Laos to press ahead with 'destructive' new dam on Mekong
Laos to press ahead with 'destructive' new dam on Mekong
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https://www.yahoo.com/news/laos-press-a ... 36677.html
Environmentalists have criticised Laos for pressing ahead with plans for another "destructive dam" on the Mekong River, a waterway already strangled by hydropower schemes.
The flow of the Mekong, Southeast Asia's longest river, is interrupted by a cascade of dams in China -- where it is called the Lancang.
Two downstream dams -- the Xayaburi and Don Sahong -- have been built in Laos, which wants to construct seven more as it strives to live up to its billing as the "Battery of Asia".
Water levels have dropped to record lows over the last year, exposing rocks and killing fish, a phenomenon blamed by villagers in Thailand and Laos on the operations of dams.
On Monday, Laos' communist government submitted proposals for the Sanakham dam -- close to the northeastern border with Thailand -- to the Mekong River Commission (MRC).
The MRC is a dam consultation body for Mekong nations, but has been accused of being toothless in stopping river projects sponsored by governments and big business.
The consultation process is in fact a "rubber stamp" to get work started on the Sanakham this year in time for a 2028 completion, according to International Rivers, a key campaign group against damming.
"What the Mekong needs immediately is the moratorium on large-scale hydropower dams... not more destructive dams that will benefit a few at the expense of communities in the Mekong basin," Paiporn Deetes of International Rivers told AFP.
The MRC says the Sanakham dam consultation includes an environmental impact assessment on the waterway and its communities.
Landlocked, corrupt and poor, Laos has turned to billion-dollar hydropower schemes for investment, hoping to sell the electricity for a profit to its neighbours as well as provide energy to its remote populations.
But critics say dams have been railroaded through despite mounting evidence of ecological damage to one of the world's most biodiverse waterways........
https://www.yahoo.com/news/laos-press-a ... 36677.html
Environmentalists have criticised Laos for pressing ahead with plans for another "destructive dam" on the Mekong River, a waterway already strangled by hydropower schemes.
The flow of the Mekong, Southeast Asia's longest river, is interrupted by a cascade of dams in China -- where it is called the Lancang.
Two downstream dams -- the Xayaburi and Don Sahong -- have been built in Laos, which wants to construct seven more as it strives to live up to its billing as the "Battery of Asia".
Water levels have dropped to record lows over the last year, exposing rocks and killing fish, a phenomenon blamed by villagers in Thailand and Laos on the operations of dams.
On Monday, Laos' communist government submitted proposals for the Sanakham dam -- close to the northeastern border with Thailand -- to the Mekong River Commission (MRC).
The MRC is a dam consultation body for Mekong nations, but has been accused of being toothless in stopping river projects sponsored by governments and big business.
The consultation process is in fact a "rubber stamp" to get work started on the Sanakham this year in time for a 2028 completion, according to International Rivers, a key campaign group against damming.
"What the Mekong needs immediately is the moratorium on large-scale hydropower dams... not more destructive dams that will benefit a few at the expense of communities in the Mekong basin," Paiporn Deetes of International Rivers told AFP.
The MRC says the Sanakham dam consultation includes an environmental impact assessment on the waterway and its communities.
Landlocked, corrupt and poor, Laos has turned to billion-dollar hydropower schemes for investment, hoping to sell the electricity for a profit to its neighbours as well as provide energy to its remote populations.
But critics say dams have been railroaded through despite mounting evidence of ecological damage to one of the world's most biodiverse waterways........
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Re: Laos to press ahead with 'destructive' new dam on Mekong
Laos urged to reassess dam
Niem Chheng | Publication date 26 November 2020 | 22:34 ICT
The Sanakham hydropower project is estimated to cost $2 billion. MRC
The Lao government and the Sanakham hydropower project developer have been urged to widen the impact assessment of the project and propose additional measures to mitigate potential adverse impacts from the 684-megawatt dam.
In a regional forum opened to the public and organised by the Mekong River Commission (MRC) with stakeholders on November 24 in Pakse, Siem Reap, Bangkok, and Hanoi, as well as online, some 200 attendees expressed their concerns about the project.
