"Srepok Hydropower Dam Needs More Study After Capacity Increased, NGOs Say", 17 February 2026

Civil society organizations and communities urged relevant parties, especially Royal Group of Companies, to conduct further environmental and social impact assessment studies relating to a planned hydropower dam project on the Srepok River in northeastern Cambodia…

The consultant found major gaps, such as inconsistent baseline and final studies, unclear impact assessments, no clear estimate of affected or relocated households, weak legal processes for cultural and religious sites, and undefined long-term institutional responsibilities.

The build-operate-transfer project has an unclear impact on waterways and transportation routes. The previous EIA studied the impact of a 300 megawatt dam. However, the capacity of the latest project has been increased to 376 megawatts with no clear explanation provided. Hence, the groups’ call for additional studies.

“We don’t know how many red-dirt roads will be flooded and navigation routes will be obstructed. We need to study whether there are economic impacts on what has been built and impact on the future of waterways,” said Soeung Saroeun, executive director of the NGO Forum…

CG Sustainable, which conducted the EIA, Royal Group, as well as the Environment, and Mine and Energy ministries did not attend the dialogue despite being invited, he added.

… Almost 4,270 families facing displacement in Ratanakiri and Mondulkiri from the dam’s nearly 70,000-hectare planned reservoir are being pushed – some say even intimidated – to accept what they call an unjust resettlement deal.

The project is led by Royal Group Power, which has teamed up with Chinese technical partners Huaneng Hydrolancang International Energy Co. and PowerChina Huadong Engineering Co., and is moving forward after years of delay. The same Royal Group–Huaneng partnership built the controversial Lower Sesan 2 dam, which conservationists say displaced hundreds of families and disrupted the Mekong’s natural flow.

… Leang Bunleap, director of 3S Rivers Protection Network, who attended the meeting, opined that the consultations were incomplete because feedback from stakeholders, including civil society groups which were submitted to relevant ministries, was not addressed or incorporated.

“The compensation policy is not clearly defined, creating a situation where some affected people may receive compensation while others may not, particularly those who own 30 to 40 hectares of land. It is also unclear how much compensation they will receive,” Bunleap said…