I met with Mr Édes to discuss the Bank’s position on its refusal to disclose the Se San 3 Hydropower Project Environmental Impact Assessment. ADB’s position remains the same  as stated in the letter addressed to Mr. Peterson. The TA 3222-Vie was approved to analyze and make recommendations on the most appropriate ownership and institutional
arrangements for developing the Se San 3 Hydropower Project and to conduct the technical, environmental and social analysis of Se San 3.These studies were part of the assessment on the feasibility for the Se San 3 project.

According to the completion report, QUOTE- Due to the changing circumtances during TA implementation, the outputs differed from those envisaged at the time of approval. It was not possible to complete an Environmental Impact assessment (EIA) or a Minority’s People Development Plan- UNQUOTE. It also concludes that ADB deferred processing of the Se San 3 project at the fact finding stage as it was determined that further environmental and social analysis was required in order to assess the readiness of the Project for ABD financing. I have a copy of the Technical Assistance completion report.
If you don’t have it already, I will be glad to fax it to you. As the analysis funded under the TA were considered as looking at the feasibility of the project, it is therefore, in accordance with the current ADB’s policy on Confidentiality and Disclosure of Information, a prerogative of the Government to so classify feasibility studies.

As you might know, ADB had offered Vietnam to provide an additional assistance to the first TA of US$1.8 million to prepare an environmental impact study that would assess the downstream impacts of Ya Li and Se San 3 and to develop environmental and social management, and mitigation and monitoring plans for the entire cascade. The government of Vietnam has formally advised ADB that it no longer requires ADB’s assistance to proceed with the SE San 3 project. The bank did not proceed with any additional assistance to the government of Vietnam in this project.

You might be interested to know that ADB has initiated a review of its policy on Confidentiality and Disclosure of Information and intends to solicit the views of the
stakeholders. If you wish to keep abreast with the developments with the review, you can visit periodically the Web page that has been created at http://www.adb.org/disclosure/.

Sincerely,

Émile Gauvreau