An MRC press release said they recommended that prior consultation should be made to make it more meaningful and to ensure that potential negative project impacts are addressed.
The Sanakham dam is estimated to cost $2.073 billion, $27.7 million of which will be allocated for environmental and social mitigation measures and monitoring programmes. It is the sixth project to be submitted to MRC in a prior consultation process.
The dam is proposed to sit between Xayaburi and Vientiane provinces in Laos, about 155km north of the capital Vientiane, and about 2km upstream of the Thai-Lao border in the Thai northeastern province of Loei, said the MRC.
Scheduled to go online in 2028, the dam will stand 58m high and 350m long, and comprise 12 turbines, each which produce 57MW of electricity, the MRC said in May.
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ ... assess-dam
Niem Chheng | Publication date 26 November 2020 | 22:34 ICT
The Sanakham hydropower project is estimated to cost $2 billion. MRC
The Lao government and the Sanakham hydropower project developer have been urged to widen the impact assessment of the project and propose additional measures to mitigate potential adverse impacts from the 684-megawatt dam.
In a regional forum opened to the public and organised by the Mekong River Commission (MRC) with stakeholders on November 24 in Pakse, Siem Reap, Bangkok, and Hanoi, as well as online, some 200 attendees expressed their concerns about the project.
An MRC press release said they recommended that prior consultation should be made to make it more meaningful and to ensure that potential negative project impacts are addressed.
The Sanakham dam is estimated to cost $2.073 billion, $27.7 million of which will be allocated for environmental and social mitigation measures and monitoring programmes. It is the sixth project to be submitted to MRC in a prior consultation process.
The dam is proposed to sit between Xayaburi and Vientiane provinces in Laos, about 155km north of the capital Vientiane, and about 2km upstream of the Thai-Lao border in the Thai northeastern province of Loei, said the MRC.
Scheduled to go online in 2028, the dam will stand 58m high and 350m long, and comprise 12 turbines, each which produce 57MW of electricity, the MRC said in May.
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ ... assess-dam
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Re: Laos to press ahead with 'destructive' new dam on Mekong
I think i read, in the Bangkok Post yesterday, that Thailand has decided not to support this dam and will not buy it's generated power. which would probably kill the project.
Not definite, but seemed like a strong message.
Something about lowering water levels downstream - which in that part of the river could cause territorial/border issues because of altered river banks. or something like that.
It certainly wasn't because of the environment, nor about caring a flying flock about Cambodia's protein supply.
And Thailand apparently is quite loaded with power supplies and option these days.
Not so hungry as it once was, but they do still love dams generally.
Not definite, but seemed like a strong message.
Something about lowering water levels downstream - which in that part of the river could cause territorial/border issues because of altered river banks. or something like that.
It certainly wasn't because of the environment, nor about caring a flying flock about Cambodia's protein supply.
And Thailand apparently is quite loaded with power supplies and option these days.
Not so hungry as it once was, but they do still love dams generally.
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Re: Laos to press ahead with 'destructive' new dam on Mekong
Laos Presses Ahead with 4 More Mekong Dams Amid Drought
By Luke Hunt
December 12, 2020 01:46 AM
PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA - Laos is pushing ahead with four dams across the mainstream of the Mekong River, despite an escalating chorus of objections and crippling debt to Chinese state banks which resulted in the loss of control over its electricity grid to China.
For almost two decades scientists and environmentalists have said Laos’ mega dam designs could irreversibly damage fish stocks, including endangered mammals like the Irrawaddy dolphin, and risked bankrupting the country.
Deputy Energy and Mines minister Sinava Souphanouvong recently said Laos would build 100 dams across the country by 2030, adding that 78 were already operational and capable of producing 9,972 megawatts of electricity.
Authorities say the tiny one-party state will be enriched by a series of dams generating hydropower from China in the north to Cambodia in the south, making it the “battery of Asia.”
The four most contentious dams straddle the Mekong at four locations stretching from Pak Beng in the north along the river through Luang Prabang and Pak Lay and Sanakham, not far from the capital, Vientiane. Officials hope to sell the electricity produced from those dams to Thailand. A fifth at Xayaburi, about midway along the Pak Beng-Sanakham stretch, is already operational.
