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| Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com) |
Showing posts with label Hydroelectric dams. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hydroelectric dams. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Sacrava's Political Cartoon: A Free Fart
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Expert Warns Against Dam Projects
By Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
27 April 2009
Original report from Washington
27 April 2009
International environmental experts warned this week that hydropower dams to be built on the Mekong River will have serious and long-term impacts on the environment and livelihoods of millions of people living along the river, especially those at its lower reaches in Laos and Cambodia.
They urged these countries to carefully consider impacts that have already been experienced in some of the developed world.
“The problem is not really about development and rights to development but it is about what kind of development, a short-term goal versus long-term cost,” Richard Cronin, director of the Southeast Asia Program of Henry L. Stimson Centre, told an auditorium organized by East-West Centre in Washington.
The use of hydropower and large dams as a source of energy “is extremely controversial, and particularly one of the most controversial things about it is old thinking,” he said. “We are now in this country trying to undo a lot of the damage that we did to rivers, especially in fisheries, from these big dams that we put up in 1930s.”
There are currently 11 hydropower dams planned for Laos and Cambodia. Two are in Cambodia. China, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia are main developers, with China playing a major role by taking four projects.
According to environmental experts, dam construction could affect water levels and cause erosion. This will subsequently have serious impacts on fish populations and people who rely on fisheries. It will also block the flow of fertile soil, which is important for agriculture.
“It actually creates a physical block to fish migration, and there are many species of fish that migrate from the Tonle Sap and some other parts of the flooded zone up into the Mekong mainstream,” said Blake Ratner, the regional director of the World Fish Center, an international organization based in Phnom Penh.
“They migrate up into tributaries in the upland within Cambodia, but also through the mainstream to Laos and even to northern Laos,” he told VOA Khmer by phone. “So to put a dam that blocks this fish migration means that it puts at risk a great majority of the piece that is important to the commercial catch.”
Out of many hydropower dams planned, Laos’s Don Sahong dam, located near the Cambodian border, has caused a lot of controversy and debate. It is feared that the impacts it has are vast, compared to the 300-some megawatts of power it is expected to generate.
“The Don Sahong dam will seriously affect fish populations, and we are discussing this with Laos since we are in the Mekong River family,” Sin Niny, vice chairman of Cambodia National Mekong Committee, told VOA in a phone interview. “Laos said that once they have finished their study, they will share the findings with us in a stakeholder forum for inputs.”
Even as it worries about developments upriver, Cambodia is looking at the possibility of developing a hydropower dam called Sambo in the northern province of Kratie, under an investment from China. The study for that dam is due to finish in 2010.
“The oil crises that happened in the past make us realize that we cannot leave aside resources that we can use to produce a cheap electrical supply,” Sin Niny said. “It is sustainable. We don’t need to buy others’ oil.”
The Sambo dam could provide 2,600 megawatts of electricity, and through other hydro-development schemes, the country is expected to be energy self-sufficient by 2012 and able to export power four years after that.
However, Cronin suggested that a regional power supply was a better choice. A hydropower dam should be built in the upper Mekong, where it would do no harm to fish migration, the Don Sahong and Sambo dams abandoned, he said.
“You could consider building a dam where the cost benefit is the best and then sharing that power in the region,” he said. “Of course you can build the dam in northern Laos, where it would not have anywhere near the impacts on fishery that these two other Mekong dams would have.”
The Mekong River flows for 4,880 kilometres from its headwaters in Tibet, then through Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, one of the largest sources of freshwater fish in the world.
They urged these countries to carefully consider impacts that have already been experienced in some of the developed world.
“The problem is not really about development and rights to development but it is about what kind of development, a short-term goal versus long-term cost,” Richard Cronin, director of the Southeast Asia Program of Henry L. Stimson Centre, told an auditorium organized by East-West Centre in Washington.
The use of hydropower and large dams as a source of energy “is extremely controversial, and particularly one of the most controversial things about it is old thinking,” he said. “We are now in this country trying to undo a lot of the damage that we did to rivers, especially in fisheries, from these big dams that we put up in 1930s.”
There are currently 11 hydropower dams planned for Laos and Cambodia. Two are in Cambodia. China, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia are main developers, with China playing a major role by taking four projects.
According to environmental experts, dam construction could affect water levels and cause erosion. This will subsequently have serious impacts on fish populations and people who rely on fisheries. It will also block the flow of fertile soil, which is important for agriculture.
