Balancing competing interests in the Mekong River Basin via the operation of cascade hydropower reservoirs in China: Insights from system modeling

Chen，Xiaoxian1; Zheng，Yi2,3; Xu，Bo1; Wang，Longfan1; Han，Feng2,4; Zhang，Chi1

2020-05-01

10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.119967

Journal of Cleaner Production   影响因子和分区

0959-6526

1879-1786

As one of the most important international rivers in Asia, the Mekong River is famous for its abundant water and hydropower resources, fascinating biodiversity, and geopolitical importance. However, the rapid hydropower development in the Mekong River Basin has induced ecological risks and triggered water conflicts among six riparian nations. Balancing the competing interests of water, energy and ecosystems in the Mekong River Basin is a great challenge for riparian nations and is of global concern. This study quantitatively investigates what role the operation of the cascade reservoirs in China may play in mitigating existing conflicts and achieving cobenefits in the entire Mekong River Basin. An integrated modeling approach is adopted, and simulation-optimization analyses are performed to explore the tradeoff and/or synergy effects among the competing interests under varying reservoir operation strategies. The study reveals the disparate interactions among water, energy and ecosystem sectors and identifies the transboundary cobenefits of hydropower production and water supply. The major study findings are as follows. First, hydropower development in the upper Mekong River (also known as the Lancang River) can be beneficial for downstream agricultural water supply in certain circumstances if the cascade reservoirs in China are operated wisely. Second, the natural flow index adequately reflects ecological concerns in general, but additional objectives need to be included in the optimization if specific interests (e.g., phosphorous export from the Lancang River) are prioritized. Third, the tradeoffs between the agricultural water supply and ecosystem conservation, the two critical concerns of downstream countries, are intrinsic in the lower Mekong River Basin and are not induced by hydropower production in China. Fourth, the agricultural water supply in the downstream countries calls for a larger shift in the flow regime than hydropower production in China. Overall, the results of this study provide new insights into holistic management and effective transboundary cooperation in the Mekong River Basin, as well as in other international river basins with similar water-energy-ecosystem nexuses.

Cascade reservoirs Hydropower production International river Mekong river basin Water supply Water-energy-ecosystem nexus

EI ; SCI

英语

通讯

Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology[2017B030301012] ; National Natural Science Foundation of China[91647201]

Science & Technology - Other Topics ; Engineering ; Environmental Sciences & Ecology

Green & Sustainable Science & Technology ; Engineering, Environmental ; Environmental Sciences

WOS:000518890800018

Elsevier Ltd

20200308057959

Agriculture ; Biodiversity ; Ecosystems ; Hydroelectric power ; Reservoirs (water) ; Water supply ; Watersheds

Reservoirs:441.2 ; Surface Water:444.1 ; Water Supply Systems:446.1 ; Environmental Engineering:454 ; Ecology and Ecosystems:454.3 ; Hydroelectric Power Plants:611.1 ; Agricultural Equipment and Methods; Vegetation and Pest Control:821

2-s2.0-85077950314

Scopus

1.School of Hydraulic Engineering,Dalian University of Technology,Dalian,116024,China
2.State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water-Groundwater Pollution Control,School of Environmental Science and Engineering,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,518055,China
3.Shenzhen Municipal Engineering Lab of Environmental IoT Technologies,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,518055,China
4.Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil and Groundwater Pollution Control,School of Environmental Science and Engineering,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,518055,China

Chen，Xiaoxian,Zheng，Yi,Xu，Bo,et al. Balancing competing interests in the Mekong River Basin via the operation of cascade hydropower reservoirs in China: Insights from system modeling[J]. Journal of Cleaner Production,2020,254.

Chen，Xiaoxian,Zheng，Yi,Xu，Bo,Wang，Longfan,Han，Feng,&Zhang，Chi.(2020).Balancing competing interests in the Mekong River Basin via the operation of cascade hydropower reservoirs in China: Insights from system modeling.Journal of Cleaner Production,254.

Chen，Xiaoxian,et al."Balancing competing interests in the Mekong River Basin via the operation of cascade hydropower reservoirs in China: Insights from system modeling".Journal of Cleaner Production 254(2020).