However, Souphanouvong will be hard-pressed to convince critics.
An editorial in ASEAN Today, an online commentary site, accused Lao authorities of making up impact assessments for the Sanakham dam. It claimed a report filed with the Mekong River Commission, an intergovernmental organization that coordinates management of the river, was copied from the assessment for Pak Lay, which was plagiarized from the Pak Beng report.
Thailand and the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, which had backed dam construction for two decades, ignoring pleas from scientists, environmentalists and fishers, is now having second thoughts.
Somkiat Prajamwong, secretary-general of Thailand’s Office of National Water Resources, warned that Laos could be assuming too much in terms of sales, stressing no agreement had been reached on Sanakham electricity sales.
“If we have other sources that will not have an impact on us, we’ll buy power from those sources,” he told reporters, referring to the potential impact on agricultural and fishing from decreased water flow due to the dams.
“The Energy Ministry is discussing conditions, and the condition may be that the source has no impact on Thailand. We need more clarity,” he said.
https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacif ... id-drought
By Luke Hunt
December 12, 2020 01:46 AM
PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA - Laos is pushing ahead with four dams across the mainstream of the Mekong River, despite an escalating chorus of objections and crippling debt to Chinese state banks which resulted in the loss of control over its electricity grid to China.
For almost two decades scientists and environmentalists have said Laos’ mega dam designs could irreversibly damage fish stocks, including endangered mammals like the Irrawaddy dolphin, and risked bankrupting the country.
Deputy Energy and Mines minister Sinava Souphanouvong recently said Laos would build 100 dams across the country by 2030, adding that 78 were already operational and capable of producing 9,972 megawatts of electricity.
Authorities say the tiny one-party state will be enriched by a series of dams generating hydropower from China in the north to Cambodia in the south, making it the “battery of Asia.”
The four most contentious dams straddle the Mekong at four locations stretching from Pak Beng in the north along the river through Luang Prabang and Pak Lay and Sanakham, not far from the capital, Vientiane. Officials hope to sell the electricity produced from those dams to Thailand. A fifth at Xayaburi, about midway along the Pak Beng-Sanakham stretch, is already operational.
However, Souphanouvong will be hard-pressed to convince critics.
An editorial in ASEAN Today, an online commentary site, accused Lao authorities of making up impact assessments for the Sanakham dam. It claimed a report filed with the Mekong River Commission, an intergovernmental organization that coordinates management of the river, was copied from the assessment for Pak Lay, which was plagiarized from the Pak Beng report.
Thailand and the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, which had backed dam construction for two decades, ignoring pleas from scientists, environmentalists and fishers, is now having second thoughts.
Somkiat Prajamwong, secretary-general of Thailand’s Office of National Water Resources, warned that Laos could be assuming too much in terms of sales, stressing no agreement had been reached on Sanakham electricity sales.
“If we have other sources that will not have an impact on us, we’ll buy power from those sources,” he told reporters, referring to the potential impact on agricultural and fishing from decreased water flow due to the dams.
“The Energy Ministry is discussing conditions, and the condition may be that the source has no impact on Thailand. We need more clarity,” he said.
https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacif ... id-drought
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Re: Laos to press ahead with 'destructive' new dam on Mekong
RE: The proposed 684-megawatt Sanakham dam to be built on the Mekong in Laos.
Registration Open for 11th MRC Regional Stakeholder Forum on Proposed Mekong Dam
Vientiane, Lao PDR, 1 November 2021 — Registration is now open for the 11th Regional Stakeholder Forum (RSF) of the Mekong River Commission (MRC), which will be held on 29 and 30 November 2021, physically and virtually.
The 11th MRC RSF aims to provide a unique opportunity for stakeholders to exchange views on responsible hydropower development and management, on the first day. On the second day, it will share the latest information on the 684-megawatt Sanakham dam that the Lao Government has proposed to build on the mainstream of the Mekong River, and create a platform for stakeholders to voice concerns and recommendations on the proposed dam.
MRC Secretariat Chief Executive Officer An Pich Hatda encourages everyone to join the discussion and make their voice heard. “As a Mekong citizen, we all have a collective responsibility to safeguard the Mekong River and ensure its sustainability and the livelihoods of people not only during this generation but many more to come.”
While the first day of the Forum is open only to invited civil society organizations (CSOs), government agencies, developers and operators of hydropower dams across the Mekong River Basin, the second day is open to everyone. Interested stakeholders can register from 1 to 21 November 2021 at https://bit.ly/2ZyfJiq.
The RSF is the MRC’s signature public engagement event, serving as a platform for an open and constructive dialogue on emerging issues in the Mekong River Basin. Through the Forum, the MRC Member Countries and other stakeholders such as development partners, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the private sector, media, communities and other interested groups have an opportunity to share information, discuss mutual concerns, and build a collective understanding on the underlying factors that promote responsible and equitable use of water and related resources in the river basin.
Around 200 participants are expected to attend the second day, including community representatives, international and local NGOs, CSOs, academia, the private sector, development partners, and the media.
The 30 November gathering will be a combination of physical and virtual participation with Vientiane the primary host. Similar meeting arrangements will be convened in Cambodia, Thailand and Viet Nam.
The MRC will livestream the second day of the deliberations across all of its social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. For information and updates on the Forum, visit the MRC website or follow the MRC on the social media channels, and use the hashtag #MRC11RFS.
https://www.mrcmekong.org/news-and-even ... -01112021/
Registration Open for 11th MRC Regional Stakeholder Forum on Proposed Mekong Dam
Vientiane, Lao PDR, 1 November 2021 — Registration is now open for the 11th Regional Stakeholder Forum (RSF) of the Mekong River Commission (MRC), which will be held on 29 and 30 November 2021, physically and virtually.
The 11th MRC RSF aims to provide a unique opportunity for stakeholders to exchange views on responsible hydropower development and management, on the first day. On the second day, it will share the latest information on the 684-megawatt Sanakham dam that the Lao Government has proposed to build on the mainstream of the Mekong River, and create a platform for stakeholders to voice concerns and recommendations on the proposed dam.
MRC Secretariat Chief Executive Officer An Pich Hatda encourages everyone to join the discussion and make their voice heard. “As a Mekong citizen, we all have a collective responsibility to safeguard the Mekong River and ensure its sustainability and the livelihoods of people not only during this generation but many more to come.”
While the first day of the Forum is open only to invited civil society organizations (CSOs), government agencies, developers and operators of hydropower dams across the Mekong River Basin, the second day is open to everyone. Interested stakeholders can register from 1 to 21 November 2021 at https://bit.ly/2ZyfJiq.
The RSF is the MRC’s signature public engagement event, serving as a platform for an open and constructive dialogue on emerging issues in the Mekong River Basin. Through the Forum, the MRC Member Countries and other stakeholders such as development partners, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the private sector, media, communities and other interested groups have an opportunity to share information, discuss mutual concerns, and build a collective understanding on the underlying factors that promote responsible and equitable use of water and related resources in the river basin.
Around 200 participants are expected to attend the second day, including community representatives, international and local NGOs, CSOs, academia, the private sector, development partners, and the media.
The 30 November gathering will be a combination of physical and virtual participation with Vientiane the primary host. Similar meeting arrangements will be convened in Cambodia, Thailand and Viet Nam.
The MRC will livestream the second day of the deliberations across all of its social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. For information and updates on the Forum, visit the MRC website or follow the MRC on the social media channels, and use the hashtag #MRC11RFS.
https://www.mrcmekong.org/news-and-even ... -01112021/
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donner-kruger
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Re: Laos to press ahead with 'destructive' new dam on Mekong
“As a Mekong citizen, we all have a collective responsibility to safeguard the Mekong River and ensure its sustainability and the livelihoods of people not only during this generation but many more to come.”
Yeah because people don't benefit from having electricity. Especially clean renewable energy.
Yeah because people don't benefit from having electricity. Especially clean renewable energy.
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Anchor Moy
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Re: Laos to press ahead with 'destructive' new dam on Mekong
Yes, but who will benefit ? AFAIK, the most of the dams planned for Laos are intending to export the electricity to Thailand, which will make money for some, but won't do much to benefit the local people in Laos.donner-kruger wrote: ↑Wed Nov 03, 2021 12:03 am “As a Mekong citizen, we all have a collective responsibility to safeguard the Mekong River and ensure its sustainability and the livelihoods of people not only during this generation but many more to come.”
Yeah because people don't benefit from having electricity. Especially clean renewable energy.
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donner-kruger
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Re: Laos to press ahead with 'destructive' new dam on Mekong
Laos is a communist country. It's not like it's some multinational corporation that is going in there to exploit their natural resources. Also, I've driven through Laos at night. Most villages don't have electricity. You can tell because there are no electric lights.Anchor Moy wrote: ↑Wed Nov 03, 2021 1:58 am Yes, but who will benefit ? AFAIK, the most of the dams planned for Laos are intending to export the electricity to Thailand, which will make money for some, but won't do much to benefit the local people in Laos.
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John Bingham
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Re: Laos to press ahead with 'destructive' new dam on Mekong
Are you just trolling here? You don't seem to have any idea about what is going on in the region.donner-kruger wrote: ↑Wed Nov 03, 2021 10:09 pm It's not like it's some multinational corporation that is going in there to exploit their natural resources.
Laos' debt woes worsen as bills for China-funded dams loom
The country's turn to international markets was signaled in January, after Laos received its first rating of B3 from credit rating agency Moody's. It came four years after Laos sold $182 million in U.S. dollar bonds in two tranches to institutional investors in Thailand. Laos has also issued sovereign bonds denominated in Thai baht to fill its coffers.
But Fitch Ratings has exposed the scale of the landlocked country's looming financial crisis. In mid-May, it downgraded its outlook for the nation's debt from "stable" to "negative" in a report that shines a penetrating light into a communist country notorious for its oppression and secrecy.
"The Negative Outlook reflects the economic and financial-market effects of the coronavirus shock, which have compounded Laos' external financing risks associated with its forthcoming external debt maturities and low foreign-exchange buffers," the report states.
According to Fitch, which gave Laos a "B-" rating, $900 million in external debt payments are due this year, including two of $250 million in the Thai bond market. And from 2021 to 2023, Laos faces $1 billion in external debt servicing payments each year, it adds.
Laos has limited room to maneuver, with its foreign exchange reserves estimated at $1 billion at the end of March. Fitch believes the government will seek loans from commercial banks to fund its external payments.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Coron ... -dams-loom
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donner-kruger
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Re: Laos to press ahead with 'destructive' new dam on Mekong
How is that related to the dam or to what I said? Laos has a debt problem? I'm totally shocked.John Bingham wrote: ↑Wed Nov 03, 2021 10:25 pmAre you just trolling here? You don't seem to have any idea about what is going on in the region.donner-kruger wrote: ↑Wed Nov 03, 2021 10:09 pm It's not like it's some multinational corporation that is going in there to exploit their natural resources.
Laos' debt woes worsen as bills for China-funded dams loom
The country's turn to international markets was signaled in January, after Laos received its first rating of B3 from credit rating agency Moody's. It came four years after Laos sold $182 million in U.S. dollar bonds in two tranches to institutional investors in Thailand. Laos has also issued sovereign bonds denominated in Thai baht to fill its coffers.
But Fitch Ratings has exposed the scale of the landlocked country's looming financial crisis. In mid-May, it downgraded its outlook for the nation's debt from "stable" to "negative" in a report that shines a penetrating light into a communist country notorious for its oppression and secrecy.
"The Negative Outlook reflects the economic and financial-market effects of the coronavirus shock, which have compounded Laos' external financing risks associated with its forthcoming external debt maturities and low foreign-exchange buffers," the report states.
According to Fitch, which gave Laos a "B-" rating, $900 million in external debt payments are due this year, including two of $250 million in the Thai bond market. And from 2021 to 2023, Laos faces $1 billion in external debt servicing payments each year, it adds.
Laos has limited room to maneuver, with its foreign exchange reserves estimated at $1 billion at the end of March. Fitch believes the government will seek loans from commercial banks to fund its external payments.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Coron ... -dams-loom
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