“It actually creates a physical block to fish migration, and there are many species of fish that migrate from the Tonle Sap and some other parts of the flooded zone up into the Mekong mainstream,” said Blake Ratner, the regional director of the World Fish Center, an international organization based in Phnom Penh.
“They migrate up into tributaries in the upland within Cambodia, but also through the mainstream to Laos and even to northern Laos,” he told VOA Khmer by phone. “So to put a dam that blocks this fish migration means that it puts at risk a great majority of the piece that is important to the commercial catch.”
Out of many hydropower dams planned, Laos’s Don Sahong dam, located near the Cambodian border, has caused a lot of controversy and debate. It is feared that the impacts it has are vast, compared to the 300-some megawatts of power it is expected to generate.
“The Don Sahong dam will seriously affect fish populations, and we are discussing this with Laos since we are in the Mekong River family,” Sin Niny, vice chairman of Cambodia National Mekong Committee, told VOA in a phone interview. “Laos said that once they have finished their study, they will share the findings with us in a stakeholder forum for inputs.”
Even as it worries about developments upriver, Cambodia is looking at the possibility of developing a hydropower dam called Sambo in the northern province of Kratie, under an investment from China. The study for that dam is due to finish in 2010.
“The oil crises that happened in the past make us realize that we cannot leave aside resources that we can use to produce a cheap electrical supply,” Sin Niny said. “It is sustainable. We don’t need to buy others’ oil.”
The Sambo dam could provide 2,600 megawatts of electricity, and through other hydro-development schemes, the country is expected to be energy self-sufficient by 2012 and able to export power four years after that.
However, Cronin suggested that a regional power supply was a better choice. A hydropower dam should be built in the upper Mekong, where it would do no harm to fish migration, the Don Sahong and Sambo dams abandoned, he said.
“You could consider building a dam where the cost benefit is the best and then sharing that power in the region,” he said. “Of course you can build the dam in northern Laos, where it would not have anywhere near the impacts on fishery that these two other Mekong dams would have.”
The Mekong River flows for 4,880 kilometres from its headwaters in Tibet, then through Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, one of the largest sources of freshwater fish in the world.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Agencies Worry Over Cambodian Rivers
By Taing Sarada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
16 October 2008
Original report from Washington
16 October 2008
International and local non-governmental agencies are concerned that the building of hydroelectric dams in China, Laos and Vietnam could adversely affect Cambodia’s waterways.
“I think in the future, Cambodia might have a big problem, because when they build the dam or construct some other things in China, Laos or Vietnam,” Mickey Sampson, a country director for the Resource Development International Cambodia told VOA in Khmer in Washington.
Water that flows from the Himalayas flows into Cambodia, bringing to the Tonle Sap river mud and soil,” Sampson said. But damming the Mekong river can reduce the flow of fertile mud and change the diversity of wildlife in river systems, he said.
Meanwhile, the runoff of fertilizers and pesticides by Cambodian farmers into rivers is also hurting the waterways, he said.
Sampson said his organization has had in place for three years water monitoring systems, “so when they build the dam, then we can see clearly that the quality of water and diversity are changing in Cambodia.”
Minister of Water Resources Lim Kien Hor told VOA Khmer Cambodia was committed to environmental issues and was watching dam construction on the Mekong carefully.
“Cambodia is paying a lot of attention to the water issue,” he said. “Laos plans to build a dam, and we are interested to have a talk with them about this.”
The Khmer Association for Rural Development Cambodia, based in Kratie province, worries that the construction of hydroelectric dams could cause serious flooding and destroy thousands of hectares of farmland.
“I think in the future, Cambodia might have a big problem, because when they build the dam or construct some other things in China, Laos or Vietnam,” Mickey Sampson, a country director for the Resource Development International Cambodia told VOA in Khmer in Washington.
Water that flows from the Himalayas flows into Cambodia, bringing to the Tonle Sap river mud and soil,” Sampson said. But damming the Mekong river can reduce the flow of fertile mud and change the diversity of wildlife in river systems, he said.
Meanwhile, the runoff of fertilizers and pesticides by Cambodian farmers into rivers is also hurting the waterways, he said.
Sampson said his organization has had in place for three years water monitoring systems, “so when they build the dam, then we can see clearly that the quality of water and diversity are changing in Cambodia.”
Minister of Water Resources Lim Kien Hor told VOA Khmer Cambodia was committed to environmental issues and was watching dam construction on the Mekong carefully.
“Cambodia is paying a lot of attention to the water issue,” he said. “Laos plans to build a dam, and we are interested to have a talk with them about this.”
