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in Laos, an innovative approach has been adopted by EDF toward the environmental and social impacts of the construction of the Nam Theun 2 hydroelectric power project .
Nam-Theun, High-Tech Laboratory monitoring hydrobiology and water quality
Nam Theun 2 : aquatic environmental monitoring laboratory
Under its concession contract, the Nam Theun Power Company (NTPC), in which EDF has a the largest share of stake, must monitor the water quality, a task which it used to outsource to a Thai laboratory, for the analysis of its physical and chemical characteristics. In the past there was no suitable facility in Laos itself. But EDF, true to its sustainable development policy, went a step further in order to study greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and the hydrobiology of the water retained by the dam. In April 2008, EDF and NTPC set up their aquatic environmental monitoring laboratory, at the time the reservoir was filled, to track water quality, GHG emissions and hydrobiology. This monitoring facility is a first in Laos and will serve as a benchmark and model that could be replicated in the numerous other hydroelectric power projects under development in Laos. It is a fine example of Corporate Social Responsibility.
Water quality, biodiversity and greenhouse gases
The aim is to provide the most suitable responses to the problems arising at different stages in hydropower operations. There are three main thrusts to the laboratory’s work:
- water quality, assessed through regular sampling of the reservoir and free-running water;
- aquatic biodiversity analysis including the biological characteristics of the individuals present at all levels of the food chain (phytoplankton, zooplankton, invertebrates, fish stocks…);
- quantification of greenhouse gas emissions. Here a unique-of-its-kind 3D numerical model consisting of a hydrodynamic module coupled to a biological and geochemical module provides new insight into GHG emissions, thus contributing to the international corpus of knowledge in this field. GHGs released from hydropower facilities in the tropical environment may now be reassessed in the light of the more precise data so acquired.
In the longer term, such monitoring may assist in the management of the fish stocks available as a food source for the local population (quality and quantity), and will also contribute to the diffusion of knowledge in these fields.
Building up local capacity
The set-up of this laboratory facility has created new job opportunities in Laos. Considerable time and attention was devoted to the training of interns, technicians and engineers of local origin, in order to ensure a sustainable future for these occupations.
United and cooperative effort
To ensure success, a number of interrelated skill sets were required and deployed by various research organizations. This was of primary importance. Experts on climate change from the University of Toulouse UMR/CNRS, and the Indian research body TERI, were mobilized on the GHG research program.