Sekong, Sesan and Srepok River Basin energy profile Courtney Weatherby, Brian Eyler INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE About IUCN IUCN is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together. Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of more than 1,300 Member organisations and some 15,000 experts. It is a leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis. Its broad membership enables IUCN to fill the role of incubator and trusted repository of best practices, tools and international standards. 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(2020). report, and the presentation of the materials, do Sekong,Sesan and Srepok Basin Energy Profile. not imply the expression of any opinion Hanoi, Viet Nam: IUCN Viet Nam Country Office. whatsoever on the part of IUCN or the Stimson Iv + 22pp. Center or the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) concerning the legal status of Cover photo: Seprok river in Dak Lak Province, any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, Viet Nam © Bui Bich Thuy. or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or Back cover: Seprok river in Dak Lak Province, boundaries. Viet Nam © Bui Bich Thuy. The views expressed in this publication do not Layout by: Nguyen Thuy Anh necessarily reflect those of IUCN, the Stimson Center, SDC or any other participating Available from: organizations. 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Table of contents LIST OF MAPS .............................................................................................................................................................. IV LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................................................................ IV 1. 3S BASIN AND CONNECTIVITY .............................................................................................................................. 1 2. WHY THE 3S MATTER FOR ENERGY PRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 3 2.1 VIET NAM .............................................................................................................................................................. 3 2.2 CAMBODIA ............................................................................................................................................................. 3 2.3 LAOS ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 3. RENEWABLE ENERGY OPTIONS? ........................................................................................................................... 7 3.1 SOLAR IN THE 3S ..................................................................................................................................................... 7 3.2 WIND IN THE 3S .................................................................................................................................................... 10 3.3 BIOMASS IN THE 3S ................................................................................................................................................ 12 4. ENERGY FUTURES FOR THE 3S: DEVELOPMENT SCENARIOS ................................................................................ 14 4.1 FULL BUILDOUT ..................................................................................................................................................... 14 4.2 COAL-HEAVY BUILDOUT .......................................................................................................................................... 16 4.3 STRONG RENEWABLE ENERGY BUILDOUT .................................................................................................................... 17 4.4 3S CLEAN ENERGY ZONE .......................................................................................................................................... 19 5. CONCLUSIONS ..................................................................................................................................................... 22 iii List of maps Map 1: Status Quo and Connectivity ................................................................................................................... 1 Map 2: Photovoltaic (Solar) Power Potential ...................................................................................................... 9 Map 3: Average Windspeed at 80m Above Ground .......................................................................................... 11 Map 4: Land Use/Land Cover (2015) ................................................................................................................. 13 Map 5: Full Buildout and Connectivity ............................................................................................................... 15 Map 6: Coal Heavy Scenario .............................................................................................................................. 16 Map 7: Renewable Buildout Potential – Status Quo ......................................................................................... 19 Map 8: 3S Clean Energy Zone (Project Location Not Shown) ............................................................................ 20 List of tables Table 1: Status of hydropower projects in Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam .......................................................... 6 Table 2: Full Buildout energy mix ...................................................................................................................... 14 Table 3: Comparative energy costs ................................................................................................................... 18 iv 1. 3S Basin and connectivity The 3S River Basin, an area defined by the major Mekong river tributaries of the Sekong, Sesan, and Srepok, forms a transboundary landscape of adjacent river basins all of which rise in central Viet Nam. The Sekong flows through southern Laos and into northeastern Cambodia and the Sesan and Srepok flow through northeastern Cambodia. The three rivers converge just before flowing into the Mekong at Stung Treng in Cambodia. More than 4,300 km of rivers make up the 3S system. The Sekong mainstream and tributaries total 1,917 km, the Sesan’s 706 km, and the Srepok’s 1,687 km. The 3S have seen extensive hydropower construction since the 1980s, primarily in the highlands within Viet Nam. Hydropower dams have altered flow patterns, sediment load, and connectivity. A number of hydropower dams planned for the basin would further negatively impact the ecosystem, with implications for food security and sea level rise adaptation downstream. The Sekong Basin, which has remained without a dam on the mainstem, provides the best opportunity to maintain these values while providing adequate energy through an energy mix appropriate to the region. The land and water of the 3S basin play a critical role in providing environmental flows and ecosystem services to the Tonle Sap in Cambodia and the Mekong Delta in Viet Nam. More than 20% of the Mekong’s water comes from the 3S. Most of the basin receives over 2,700 mm/year of rainfall, most of which falls during the summer monsoon in June to September. Before construction of the Lower Sesan 2 (LS2) dam, the 3S contributed 15-20 million tons of sediment/year to the Mekong’s sediment budget or 9.3-12.5% of the total. Sediment and nutrient flows are critical for agricultural production