IFC Helps Integrate Sustainability into Myanmar's Hydro Future

IFC Helps Integrate Sustainability into Myanmar's Hydro Future

IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, and the government of Myanmar's
Ministry of Electricity & Energy and the Ministry of Natural Resources &
Environmental Conservation are working with stakeholders to produce a
balanced countrywide strategic environmental and social assessment (SEA)
that can be used as a planning tool by decision-makers to improve
sustainably of the hydropower sector.

Over 350 people from civil society, NGOs, private sector, and government
participated in SEA workshops this week to prioritize environmental and
social values related to riverine development in Myanmar. Their opinions and
inputs will provide the foundation for the SEA. "Macro-level studies like
the SEA are significant as that they include views from a diverse group of
people," said Vikram Kumar, IFC Myanmar Country Manager. "Shaping the SEA's
outcomes around stakeholder perspectives will improve standards and raise
the bar for the hydropower sector."

Led by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation and
the Ministry of Electricity and Energy, Myanmar's SEA is the first study of
its kind that will focus on the country's hydropower potential while
bringing environmental and social considerations to the table. It analyzes
high-level environmental and social risks on a scale of low, medium, and
high across the country's river basins. However, being identified by the SEA
as a low-risk area is not a greenlight for hydro developers to proceed. It
only indicates that these areas may provide more suitable opportunities than
other areas that may be identified as critical habitat, biodiversity
hotspots, culturally and socially important, or affected by conflict. The
SEA is digging deeper into this level of criteria. A rigorous environmental
and social impact assessment will still need to be completed for individual
projects, according to IFC.

"Through these workshops, we are building on our previous river-basin
consultations and working to further understand stakeholder priorities and
values that need to be taken into account. We need to close the gaps on
information and understand risks at a basin-wide level. If the hydropower
market in Myanmar wants to expand, sustainability is a must," said Kate
Lazarus, IFC Environmental and Social Governance. "The SEA is innovative in
that it is prioritizing stakeholder engagement and helping to forge
relationships between the government and stakeholders-a big step forward."

While the SEA takes a country-wide perspective, addressing all river basins
in Myanmar, IFC does not have any role in particular projects such as the
Myitsone dam and does not plan to engage in large hydropower developments in
the Ayeyarwady or Thanlwin river basins. Unlike environmental and social
impact assessments that review individual projects, the SEA is analyzing
basin-wide trends and risks. All future projects will still need to follow
government procedures and conduct individual environmental and social-impact
assessments. Launched in October 2016, the SEA is currently at the end of
stage one of three. It is expected to be completed in October this year.

Since September 2015, IFC, with support from the Australian government, has
helped the government of Myanmar better manage risk by training officials on
environmental and social standards in the hydropower sector. Ongoing
training includes practical courses on IFC's Performance Standards,
environmental flows of hydropower projects and stakeholder engagement. In
the near future, IFC will begin building capacity on environmental and
social impact-assessment guidelines for the hydropower sector.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Link to Original Article:
http://www.finchannel.com/business/63209-ifc-helps-integrate-sustainability-
into-myanmar-s-hydro-future

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.

www.aptthailand.com