South-South technology transfer of low-carbon innovation: large Chinese hydropower dams in Cambodia

Large dams have been controversially debated for decades due to their large‐scale and often irreversible social and environmental impacts. In the pursuit of low‐carbon energy and climate change mitigation, hydropower is experiencing a new renaissance. At the forefront of this renaissance are Chinese...

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Main Authors: Urban, Frauke, Siciliano, Giuseppina, Sour, Kim, Lonn, Pich Dara, Tan-Mullins, May, Mang, Grace
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2015
Subjects:
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/53306/
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author Urban, Frauke
Siciliano, Giuseppina
Sour, Kim
Lonn, Pich Dara
Tan-Mullins, May
Mang, Grace
author_facet Urban, Frauke
Siciliano, Giuseppina
Sour, Kim
Lonn, Pich Dara
Tan-Mullins, May
Mang, Grace
author_sort Urban, Frauke
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description Large dams have been controversially debated for decades due to their large‐scale and often irreversible social and environmental impacts. In the pursuit of low‐carbon energy and climate change mitigation, hydropower is experiencing a new renaissance. At the forefront of this renaissance are Chinese actors as the world's largest hydropower dam‐builders. This paper aims to discuss the role of South–South technology transfer of low‐carbon energy innovation and its opportunities and barriers by using a case study of the first large Chinese‐funded and Chinese‐built dam in Cambodia. Using the Kamchay Dam as an example, the paper finds that technology transfer can only be fully successful when host governments and organizations have the capacity to absorb new technologies. The paper also finds that technology transfer in the dam sector needs to go beyond hardware and focus more on the transfer of expertise, skills and knowledge to enable long‐term sustainable development.
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spelling nottingham-533062018-08-13T03:36:27Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/53306/ South-South technology transfer of low-carbon innovation: large Chinese hydropower dams in Cambodia Urban, Frauke Siciliano, Giuseppina Sour, Kim Lonn, Pich Dara Tan-Mullins, May Mang, Grace Large dams have been controversially debated for decades due to their large‐scale and often irreversible social and environmental impacts. In the pursuit of low‐carbon energy and climate change mitigation, hydropower is experiencing a new renaissance. At the forefront of this renaissance are Chinese actors as the world's largest hydropower dam‐builders. This paper aims to discuss the role of South–South technology transfer of low‐carbon energy innovation and its opportunities and barriers by using a case study of the first large Chinese‐funded and Chinese‐built dam in Cambodia. Using the Kamchay Dam as an example, the paper finds that technology transfer can only be fully successful when host governments and organizations have the capacity to absorb new technologies. The paper also finds that technology transfer in the dam sector needs to go beyond hardware and focus more on the transfer of expertise, skills and knowledge to enable long‐term sustainable development. Wiley 2015-08-27 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en cc_by https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/53306/1/Urban_et_al-2015-Sustainable_Development.pdf Urban, Frauke, Siciliano, Giuseppina, Sour, Kim, Lonn, Pich Dara, Tan-Mullins, May and Mang, Grace (2015) South-South technology transfer of low-carbon innovation: large Chinese hydropower dams in Cambodia. Sustainable Development, 23 (4). pp. 232-244. ISSN 0968-0802 hydropower; dams; China; Cambodia; technology transfer; technology cooperation; low-carbon innovation; global South https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.1590 doi:10.1002/sd.1590 doi:10.1002/sd.1590
spellingShingle hydropower; dams; China; Cambodia; technology transfer; technology cooperation; low-carbon innovation; global South
Urban, Frauke
Siciliano, Giuseppina
Sour, Kim
Lonn, Pich Dara
Tan-Mullins, May
Mang, Grace
South-South technology transfer of low-carbon innovation: large Chinese hydropower dams in Cambodia
title South-South technology transfer of low-carbon innovation: large Chinese hydropower dams in Cambodia
title_full South-South technology transfer of low-carbon innovation: large Chinese hydropower dams in Cambodia
title_fullStr South-South technology transfer of low-carbon innovation: large Chinese hydropower dams in Cambodia
title_full_unstemmed South-South technology transfer of low-carbon innovation: large Chinese hydropower dams in Cambodia
title_short South-South technology transfer of low-carbon innovation: large Chinese hydropower dams in Cambodia
title_sort south-south technology transfer of low-carbon innovation: large chinese hydropower dams in cambodia
topic hydropower; dams; China; Cambodia; technology transfer; technology cooperation; low-carbon innovation; global South
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/53306/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/53306/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/53306/