Event Description: Hydropower is increasingly portrayed as a source of reliable, affordable and economically viable energy that can be produced in a manner that is both socially acceptable and environmentally sound. However, critics of hydropower emphasize the rights of affected communities and the importance of cultural and biological diversity over what they see as ecologically risky and economically doubtful development projects.

Given that the need for power, especially in developing countries where per capita energy consumption is less than one tenth of that in OECD countries and less than 10% of hydropower resources have been exploited, hydropower is likely to continue to grow. The challenge is thus to develop policies that support a more equitable reconciliation of the rights and priorities of the different groups of people interested in the sustainable production of energy and the living conditions of those most affected by its production. Our panel of international experts will share their personal and professional perspectives on strategic priorities towards meeting these crucial international development and environmental challenges.

Agenda

1. George Ledec: “Good Dams and Bad Dams:  Choosing Dam Sites to Minimize Environmental Harm”.

2. Dominique Égré: “New benefit sharing approaches for dams “.

3. Brian Craik: “Aboriginal Peoples and Hydropower the Quest for a Meaningful Place in a Global Economy”.

Biographies

“George Ledec is Lead Ecologist in the Latin America and Caribbean Region at the World Bank.   He has worked with the Bank since 1982, specializing in the biodiversity conservation and other environmental aspects of development projects, including roads, oil and gas, renewable energy, and other infrastructure; forestry, fisheries, agriculture, and land administration. Dr. Ledec is the main author of the World Bank’s Natural Habitats Policy, OP 4.04, which has been in effect since 1995.   His publications include “Biodiversity Conservation in Road Projects” and “Good Dams and Bad Dams”; the latter is the focus of his presentation today.   He received his doctorate from the Forestry Department at the University of California at Berkeley, along with a Masters in Public Affairs from Princeton University . He was born in what is now the Czech Republic and is a naturalized United States citizen.”

Ledec, George and Juan David Quintero (2003). Good Dams and Bad Dams: Environmental Criteria for Site Selection of Hydroelectric Projects. Washington, DC , The World Bank.

This paper provides a simple, yet robust, methodology for comparing proposed hydroelectric project sites in terms of their expected negative environmental impacts, and relating these to power generation benefits. The paper also summarizes the environmental mitigation options for large dams. If properly implemented, these mitigation measures can effectively prevent, minimize, or compensate for many (though not all) of a hydroelectric project’s negative impacts. Nonetheless, the most effective environmental mitigation measure is good site selection, to ensure that the proposed dam will cause relatively little damage in the first place.

To download a copy of Mr. Ledec’s paper click here: http://go.worldbank.org/290QF4U2K0 

2. Mr. Dominique Égré, M.B.A. has 30 years of experience, including 25 years at Hydro-Québec, in socio-economic impact studies of electric facilities and in the analysis of the environmental and social issues of electricity production and supply.   Mr. Égré has worked on numerous projects in Québec, including the James Bay hydroelectric Complex, the Grande-Baleine Complex and various transmission line projects. He has been actively involved in defining guidelines and methods related to the socioeconomic impacts of hydropower projects, notably in the context of the preparation of an International Energy Agency Technical Report on Hydropower and the Environment. Mr. Égré has also conducted research on monetary benefit sharing from dams, particularly within the framework of the preparation of the UNEP Compendium of relevant practices (Dams and Development Project). Outside Canada, Mr. Égré has directed and carried out several socio-economic impact and resettlement studies in China (Three Gorges Project), India, Latin America, Turkey and eastern Africa. He was also involved in conducting several seminars on electricity and the environment in Egypt, Mexico, Thailand and South Africa .

Égré, Dominique, Vincent Roquet, et al. (2002). Benefit Sharing from Dam Projects. Washington, DC , The World Bank Group.

As part of its follow-up to the WCD report, the World Bank has put forward a Dams Planning and Management Action Plan. This Action Plan aims to improve the quality of the Bank’s operations by building on the core values and strategic priorities identified in the WCD report. The present study on Benefit Sharing from Dam Projects constitutes one of the 20 projects which are part of this Action Plan.

To download a copy of Mr. Égré’s paper click here: http://www.adb.org/Water/Topics/Dams/pdf/FinalReportBenefitSharing.pdf 

3. “Brian Craik has worked with the Crees of Eeyou Istchee in James Bay Quebec for the last 35 years.   He has been involved in the Cree efforts to decide upon and negotiate the terms under which they would adapt to hydroelectric development, including the La Grande Project and other proposed hydroelectric projects in their traditional territory.   He has been involved in different roles as anthropologist, as a member of environmental and social impact review panels and as a spokesperson for the Crees at various times.   In addition to this, Mr. Craik has worked in the area of Cree-Government relations and was involved in the implementation of the Cree/Naskapi of Quebec Act, Canada ‘s first local government legislation that replaced the Indian Act in 1984.”

For more information about the Grand Council of the Crees / Grand Conseil des Cris : http://www.gcc.ca/ 

Contact Name Malcolm Olafson
Contact Phone 514-933-9047
Contact Email ciia@look.ca