The Tri-An Hydro Electric Power Project is located in South Vietnam on the Dong Nai River, and will be operated as peak generator. Hydropeaking implicates particular environmental issues, which have not been considered in the existing Environmental Impact Assessment. Potential downstream effects are related to water quality, fluvial geomorphology and dominant geomorphic processes. High shear stresses due to rapidly rising water levels are associated with faunal displacement and possibly bed movement under rapidly varying flows, effects on riparian vegetation, downstream effects on macroinvertebrates, on reproduction sites and feeding grounds of native fish species; downstream effects on habitat quality and inundation pattern of shallow floodplain habitats used by water birds for nesting, foraging and nesting, and downstream flooding of land.
SMEC has been engaged to prepare a hydropeaking and aquatic baseline study on the project, including identifying impacted species and analysing related environmental risks for the project.
Through literature review, desktop review of available documents and field surveys, our team of local and international specialists have been conducting a thorough and delicate study of different aquatic habitats and for different species groups, based on sound international practice. Our role includes developing a specific methodology to identify the impacts on the aquatic environment, including the modelling approaches that will be utilized to identify future impacts to the extension of the hydropower plant (habitat alterations).
Based on the results, we will identify all environmental and social impacts due to hydropeaking, including mitigation scenarios and measures if required. This analysis forms an essential part of the feasibility study for the project.
KFW
Dong Nai Province, Vietnam