The Khmer Association for Rural Development Cambodia, based in Kratie province, worries that the construction of hydroelectric dams could cause serious flooding and destroy thousands of hectares of farmland.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Hydropower projects lack transparency and could displace thousands in Cambodia, says UN
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Published Aug. 28, 2008
Published Aug. 28, 2008
Over the past year Phnom Penh has been considering several multi-million dollar dam projects around the lush Cardamom mountains and in other regions which threaten the country's wildlife and, if implemented, could lead to the displacement of thousands of people.
“The prime minister has been pushing to build these dams very quickly,” said Seng Bunra, Cambodia’s country director for Conservation International, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) working to protect rainforests worldwide. “'We need to make sure the feasibility studies are not rushed, and that care is taken in their construction.”
Bunra is especially concerned about a hydropower project on the Areng river, which he says could flood 20,000 hectares and displace some 1,500 primarily indigenous people.
The government has appeared to be unwilling to discuss the feasibility and environmental effects of the dam, he said.
“They [the government] had a research team studying the feasibility of the Areng project,” Bunra told IRIN, “but they just… kept it private, and then stopped studying it.”
Lack of public consultation
The World Commission on Dams (WCD) [see:], which sets international hydropower standards, says construction locations should be determined through a public consultation process.
A joint report by the NGOs International Rivers (IR) and the Rivers Coalition in Cambodia (RCC) also concluded that “hydropower development in Cambodia has proceeded in the absence of meaningful public consultation and an overall lack of transparency in the decision-making process.”
The report points out that Prime Minister Hun Sen and his cabinet have repeatedly made decisions regarding hydropower “behind closed doors”.
“We're still not certain on the actual roles of the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Industry, Mines, and Energy, and the National Electricity Authority,” said Ngy San, director of the RCC. “We're concerned the government has not been releasing this information publicly, but the prime minister seems to be the main decision-maker regardless.”
Representatives from the Ministry of Industry, Mines, and Energy were unavailable for comment.
China's influence
To counteract spiralling electricity prices (some of the highest in the world, according to the World Bank), the government has embraced a development plan tapping into Cambodia's vast river resources, with annual funding from Beijing (US$600 million) that almost equals the total of Western donor monetary aid.
In April, Chinese Foreign Minister Wen Jiabao promised $1 billion in aid to Cambodia specifically for two hydropower projects, which have since materialised into the Stung Tatay and Stung Russey Chrum Krom dams.
Unlike aid from Western governments and NGOs, Chinese aid comes with no good governance or transparency strings attached. Premier Hun Sen praised China after an earlier $600 million aid package in 2006 for not “interfering with the internal affairs of Cambodia”.
However, whether Chinese companies will build dams that meet international environmental and social standards remains questionable, says the IR report
China's largest hydropower firm, Sinohydro Corporation, will build the $280 million Kamchay dam inside a major national park, potentially flooding 2,000 hectares of protected forest, the report warns.
Sinohydro, owned by the Chinese government, was “downgraded” in 2006 after a government review - for its poor performance and for unspecified safety and environmental accidents - the IR report notes.
The details of many hydropower contracts - particularly Sinohydro's - remain unknown. Cambodian lawmakers were asked to endorse the Sinohydro deal in 2006 without even having had access to the contract, according to the Cambodia Daily newspaper.
Environmental concerns
Another dam project under way on the Atay river threatens endangered Siamese crocodiles, which rely on the river's seasonal levels for breeding.
Various species of turtle, fish, and birds are also at risk, according to Flora and Fauna International, an NGO that protects two wildlife sanctuaries in the Cardamom Mountains.
Local diets depend particularly on fish, of which several species may face significantly reduced populations, according to Flora and Fauna.
The Atay dam will flood 3,560 hectares of protected forest in the Phnom Samkok Wildlife Sanctuary, and 5,193 hectares in total, according to a recent assessment by the Chinese Danang Corporation.
“In terms of conservation, it's a lot of land,” Bunra told IRIN. “We cannot stop the development projects in these areas, but we can only ask the government and companies to reduce the environmental impact.”
Government’s stance
The official stance of the Ministry of Industry, Mines, and Energy states that the Cardamom Mountains consist of over one million hectares, making 5,000 hectares worth sacrificing to lower energy costs in Cambodia.
Thorn Kimhong, who directs the Cardamom natural protected areas for the Ministry of Environment, said the Atay dam was necessary. “The dams must be built,” he told IRIN. “We need it for lower energy prices and for developing Cambodia.”
But for the thousands of residents who could be displaced, uncertainty lies ahead.
