Benefits of Cooperation in Transnational Water-Energy Systems
Publication: Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 145, Issue 5
Abstract
Cooperation in international river basins is often challenged by upstream–downstream conflicts over water allocation. In many cases, water allocation is linked to the energy sector through hydropower. In this study, the water value method was used to simulate reservoir operations in an international basin under different assumptions about national priorities and regional energy cooperation. Benefits in the water sector and the power sector were compared considering both cooperative and noncooperative behavior by national players. The approach is demonstrated for a semiarid international river basin characterized by conflict between upstream hydropower production and downstream irrigated agriculture. A scenario assuming regional cooperation in the power sector came closest to the multisectoral basin cooperation benchmark and produced fewer national costs than scenarios assuming noncooperative behavior. The results emphasize that power and water resource allocation should be viewed jointly in international river basins where upstream hydropower operations can impact downstream irrigation supplies. International cooperation in the power sector may ease upstream–downstream conflicts in these cases.
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Acknowledgments
This study was possible thanks to the data provided by the Aral Sea Basin Economic Allocation Model (BEAM) project conducted by the World Bank in 2013. The authors would like to thank especially Dr. Benoit Blarel for his collaboration as project coordinator of BEAM.
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Published In
Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 145 • Issue 5 • May 2019
Copyright
©2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 13, 2017
Accepted: Sep 21, 2018
Published online: Feb 25, 2019
Published in print: May 1, 2019
Discussion open until: Jul 25, 2019
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