Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the Hydropower Sector in Myanmar – Final Report

With support from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Australian government, the Government of Myanmar (GoM) – through a partnership between the Ministry of Electricity and Energy (MOEE) and Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation (MONREC) – conducted this Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the hydropower sector as the first step in basin-wide hydropower planning.

The SEA brings environmental and social considerations into early hydropower planning to ensure that project siting, design, and management are based on achieving basin sustainability.

The primary purpose of the SEA is to provide a "sustainable development framework" (SDF) for hydropower in each of Myanmar's major river basins to ensure both basin health and hydropower generation.

The SEA Final Report recommends a balance between hydropower development and natural resource protection in each major river basin in Myanmar, contributing to the healthy functioning of these rivers for the next century and beyond. It also recommends implementing basin zoning to improve project siting; improving sustainable hydropower project design; improving environmental and social impact assessment and management planning; and obtaining essential baseline data required for hydropower and basin planning.