9. The aggregate demand for electricity in GMS is projected to rise from 108,850 GWh in 1995 to 600,000 GWh in 2020.
10. Virtually every study of the impact of the dams on the Mekong System predicts substantial environmental and social costs as a consequence of their development. The single biggest change to water use and its management in the Mekong today and into the future is hydropower development.
11. But these developments also open up opportunities - agricultural, economic, environmental and social.
17. Our projects are scaled – they work at the dam, catchment and basin levels.
18. We have chosen to work on one completed dam (Yali); one partially constructed dam (Nam Theun Hinboun Expansion); and one planned dam (Lower Sesan 2).
19. While the bulk of our field work will be in Cambodia, Vietnam and Lao PDR, Project 4 focuses on the basin scale and Project 6 has a focus in China and Thailand as well.