Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Hydropower Master Plan in the context of the Power Development Plan VI

The document details the methodological framework for conducting a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of hydropower development in Vietnam. It outlines scenario development techniques, the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for spatial analysis, and multi-criteria analysis (MCA) for weighting alternatives. The text provides a comprehensive environmental and social baseline for Vietnam, including data on river basins, forest types, and the socio-economic status of ethnic minorities. It specifically analyzes the impacts of hydropower on displaced populations and local communities through the creation of 'Social Impact Coefficients' and adjusted social mitigation costs. Additionally, it presents power demand forecasts and the 'Least Cost Expansion Plan' from Power Development Plan VI, comparing various energy supply scenarios from 2006 to 2025.

• The proposed SEA methodology utilizes an 'adaptive approach' to scenario development, focusing on policy variables and external factors to explore how government decisions can direct the energy system's development.
• A Geographic Information System (GIS) is employed to quantify cause-effect relationships, specifically addressing the fact that hydropower impacts often extend far beyond the immediate dam site, such as downstream hydrological changes and energy consumption in distant urban centers.
• The document suggests a multi-criteria analysis (MCA) and environmental economic valuation to aggregate data, as traditional cost-benefit analysis often fails to adequately measure environmental and social impacts in monetary terms.
• Environmental cost estimates for air pollutants in the GMS region are derived via 'benefit transfer' from the European ExternE project, adjusted for population density and GDP PPP per capita.
• Hydropower's environmental costs are estimated between 0.4 and 0.9 $c/kWh, noting that while generally lower than fossil fuels, they are highly site-specific and can involve significant biodiversity loss and socio-economic disruption.
• Ethnic minorities in Vietnam are disproportionately affected by poverty; in 2004, 61% of ethnic minority people lived in poverty compared to 14% of the Kinh population.
• The document identifies a critical lack of a strategic master plan for resettlement and compensation in Vietnam, with most hydropower projects relying on project-level plans often developed by donors like the ADB.
• To better quantify social costs, the report introduces 'Social Impact Coefficients' for displaced people and populations within the Zone of Influence (ZoI), with the highest coefficients for projects like Lai Chau and Ban Chat.
• The report proposes adjusting social mitigation costs to include long-term support, such as a 10-year project duration, extension training, and the establishment of community development funds.
• Under the Base Scenario of PDP VI, total power system capacity is forecast to grow from 12,072 MW in 2006 to 88,848 MW by 2025, with coal-fired power increasing its share of generation from 16.2% to 47.4%.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (n.d.). Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Hydropower Master Plan in the context of the Power Development Plan VI. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Policy-institutions/sea_hydropower_vietnam_appendices.pdf

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Hydropower Master Plan in the context of the Power Development Plan VI. n.d. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Policy-institutions/sea_hydropower_vietnam_appendices.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Hydropower Master Plan in the context of the Power Development Plan VI |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Policy-institutions/sea_hydropower_vietnam_appendices.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitutendstrategic, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Hydropower Master Plan in the context of the Power Development Plan VI}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Policy-institutions/sea_hydropower_vietnam_appendices.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }