Indigenous Communities Relocated for Bakun Hydro Project in Sarawak, Malaysia

The Bakun hydroelectric project, one of Sarawak’s largest renewable energy initiatives, has powered the state’s push to supply electricity beyond its borders. About thirty years ago, the construction of the dam required the relocation of several Indigenous communities from their ancestral lands in Malaysian Borneo. In a new Mongabay series, @IzzySasada meets with members of those communities to discuss the long‑term impacts of the displacement. The episode highlights the broader tension between the green transition and the human cost of large‑scale hydro projects, raising questions about who bears the price of clean energy. The series aims to explore the link between land and people in remote Borneo, offering a rare glimpse into the social consequences of infrastructure development.