Electricity production
Hydropower dams
State agencies face legal dispute over Pak Beng dam
Citizens from eight Thai provinces along the Mekong River are suing state agencies because they claim there was inadequate public participation in planning for the Pak Beng hydropower dam, which is being built by Laos.The Thai Network of Eight Mekong Provinces filed a lawsuit in ...
Pak Beng dam project riles locals
Environmental activists will petition the Administrative Court Thursday to help in their protest against the new Pak Beng dam project on the Mekong River in Laos, which could bring both ecological and economic impacts to the region. They want the court to encourage state agencies, ...
Hydropower dams, water diversion threaten Mekong Delta's water security
Scientists have once again raised their concerns about water security in the Mekong Delta, saying that hydropower dams on the Mekong River’s upper course as well as Thailand, Laos and Cambodia’s plans to divert the river are the biggest threats. Le Anh Tuan, deputy head ...
A rising chorus of voices condemns Laos’ planned Pak Beng dam
A damning review of plans for the controversial Pak Beng hydropower dam on the Mekong River in Laos was released this week by US-based advocacy group International Rivers, adding weight to calls for the project to be halted until new impact assessment studies are completed.The ...
The Mekong and the battle for the ‘Mother of Rivers’
For wildlife enthusiasts in the region, these are exciting times. A horned lizard and rainbow-headed snake were among 163 delightful new species documented last year by scientists alongside 10 endangered Irrawaddy dolphin calves. Fewer than 90 Irrawaddy dolphins exist on the planet.But all is not ...
Meet the activists risking life and limb to protect rivers
In late March of this year, an unusual group of activists gathered in Tbilisi, Georgia for a four-day conference to strategize around stopping destructive hydropower projects across the globe. Hailing from countries as diverse as Chile, Congo, Albania, Mongolia, China, Thailand, and Colombia, they had ...
ANZ distances itself from Cambodian partner
Australian financial institution ANZ has distanced itself from the Royal Group, its local partner in a Cambodian joint venture bank, following police reports linking the group to illegal logging activities. A report published by Cambodia’s National Police this week accused Royal Group, owned by prominent ...
VN should move away from coal power: GGGI
Việt Nam News reporter Ngọc Bích speaks with Dr. Frank Rijsberman, director general of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) — a Seoul-based international organisation — about the potential of renewable energy in Việt Nam and what the country should do to overcome challenges in ...
China builds hydropower plant in Laos, poses threat to Mekong Delta
Experts have pointed out that field research results about the Pak Beng hydropower project in Laos are sketchy and do not provide sufficient information. Nguyen Anh Duc, director of the Mekong River Development Assistance Center under the Mekong River Commission of Vietnam, said if the hydropower ...
NA debates amendments to law on electricity
Despite the draft amendment to the Law on Electricity being approved, numerous issues have been relayed to the drafting sub-committee for improvement following comments and recommendations from National Assembly members. Electricity project authorisation, impact compensation or resettlement, and project concessions were some of the topics ...