Researchers seek alternatives to Mekong River hydropower dam
The Mekong River, flowing from the Tibetan Plateau through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam to the South China Sea, is a hotbed of ecological diversity. The roughly 60 million people who live in the region, many in poverty, depend on the river and its tributaries for food and income. But a surge in hydropower […]
How solar could save the Mekong
Cambodia’s Great Lake, the Tonle Sap and Vietnam’s Mekong Delta are suffering harmful impacts from the suppression of the Mekong River’s annual flood pulse – a consequence of the operation of hydroelectric dams far upstream in Yunnan, China, and on tributaries of the Mekong in Laos and Vietnam. Many more dams are planned. If they […]
After a Long Boom, an Uncertain Future for Big Dam Projects
The rise of wind and solar power, coupled with the increasing social, environmental and financial costs of hydropower projects, could spell the end of an era of big dams. But even anti-dam activists say it’s too early to declare the demise of large-scale hydro. The last few years have been turbulent for the global dam […]
Serba Dinamik to acquire stake in firm involved in Laos hydropower project
KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 16): Serba Dinamik Holdings Bhd plans to acquire a 49% stake in OHP Ventures Incorporated (OHP Ventures) for US$800,000 or approximately RM3.33 million to expand its EPCC (engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning) business segment and capabilities. As a shareholder of OHP Ventures, Serba Dinamik may also reap benefits from an energy project […]
Laos set to check all hydropower dams nationwide by 2021
VIENTIANE, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) — Lao Minister of Energy and Mines Khammany Inthirath told the National Assembly that inspection teams have completed checks on 20 dams with another 50 yet to be carried out, and the teams plan to finish their work at all dams by 2021. The Ministry of Energy and Mines is working […]
In Laos, a World Bank ‘model’ dam and the myth of sustainable hydropower
BANGKOK — It wasn’t a flood. It was a tsunami, Premrudee Daorung said of the wall of water that tore through the forests of Laos’ Attapeu province, snapping timber like matchsticks and flattening entire villages. The July collapse of the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy saddle dam in southern Laos and the widespread disaster that followed made international headlines. But Premrudee, coordinator […]
Hydroelectric Power in Laos: Economic Security in Energy-Hungry South-East Asia
Background Hydroelectricity is at the core of Laos’ strategy to become the “Battery of Asia”. The export of electricity to neighbouring high-growth states, such as Thailand, is predicted to stimulate economic development. The average Laotian is likely to benefit from new employment opportunities, greater access to electricity and the development of infrastructure related to hydroelectric […]
New questions asked about Laos dam toll, builder’s role
Civil society groups say govt toll of about 40 is not credible, that 800 or more people could have died in July; while Korean lawmaker claims the firm building the dam altered the design and lowered the height to boost profit The official death toll given by Vientiane for the dam disaster in southern Laos […]
Chinese dams ramp up Lao external debt
Analysts predict increasing difficulty with mounting loans from China BANGKOK — In its rush to become the “battery” of Southeast Asia, Laos is accepting more Chinese loans to build dams, ensuring the already debt-strapped country falls ever deeper into China’s pocket. The landlocked country’s latest dam project is the groundwork for the $2.1 billion Pak Lay hydropower scheme on […]
Laos plans 12 new hydropower projects this year
Laos intends to complete 12 new hydropower dam projects in 2019 with a total capacity of 1,950 megawatts, the Vietnam News Agency reported on Wednesday, quoting local media. Some 80% of the electricity produced by the plants, or 1,570 megawatts, will be exported to Thailand, while the rest is earmarked for domestic consumption. Laos currently has […]