“The prime minister has been pushing to build these dams very quickly,” said Seng Bunra, Cambodia’s country director for Conservation International, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) working to protect rainforests worldwide. “'We need to make sure the feasibility studies are not rushed, and that care is taken in their construction.”
Bunra is especially concerned about a hydropower project on the Areng river, which he says could flood 20,000 hectares and displace some 1,500 primarily indigenous people.
The government has appeared to be unwilling to discuss the feasibility and environmental effects of the dam, he said.
“They [the government] had a research team studying the feasibility of the Areng project,” Bunra told IRIN, “but they just… kept it private, and then stopped studying it.”
Lack of public consultation
The World Commission on Dams (WCD) [see:], which sets international hydropower standards, says construction locations should be determined through a public consultation process.
A joint report by the NGOs International Rivers (IR) and the Rivers Coalition in Cambodia (RCC) also concluded that “hydropower development in Cambodia has proceeded in the absence of meaningful public consultation and an overall lack of transparency in the decision-making process.”
The report points out that Prime Minister Hun Sen and his cabinet have repeatedly made decisions regarding hydropower “behind closed doors”.
“We're still not certain on the actual roles of the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Industry, Mines, and Energy, and the National Electricity Authority,” said Ngy San, director of the RCC. “We're concerned the government has not been releasing this information publicly, but the prime minister seems to be the main decision-maker regardless.”
Representatives from the Ministry of Industry, Mines, and Energy were unavailable for comment.
China's influence
To counteract spiralling electricity prices (some of the highest in the world, according to the World Bank), the government has embraced a development plan tapping into Cambodia's vast river resources, with annual funding from Beijing (US$600 million) that almost equals the total of Western donor monetary aid.
In April, Chinese Foreign Minister Wen Jiabao promised $1 billion in aid to Cambodia specifically for two hydropower projects, which have since materialised into the Stung Tatay and Stung Russey Chrum Krom dams.
Unlike aid from Western governments and NGOs, Chinese aid comes with no good governance or transparency strings attached. Premier Hun Sen praised China after an earlier $600 million aid package in 2006 for not “interfering with the internal affairs of Cambodia”.
However, whether Chinese companies will build dams that meet international environmental and social standards remains questionable, says the IR report
China's largest hydropower firm, Sinohydro Corporation, will build the $280 million Kamchay dam inside a major national park, potentially flooding 2,000 hectares of protected forest, the report warns.
Sinohydro, owned by the Chinese government, was “downgraded” in 2006 after a government review - for its poor performance and for unspecified safety and environmental accidents - the IR report notes.
The details of many hydropower contracts - particularly Sinohydro's - remain unknown. Cambodian lawmakers were asked to endorse the Sinohydro deal in 2006 without even having had access to the contract, according to the Cambodia Daily newspaper.
Environmental concerns
Another dam project under way on the Atay river threatens endangered Siamese crocodiles, which rely on the river's seasonal levels for breeding.
Various species of turtle, fish, and birds are also at risk, according to Flora and Fauna International, an NGO that protects two wildlife sanctuaries in the Cardamom Mountains.
Local diets depend particularly on fish, of which several species may face significantly reduced populations, according to Flora and Fauna.
The Atay dam will flood 3,560 hectares of protected forest in the Phnom Samkok Wildlife Sanctuary, and 5,193 hectares in total, according to a recent assessment by the Chinese Danang Corporation.
“In terms of conservation, it's a lot of land,” Bunra told IRIN. “We cannot stop the development projects in these areas, but we can only ask the government and companies to reduce the environmental impact.”
Government’s stance
The official stance of the Ministry of Industry, Mines, and Energy states that the Cardamom Mountains consist of over one million hectares, making 5,000 hectares worth sacrificing to lower energy costs in Cambodia.
Thorn Kimhong, who directs the Cardamom natural protected areas for the Ministry of Environment, said the Atay dam was necessary. “The dams must be built,” he told IRIN. “We need it for lower energy prices and for developing Cambodia.”
But for the thousands of residents who could be displaced, uncertainty lies ahead.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
CAMBODIA: Hydropower projects lack transparency, could displace thousands
Many people could lose their livelihoods if new hydropower dams are built (Photo: Geoffrey Cain/IRIN)PHNOM PENH, 27 August 2008 (IRIN) - Over the past year Phnom Penh has been considering several multi-million dollar dam projects around the lush Cardamom mountains and in other regions which threaten the country's wildlife and, if implemented, could lead to the displacement of thousands of people.
