Problematic Power: A Perspective on the Role of Small Hydropower in Energy Transitions in Vietnam

Hydropower has been a pillar of energy
systems for decades in many
countries in Asia, Vietnam in particular. The push to decarbonize
energy production is seeing renewed interest in hydropower worldwide,
often in “developing” countries that are assumed to
have untapped hydraulic potential to actualize through the construction
of small (<30 MW installed capacity) hydropower facilities. While
we acknowledge the important benefits provided by large, multipurpose
hydropower facilities to various types of security issues, we question
the assumptions on which the ongoing construction of small hydropower
facilities in some developing countries rests. Using Vietnam as an
example, we trace the continued support for hydropower development
to political and technological momentum and argue that the continued
construction of small hydropower facilities and their associated infrastructure
diverts resources away from the sound development of other sources
of renewable energy that will play more crucial roles in future energy
transitions.