BEYOND THREE GORGES: NU RIVER HYDROPOWER AND ENERGY DECISION POLITICS IN CHINA

Abstract

Abstract This paper examines hydropower development on the Nu (Salween) River in China. A 13-dam, 21-Gigawatt cascade scheduled for ecologically and culturally rich western Yunnan was halted in 2004 by Premier Wen Jiabao, a decision lauded by environmental protection and cultural preservation advocates. Labeled “predatory development” by the Minister of Water Resources, the status of the projects remains unclear, yet preliminary work continues, signaling a disjuncture between central planners on the one hand and local government and hydropower industry interests on the other. This paper details the cascade and situates it in a rapidly changing institutional background fraught with tensions created by new laws, old habits, and increasingly open debate. The Nu River case highlights the greater flexibility for opportunistic behavior brought by recent hydropower reforms and the continued marginalization of communities impacted by China's hydropower program.