China’s Investments in Hydropower in the Mekong Region: The Kamchay Hydropower Dam, Kampot, Cambodia

This paper has two main areas of focus, the first deals with the background of the Kamchay project, including Cambodia’s motivation for developing its hydropower capacities, and the role that China is playing in this. It provides an update on the project’s implementation so far and discusses the social and environmental impacts that have emerged during this time. Secondly itlooks at the safeguards that apply to the Kamchay project (and similar projects) from both the Cambodian and Chinese sides, and identifies areas where compliance has been lacking, and where gaps exist in the safeguards themselves.