supply problems, which has led to significant hydropower curtailment. The Lao government has also prioritized hydropower development, primarily as an export commodity. In 2021, almost 82% of Lao electricity was exported, mostly to Thailand. Power production (from all sources, including hydropower) contributed 12.8% to national GDP in 2022, while electricity exports comprised almost 29% of total export values in the same year, and investments in electricity production represented 79% of total foreign direct investment in 2021. Most of Cambodia's hydropower has been developed in the southwest of the country, outside of the Mekong River Basin. Its largest HPP, the Lower Sesan 2 is, however, within the Mekong River Basin, and generates some 20% of the country's electricity. Cambodia has ruled out developing hydropower on the Mekong mainstream, but multiple dams are planned for construction in Mekong tributary catchments. Cambodia also exports electricity directly from the Don Sahong HPP, a southern Lao dam located on the Mekong mainstream. In Thailand, little technically exploitable hydropower potential remains in its parts of the Mekong River Basin. Most of its HPPs were developed in the 1980s and 1990s, and accompanied by large-scale irrigation infrastructure development as part of the massive Kong-Chi-Mun Project, more recently rearticulated as the Khong-Loei-Chi-Mun Project Large-scale energy infrastructure in Thailand has been met with strong resistance - for example, the Assembly of the Poor's opposition to the Pak Mun HPP, the last dam to be commissioned in Thailand. This has forced Thailand to export the social and environmental externalities of hydropower construction and operation to neighbouring states. While there are multiple HPPs planned for Myanmar parts of the Mekong River Basin, years of political instability have generally impended hydropower development. Vietnam's Mekong hydropower development is concentrated in its Central Highlands. It does not appear as if any technically-exploitable hydropower potential remains. Here, hydropower has also been accompanied by significant irrigation development. Vietnam's hydropower investments in this area includes sizeable dams on two key Mekong tributaries, the Sesan and the Srepok rivers.

Mekong mainstream hydropower plants HPPs on the Mekong mainstream have aroused particular environmental concerns. The majority of these are based in China's Yunnan Province. Table 1 below indicates the status of each of these HPPs. Table 1: Hydropower plants on the Mekong mainstream

Notes: COD = Commercial Operating Date; N/A = Not Applicable

Existing hydropower infrastructure in the Mekong River Basin Table 2: Commissioned dams in the Mekong River Basin (15 MW installed capacity and above)

Notes: COD = Commercial Operating Date

Hydropower infrastructure under construction in the Mekong River Basin Table 3: Hydropower dams under construction in the Mekong River Basin (15 MW installed capacity and above)

Notes: COD = Commercial Operating Date

Environmental impacts of Mekong hydropower The environmental impacts of Mekong hydropower development are generally well studied and understood. Some the key impacts of Mekong hydropower are as follows: Hydrological impacts: about 75% of annual flows through the Mekong system occur between late June and early November, which drives ecological productivity throughout the system. This surge of water is known as the 'flood pulse' and dams (of all kinds) will contribute to its diminution. Wet season flows can be expected to reduce, while dry season flows can be expected to increase. This has significant implications for the Mekong's ecology. Fisheries impacts: the Mekong's fisheries are threatened in multiple ways, most importantly by dams and excessive fishing pressure. Dams affect fisheries by:

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Hydropower in the Mekong River Basin

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Hydropower in the Mekong River Basin claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Hydropower in the Mekong River Basin before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Hydropower in the Mekong River Basin ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Hydropower in the Mekong River Basin

In research: Hydropower in the Mekong River Basin appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Hydropower in the Mekong River Basin in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Hydropower in the Mekong River Basin is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Greater Mekong Subregion, Hydroelectricity in Cambodia, Hydroelectricity in China, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Hydropower in the Mekong River Basin outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Hydropower in the Mekong River Basin in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Hydropower in the Mekong River Basin means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Hydropower in the Mekong River Basin out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Hydropower in the Mekong River Basin in simple terms?

Why does Hydropower in the Mekong River Basin matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Hydropower in the Mekong River Basin?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Hydropower in the Mekong River Basin.