In March 2006, an agreement was signed with the Government of Lao P.D.R. to conduct the Initial Feasibility Study and Environmental Impact Assessment for the Don Sahong Hydropower Project. This Initial Feasibility Study and Environmental Impact Assessment were completed in December 2007. Following this, the Project Development Agreement with the GOL was signed in 2008 allowing the preparation and delivery of the range of technical, environmental and social, financing, and contractual documents necessary to implement the project to international industry standards. Since 2007, the range of technical, social and environmental studies and documentation has been extended significantly. Several upgrades and extensions of the scope of the feasibility and social and environmental reports brought the project to a point where the reference design and environmental and social monitoring and management plans (ESMMP) could be developed.
During the course of the reference design development stage, further field data collection from the project site was undertaken, including; hydrological survey and river gauging, geotechnical investigations, topographic surveys, and fisheries studies. The hydraulic modeling was improved with the creation of a three-dimensional computational hydraulic model. The outcome of this modeling provided a much greater confidence in understanding the complex hydrology surrounding the project area. In September 2013, following updates to reflect the most current understanding of the social and environmental impacts, the documents required for the MRC Notification (as required under the 1995 Mekong Agreement), were submitted to the Lao Government and in turn to the MRC secretariat.
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