“The prime minister has been pushing to build these dams very quickly,” said Seng Bunra, Cambodia’s country director for Conservation International, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) working to protect rainforests worldwide. “'We need to make sure the feasibility studies are not rushed, and that care is taken in their construction.”
Bunra is especially concerned about a hydropower project on the Areng river, which he says could flood 20,000 hectares and displace some 1,500 primarily indigenous people.
The government has appeared to be unwilling to discuss the feasibility and environmental effects of the dam, he said.
“They [the government] had a research team studying the feasibility of the Areng project,” Bunra told IRIN, “but they just… kept it private, and then stopped studying it.”
Lack of public consultation
The World Commission on Dams (WCD), which sets international hydropower standards, says construction locations should be determined through a public consultation process.
A joint report by the NGOs International Rivers (IR) and the Rivers Coalition in Cambodia (RCC) also concluded that “hydropower development in Cambodia has proceeded in the absence of meaningful public consultation and an overall lack of transparency in the decision-making process.”
The report points out that Prime Minister Hun Sen and his cabinet have repeatedly made decisions regarding hydropower “behind closed doors”.
“We're still not certain on the actual roles of the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Industry, Mines, and Energy, and the National Electricity Authority,” said Ngy San, director of the RCC. “We're concerned the government has not been releasing this information publicly, but the prime minister seems to be the main decision-maker regardless.”
Representatives from the Ministry of Industry, Mines, and Energy were unavailable for comment.
China's influence
To counteract spiralling electricity prices (some of the highest in the world, according to the World Bank), the government has embraced a development plan tapping into Cambodia's vast river resources, with annual funding from Beijing (US$600 million) that almost equals the total of Western donor monetary aid.
In April, Chinese Foreign Minister Wen Jiabao promised $1 billion in aid to Cambodia specifically for two hydropower projects, which have since materialised into the Stung Tatay and Stung Russey Chrum Krom dams.
Unlike aid from Western governments and NGOs, Chinese aid comes with no good governance or transparency strings attached. Premier Hun Sen praised China after an earlier $600 million aid package in 2006 for not “interfering with the internal affairs of Cambodia”.
However, whether Chinese companies will build dams that meet international environmental and social standards remains questionable, says the IR report
China's largest hydropower firm, Sinohydro Corporation, will build the $280 million Kamchay dam inside a major national park, potentially flooding 2,000 hectares of protected forest, the report warns.
Sinohydro, owned by the Chinese government, was “downgraded” in 2006 after a government review - for its poor performance and for unspecified safety and environmental accidents - the IR report notes.
The details of many hydropower contracts - particularly Sinohydro's - remain unknown. Cambodian lawmakers were asked to endorse the Sinohydro deal in 2006 without even having had access to the contract, according to the Cambodia Daily newspaper.
Environmental concerns
Another dam project under way on the Atay river threatens endangered Siamese crocodiles, which rely on the river's seasonal levels for breeding.
Various species of turtle, fish, and birds are also at risk, according to Flora and Fauna International, an NGO that protects two wildlife sanctuaries in the Cardamom Mountains.
Local diets depend particularly on fish, of which several species may face significantly reduced populations, according to Flora and Fauna.
The Atay dam will flood 3,560 hectares of protected forest in the Phnom Samkok Wildlife Sanctuary, and 5,193 hectares in total, according to a recent assessment by the Chinese Danang Corporation.
“In terms of conservation, it's a lot of land,” Bunra told IRIN. “We cannot stop the development projects in these areas, but we can only ask the government and companies to reduce the environmental impact.”
Government’s stance
The official stance of the Ministry of Industry, Mines, and Energy states that the Cardamom Mountains consist of over one million hectares, making 5,000 hectares worth sacrificing to lower energy costs in Cambodia.
Thorn Kimhong, who directs the Cardamom natural protected areas for the Ministry of Environment, said the Atay dam was necessary. “The dams must be built,” he told IRIN. “We need it for lower energy prices and for developing Cambodia.”
But for the thousands of residents who could be displaced, uncertainty lies ahead.
“The prime minister has been pushing to build these dams very quickly,” said Seng Bunra, Cambodia’s country director for Conservation International, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) working to protect rainforests worldwide. “'We need to make sure the feasibility studies are not rushed, and that care is taken in their construction.”
Bunra is especially concerned about a hydropower project on the Areng river, which he says could flood 20,000 hectares and displace some 1,500 primarily indigenous people.
The government has appeared to be unwilling to discuss the feasibility and environmental effects of the dam, he said.
“They [the government] had a research team studying the feasibility of the Areng project,” Bunra told IRIN, “but they just… kept it private, and then stopped studying it.”
