Energy
Electricity production
New Laos dam draws criticism
News that Laos will move ahead with the proposed 912-megawatt Pak Beng dam, which would be the third mainstream dam in Laos’ Lower Mekong River, has sparked criticism from environmental groups who say downstream countries should decide the fate of potentially harmful development projects. Laos ...
Hydropower review taskforce stalls, waiting for instructions
A Commission member on the taskforce reviewing hydropower projects said the team has yet to hear back from the president about the first submitted report, which is believed to have advised cancelling the controversial, Chinese-backed Myitsone dam. The first report on hydropower projects along the ...
Tidal turbines to power remote site in Indonesia
Over the last year a team of Indonesian and international specialists has worked in a remote part of Bintuni Bay, West Papua, Indonesia. The goal was to assess the local electricity situation, renewable energy options, including tidal in-stream power; and to then install a demonstration ...
Pak Moon dam’s committee resigns en masse
Committee members are Professor Prakob Virotekoot, Mrs Sunee Chairos, Mr Detrat Sookkamnerd, Mr Chavalit Witthayanont, Mr Anant Harnpanichpant, Mr Chalotorn Kansantisookmongkol and Mr Pornchai Tantiwittayapitak. In a statement issued on November 17, the committee said that in the past 20 years, the construction and operations ...
China continues to court on Myitsone project ahead of commission presser
As the commission tasked with reviewing hydropower projects along the upper reaches of the Ayeyarwady River submitted its first report to the president this past week, Chinese state media has assured its nation of the ongoing “friendly and cooperative” Sino-Myanmar relationship. The China News article, ...
Khon Kaen farmers race to harvest paddy as over-capacity dam threatens flooding
Farmers along the Chi River in the Northeast are rushing to harvest rice crops as Ubolratana Dam discharges more water to free up capacity. Farmers were told to be prepared for the possible flooding of paddy fields as they are ready to harvest because Ubolratana ...
Environmentalists, solar sector see hope in treaty
A new treaty signed by Cambodia’s delegation to the COP22 climate conference in Marrakesh aims to bolster the country’s nascent solar energy industry, though some say substantial outside assistance is needed for solar to take off. On the sidelines of the conference on Tuesday, Environment ...
Experts question praise of China’s ‘drought relief’
The Mekong River Commission, in a missive posted on their website on November 14, credited China’s “emergency water release” from its Mekong dams with successfully helping to alleviate the drought in the Mekong River Basin earlier this year, a claim disputed by experts. The statement ...
Govt proceeds with planned Mekong hydro project
The government has informed the Mekong River Commission that it will proceed with the planned development of a new Mekong hydropower project in Pakbaeng district, Oudomxay province. The MRC Secretariat said on its website that it has received notification from the Lao government that Laos ...
The hydropower paradox: is this energy as clean as it seems?
In July, UN Secretary Ban Ki-Moon highlighted the role of hydropower in boosting the use of renewable energy globally, when he visited a nonprofit institute in China that helps emerging nations develop and build hydropower plants. Many countries consider hydroelectricity a clean source of power ...
