Large Dams Are Uneconomic, Scientific Study Finds

"We find that even before accounting for negative impacts on human society and environment, the actual construction costs of large dams are too high to yield a positive return," a new report states. "Large dams also take inordinately long periods of time to get built, making them ineffective in resolving urgent energy crises."  Simply put, dams don't just destroy the environment and impoverish local communities.  They also don't make economic sense.

The new report was prepared by researchers from Oxford University and is based on the most comprehensive economic analysis of large dams ever undertaken.  The peer-reviewed scientific study offers a devastating verdict on the economics of large dams, and has important implications for future energy sector planning.

Large Dams Are Uneconomic, Scientific Study Finds