Lack of public consultation
The World Commission on Dams (WCD), which sets international hydropower standards, says construction locations should be determined through a public consultation process.
A joint report by the NGOs International Rivers (IR) and the Rivers Coalition in Cambodia (RCC) also concluded that “hydropower development in Cambodia has proceeded in the absence of meaningful public consultation and an overall lack of transparency in the decision-making process.”
The report points out that Prime Minister Hun Sen and his cabinet have repeatedly made decisions regarding hydropower “behind closed doors”.
“We're still not certain on the actual roles of the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Industry, Mines, and Energy, and the National Electricity Authority,” said Ngy San, director of the RCC. “We're concerned the government has not been releasing this information publicly, but the prime minister seems to be the main decision-maker regardless.”
Representatives from the Ministry of Industry, Mines, and Energy were unavailable for comment.
China's influence
To counteract spiralling electricity prices (some of the highest in the world, according to the World Bank), the government has embraced a development plan tapping into Cambodia's vast river resources, with annual funding from Beijing (US$600 million) that almost equals the total of Western donor monetary aid.
In April, Chinese Foreign Minister Wen Jiabao promised $1 billion in aid to Cambodia specifically for two hydropower projects, which have since materialised into the Stung Tatay and Stung Russey Chrum Krom dams.
Unlike aid from Western governments and NGOs, Chinese aid comes with no good governance or transparency strings attached. Premier Hun Sen praised China after an earlier $600 million aid package in 2006 for not “interfering with the internal affairs of Cambodia”.
However, whether Chinese companies will build dams that meet international environmental and social standards remains questionable, says the IR report
China's largest hydropower firm, Sinohydro Corporation, will build the $280 million Kamchay dam inside a major national park, potentially flooding 2,000 hectares of protected forest, the report warns.
Sinohydro, owned by the Chinese government, was “downgraded” in 2006 after a government review - for its poor performance and for unspecified safety and environmental accidents - the IR report notes.
The details of many hydropower contracts - particularly Sinohydro's - remain unknown. Cambodian lawmakers were asked to endorse the Sinohydro deal in 2006 without even having had access to the contract, according to the Cambodia Daily newspaper.
Environmental concerns
Another dam project under way on the Atay river threatens endangered Siamese crocodiles, which rely on the river's seasonal levels for breeding.
Various species of turtle, fish, and birds are also at risk, according to Flora and Fauna International, an NGO that protects two wildlife sanctuaries in the Cardamom Mountains.
Local diets depend particularly on fish, of which several species may face significantly reduced populations, according to Flora and Fauna.
The Atay dam will flood 3,560 hectares of protected forest in the Phnom Samkok Wildlife Sanctuary, and 5,193 hectares in total, according to a recent assessment by the Chinese Danang Corporation.
“In terms of conservation, it's a lot of land,” Bunra told IRIN. “We cannot stop the development projects in these areas, but we can only ask the government and companies to reduce the environmental impact.”
Government’s stance
The official stance of the Ministry of Industry, Mines, and Energy states that the Cardamom Mountains consist of over one million hectares, making 5,000 hectares worth sacrificing to lower energy costs in Cambodia.
Thorn Kimhong, who directs the Cardamom natural protected areas for the Ministry of Environment, said the Atay dam was necessary. “The dams must be built,” he told IRIN. “We need it for lower energy prices and for developing Cambodia.”
But for the thousands of residents who could be displaced, uncertainty lies ahead.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Water Rush [-Cambodia plans to build a whopping 5,000 megawatts of hydroelectric power capacity on the Mekong River]
07.25.08
William Pentland
Forbes (USA)
William Pentland
Forbes (USA)
Is your company looking for a cheap source of energy? Consider moving your plant to Vietnam's Mekong Delta, roughly two hours outside of Ho Chi Minh City.
It's not a particularly convenient place to access, but it's got something most other parts of the world don't have: a prodigious source of hydro-electricity.
The Mekong River, 4,500 miles long and the world's 10th largest in total discharge, is fast becoming a global magnet for water power, a cheap resource sought by industries as divergent as semiconductors and aluminum smelting, for which electricity makes up half the cost of production.
Intel (nasdaq: INTC - news - people ) is building a $1 billion semiconductor plant there. General Electric (nyse: GE - news - people ) has already built a big turbine plant, and is looking to expand in what has become one of the world's fastest growing economies (gross domestic product growth last year: 8.5% compared with 2.2% for the U.S.).
