TIME AND LOCATION

1. Ho Chi Minh City: 18:00 - 21:00 November 29th, 2017 at Én Tea House & Restaurant -Robot Tower, 308-308C Điện Biên Phủ, Ward 4, District 3.

    Link to register: https://goo.gl/forms/uN1hJ9tnV22UGZl82

2. Can Tho City: 09:00 - 12:00 December 2nd, 2017 at Cửu Long Hotel, 52 Quang Trung, Ninh Kiều.

    Link to register: https://goo.gl/forms/1MJtUP4MOYtzHyVc2

DEADLINE TO REGISTER: 23:00 November 26th, 2017

INTRODUCTION

Laos is currently building two large dams on the mainstream of the Mekong with a third under consultation despite consistent diplomatic opposition from Cambodia and Vietnam, which will both be significantly affected by downstream social and environmental impacts. At the same time, Laos and Cambodia are moving forward with plans to build more than 130 large dams (>50 MW) on tributaries of the Mekong river by 2030. 

Vietnam’s location as both an upstream hydropower developer in the 3S tributaries and as a downstream victim of poorly planned dams uniquely motivates it to strategically engage with Laos and Cambodia in cooperative water-energy management approaches that could reduce the total number of future dams in the Mekong basin. Rapid economic growth means that Vietnam will be a major buyer of regional electricity. Because power purchase agreements play a role in deciding which projects move ahead, Vietnam has leverage to negotiate how its neighbors build out their energy sectors. Lastly, Vietnam’s growing network of diplomatic initiatives with Laos and Cambodia and emerging strategic partnerships with external actors such as the United States make its institutions key change agents for enhancing regional dialogue. 

RELEVANT DOCUMENTS

• Major conclusions and recommendations from series of workshop between Stimson Center, IUCN and relevant stakeholders. LINK

• Briefing: A Call for Strategic, Basin-wide Energy Planning in Laos. LINK

TENTATIVE AGENDA

Part 1: Panel discussion on system scale water - energy planning approach

Part 2: Renewable Energy Innovations and Opportunities

SPEAKERS

•           Brian EYLER, Director of the Stimson Center’s Southeast Asia Program,

•           Courtney WEATHERBY, Research Analyst, Stimson Center Southeast Asia Program

•           Nguyen Duc Tu, IUCN Indo-Burma Program

•           Dr. Eloise KENDY, Environmental Flows Program Director, The Nature Conservancy

•           Nikky AVILA, Energy and Resources Group, University of California, Berkeley

•           Local Vietnamese experts on water – energy issues