Controversial Luang Prabang Dam Construction Well Underway in Laos

Construction of the controversial Luang Prabang Dam on the Mekong River, near the ancient Lao capital of the same name, is making rapid headway, according to Lao energy officials.

Access roads, including a 14-kilometer spur to the dam from a nearby highway and a road that circles the site, are nearly 60 percent complete, a new ferry port was recently finished, and a workers’ camp and bridge spanning the Mekong are well underway.

An expected 581 families will be displaced by the 1,460-megawatt hydropower project and villagers have voiced concerns that they will be inadequately compensated for relocating.

Keep reading

RFA’s Lao Service. Translated by Max Avary. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.