Japanese companies like Yamaha Motor and Mabuchi Motor may soon take the plunge as well.
Last year, foreign investment in Vietnam grew more than 60%, to $17 billion, up from $10 billion the year before, and water was a big part of the allure. Never mind that other countries might have a more sophisticated technology base or have more demand for semiconductors.
"The semiconductor industry is very thirsty, and one of the things that Vietnam has is lots of unclaimed water," says JP Morgan economist Marc Levinson. "So Intel can go in and get access to water supplies that companies, which come later might not be able to get access to."
Hydropower is cheap and clean. Utility-scale hydro plants cost billions of dollars to build but very little to operate and maintain. Once the initial costs are paid off, the plants churn out cheap electricity for several decades and tend to last longer than any other type of power plant. Hydropower is as cheap as coal but doesn't have the public relations and carbon problems.
Vietnam isn't the only country in the region trying to tap it.
Cambodia plans to build a whopping 5,000 megawatts of hydroelectric power capacity on the Mekong River. China, the single largest investor in Cambodia, is doing its best to make sure that the country achieves that milestone. China's Sinohydro is building a 145-meter dam on the Kamchay River in Cambodia's Kampot province. Another Chinese company is developing the Steung Atai dam.
So many hydropower projects are being developed along the Mekong River that the United Nations has formed an oversight agency devoted exclusively to preventing potential conflicts it could create.
In Laos, the Nam Theun 2 project, a $1.2 billion joint venture between various foreign companies, is about 80% complete. It is the largest ever hydropower project in that country.
Laos plans to build four additional dams across the Mekong with Malaysian power generating company Mega First, Thai infrastructure developer Ch. Karnchang and Chinese power giants Sinohydro and Datang International.
More than a dozen dams on Mekong tributaries in Laos should start generating electricity mostly for export by 2015, and plans to build more than 30 others are being actively considered.
Hydropower is catching interest elsewhere. Far from Asia, 100 miles south of the Arctic Circle in eastern Iceland, tunnels stretch nearly 25 miles under a vast plateau of ice, channeling run-off glacier waters into a network of eight dams called the Karahnjukar Hydropower Complex.
The complex produces 500 megawatts of electricity for a giant aluminum smelting facility built by Alcoa (nyse: AA - news - people ) in 2003. Alcoa, the world's largest aluminum producer, bet more than $1 billion on the project. The aluminum smelter produces nearly 300,000 tons of aluminum every year.
Alcoa moved to Iceland after a drought in Washington State in 2001 forced it to suspend operations.
Companies like Google (nasdaq: GOOG - news - people ) are building new server farms in North America on premises that aluminum smelters like Alcoa abandoned. The reason, again, is access to hydropower for a cheap source of electricity and water for water-cooled air conditioning systems.
Hydropower provides more than half the electricity used in the Northwest United States, holding electric rates well below the national average.
Server farms can consume up to 100 megawatts of electricity, enough to power more than 20,000 American homes.
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that server farms consume at least 1.5% of all U.S. energy. No wonder the thirst for electricity leads them to hydropower.
It's not a particularly convenient place to access, but it's got something most other parts of the world don't have: a prodigious source of hydro-electricity.
The Mekong River, 4,500 miles long and the world's 10th largest in total discharge, is fast becoming a global magnet for water power, a cheap resource sought by industries as divergent as semiconductors and aluminum smelting, for which electricity makes up half the cost of production.
Intel (nasdaq: INTC - news - people ) is building a $1 billion semiconductor plant there. General Electric (nyse: GE - news - people ) has already built a big turbine plant, and is looking to expand in what has become one of the world's fastest growing economies (gross domestic product growth last year: 8.5% compared with 2.2% for the U.S.).
Japanese companies like Yamaha Motor and Mabuchi Motor may soon take the plunge as well.
Last year, foreign investment in Vietnam grew more than 60%, to $17 billion, up from $10 billion the year before, and water was a big part of the allure. Never mind that other countries might have a more sophisticated technology base or have more demand for semiconductors.
"The semiconductor industry is very thirsty, and one of the things that Vietnam has is lots of unclaimed water," says JP Morgan economist Marc Levinson. "So Intel can go in and get access to water supplies that companies, which come later might not be able to get access to."
Hydropower is cheap and clean. Utility-scale hydro plants cost billions of dollars to build but very little to operate and maintain. Once the initial costs are paid off, the plants churn out cheap electricity for several decades and tend to last longer than any other type of power plant. Hydropower is as cheap as coal but doesn't have the public relations and carbon problems.
