By Mean Veasna, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
30 January 2008
At least two large Chinese companies have received investment licenses to take over hydroelectric projects in Cambodia.
Meanwhile, Chinese companies are studying four other projects, officials said recently. But the dams seriously threaten the environment, according to two groups that released a report Monday.
Cambodia fuel prices are higher than its neighbors in the region. Only 20 percent of the people living in downtown areas have enough electricity. The Cambodian government has said there is a clear need to lower electricity costs.
And the plan has encouraged private sector to produce and share electricity. But the investment in Cambodian hydroelectricity is threatening the ecological system and could affect thousands of Cambodian people, International Rivers and the Rivers Coalition in Cambodia said in a report, issued Monday.
The report says five Chinese hydroelectric companies, including Sinohydro Corporation and Yunan Corporation for International Techno-Economic Corporation, received government licenses to invest more than $500 million.
Three other companies had an agreement with the government to study four projects.
The report says the Kamchay hydroelectric project in Bokor National Forest, Kampot province, invested by Sinohydro, flooded 2000 hectares of forest.
Stung Chhay Areng, in the central Cadramom Mountains, could flood nine villages, affecting about 1,500 people, most of whom are ethnic minorities.
The project could flood the habitat of at least 31 animal species that are almost extinct. Meanwhile, a Sambo hydroelectric project in the Mekong basin would block the habitat and migration routes of fish species.
Ngy San is vice president of the NGO Forum of Cambodia and a member of Rivers Coalition in Cambodia.
He urged the government to initiate a clear national program and said the government had not studied the consequences of the project licenses.
“The report says those investments are mostly or totally made based on politics, which means the leaders of the two countries meet with each other,” he said. “They decided with the facilitation of the engineers. So, we request that the government should come up with a national program on the investment of local hydroelectric development.”
Several government environmental officials declined to comment on the report.
Ith Prang, secretary of state of the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy, said an impact study is conducted on every hydroelectric project, though some studies have not been concluded.
“We could not evaluate unless we have studied the environment around,” Ith Prang said. Officials in charge of commerce in the Chinese embassy in Phnom Penh refused to be interviewed to clarify the rivers report.
Kim Sovann, a spokesman for Sinohydro, said he had not seen the report of the above organizations. But he confirmed several studies were undertaken before his company received a license to invest.
“My company and the Ministry of Environment sent our staff to the site several times,” Kim Sovann said.
Ngy San said the investment could mean a surplus in Cambodian electric power in a couple of years, which would have environmental consequences and bring uncertainty in the sale of power to other countries.
But Ith Prang said the electric power production increase would be done yearly, according to actual need.
Meanwhile, Chinese companies are studying four other projects, officials said recently. But the dams seriously threaten the environment, according to two groups that released a report Monday.
Cambodia fuel prices are higher than its neighbors in the region. Only 20 percent of the people living in downtown areas have enough electricity. The Cambodian government has said there is a clear need to lower electricity costs.
And the plan has encouraged private sector to produce and share electricity. But the investment in Cambodian hydroelectricity is threatening the ecological system and could affect thousands of Cambodian people, International Rivers and the Rivers Coalition in Cambodia said in a report, issued Monday.
The report says five Chinese hydroelectric companies, including Sinohydro Corporation and Yunan Corporation for International Techno-Economic Corporation, received government licenses to invest more than $500 million.
Three other companies had an agreement with the government to study four projects.
The report says the Kamchay hydroelectric project in Bokor National Forest, Kampot province, invested by Sinohydro, flooded 2000 hectares of forest.
Stung Chhay Areng, in the central Cadramom Mountains, could flood nine villages, affecting about 1,500 people, most of whom are ethnic minorities.
The project could flood the habitat of at least 31 animal species that are almost extinct. Meanwhile, a Sambo hydroelectric project in the Mekong basin would block the habitat and migration routes of fish species.
Ngy San is vice president of the NGO Forum of Cambodia and a member of Rivers Coalition in Cambodia.
He urged the government to initiate a clear national program and said the government had not studied the consequences of the project licenses.
“The report says those investments are mostly or totally made based on politics, which means the leaders of the two countries meet with each other,” he said. “They decided with the facilitation of the engineers. So, we request that the government should come up with a national program on the investment of local hydroelectric development.”
Several government environmental officials declined to comment on the report.
Ith Prang, secretary of state of the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy, said an impact study is conducted on every hydroelectric project, though some studies have not been concluded.
“We could not evaluate unless we have studied the environment around,” Ith Prang said. Officials in charge of commerce in the Chinese embassy in Phnom Penh refused to be interviewed to clarify the rivers report.
Kim Sovann, a spokesman for Sinohydro, said he had not seen the report of the above organizations. But he confirmed several studies were undertaken before his company received a license to invest.
“My company and the Ministry of Environment sent our staff to the site several times,” Kim Sovann said.
Ngy San said the investment could mean a surplus in Cambodian electric power in a couple of years, which would have environmental consequences and bring uncertainty in the sale of power to other countries.
But Ith Prang said the electric power production increase would be done yearly, according to actual need.
3 comments:
-It would be nice if the Americans, the Britishs, the Australians, the Canadians or the Frenchs decide to help Cambodia by investing in those Hydro Power Dams. It would be great if they would come with a price not higher that the one asked by the Chineses. So far, why no one other than China answer to our request?
-How long we should depend on the Viets or the Thais for electrical power we need?
How long we should wait for our economic development?
agree, no other country comes to assist cambodia, except china and china gets the blame. how fair is that? so, stop bitching, environmentalists; goes voice your boring mouths elsewhere where they build larger dams than in cambodia. have you people forget that cambodia needs to solve our electricity/energy shortage. can't rely on viet and thai electricity forever. answer this question: how else can cambodia gov't have enough electricity to support, not only its growing population, but its growing economy as well. please be realistic and be constructive. cambodia is open for business. i can tell you, cambodia would like to see assistance in this electricity/energy crisis from the USA, Canada, Europe, Japan, and other other powerful countries. cambodian people are not too thrill when it comes to assistance from vietnam or thailand in this field. so stop complaining about china helping cambodia to build dams when no other country do anything to help. of course, when dams are built, anywhere in the world, you will inevitably see some environmental damages like flooding, population relocation, etc. so stop bitching, instead help with the solution to meet the long-term energy independence for cambodia.
Stupid idea 7:56! Do you think that these western countries will help us? They only look at economic perspective. They are much greedy then you thought.
USA destroyed Cambodia with bombs and chemical, Frence gave part of Cambodia to Vietnam? when almost 2 million people killed within 3.8 years, WHERE ARE THESE BULLSHITs? Who will we trust, then?
Only CHINA, who can help Cambodia from being harrassed by Youn and Thai. We need China or Russia. otherwise,we are the loser forever.
Most people here are living abroad. so they think that western countries are good for them. But learn and read more how western countries rob other countries! I call them ROBBERs.
Some coountries,Australia, UK, USA, etc now allow High Educated People (PhD or over) to live in their countries. I still call them ROBBER of the poor nations.
They talk about powerty reduction, but they steal human resources from us. How can we build our country without skillful people?
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