Vietnam isn't the only country in the region trying to tap it.
Cambodia plans to build a whopping 5,000 megawatts of hydroelectric power capacity on the Mekong River. China, the single largest investor in Cambodia, is doing its best to make sure that the country achieves that milestone. China's Sinohydro is building a 145-meter dam on the Kamchay River in Cambodia's Kampot province. Another Chinese company is developing the Steung Atai dam.
So many hydropower projects are being developed along the Mekong River that the United Nations has formed an oversight agency devoted exclusively to preventing potential conflicts it could create.
In Laos, the Nam Theun 2 project, a $1.2 billion joint venture between various foreign companies, is about 80% complete. It is the largest ever hydropower project in that country.
Laos plans to build four additional dams across the Mekong with Malaysian power generating company Mega First, Thai infrastructure developer Ch. Karnchang and Chinese power giants Sinohydro and Datang International.
More than a dozen dams on Mekong tributaries in Laos should start generating electricity mostly for export by 2015, and plans to build more than 30 others are being actively considered.
Hydropower is catching interest elsewhere. Far from Asia, 100 miles south of the Arctic Circle in eastern Iceland, tunnels stretch nearly 25 miles under a vast plateau of ice, channeling run-off glacier waters into a network of eight dams called the Karahnjukar Hydropower Complex.
The complex produces 500 megawatts of electricity for a giant aluminum smelting facility built by Alcoa (nyse: AA - news - people ) in 2003. Alcoa, the world's largest aluminum producer, bet more than $1 billion on the project. The aluminum smelter produces nearly 300,000 tons of aluminum every year.
Alcoa moved to Iceland after a drought in Washington State in 2001 forced it to suspend operations.
Companies like Google (nasdaq: GOOG - news - people ) are building new server farms in North America on premises that aluminum smelters like Alcoa abandoned. The reason, again, is access to hydropower for a cheap source of electricity and water for water-cooled air conditioning systems.
Hydropower provides more than half the electricity used in the Northwest United States, holding electric rates well below the national average.
Server farms can consume up to 100 megawatts of electricity, enough to power more than 20,000 American homes.
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that server farms consume at least 1.5% of all U.S. energy. No wonder the thirst for electricity leads them to hydropower.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Cambodia govt approves 1bln usd Chinese dams
06.13.08
AFP
AFP
PHNOM PENH (XFN-ASIA) - The Cambodian government today approved two large hydropower dams to be built with more than 1 bln usd dollars in funding from Chinese companies.
The new projects, Stung Tatay dam and Stung Russey Chrum Krom dam in the southwestern province of Koh Kong, were approved during a cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Hun Sen, according to a government statement.
The statement said the dams will ensure Cambodia's energy supply at reasonable prices, which is 'a necessary key to push for economic growth and other development.'
China National Heavy Machinery Corporation (CNHMC) will spend 540 mln usd to build Stung Atay, Cambodian council of ministers official Seng Savorn told Agence France-Presse. The dam will generate 246 megawatts (MW) of power.
China's Michelle Corporation will spend 495.7 mln usd to build Stung Russey Chrum Krom dam, which will generate 338 MW of electricity, he added.
Construction of both dams will begin this year, with Stung Tatay due to be completed in 2014 and Stung Russey Chrum Krom in 2015, he said.
The Southeast Asian country will open nine other dams of various sizes between 2010 and 2019 to generate 1,942 MW of power, according to a government report to parliament obtained by AFP last month.
The US-based International Rivers Network last year said that two of those dams, also funded by China, threatened to flood huge swathes of Cambodia's protected forests.
Only 20 pct of Cambodian households currently have access to electricity.
Spiralling utility prices, driven by the lack of supply, are a major obstacle to attracting foreign investment, and the government has struggled to find a way to bring down the cost of power.
The government also plans to build nine coal-powered plants between 2011 and 2020, the report to parliament said.
The new projects, Stung Tatay dam and Stung Russey Chrum Krom dam in the southwestern province of Koh Kong, were approved during a cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Hun Sen, according to a government statement.
The statement said the dams will ensure Cambodia's energy supply at reasonable prices, which is 'a necessary key to push for economic growth and other development.'
China National Heavy Machinery Corporation (CNHMC) will spend 540 mln usd to build Stung Atay, Cambodian council of ministers official Seng Savorn told Agence France-Presse. The dam will generate 246 megawatts (MW) of power.
China's Michelle Corporation will spend 495.7 mln usd to build Stung Russey Chrum Krom dam, which will generate 338 MW of electricity, he added.
Construction of both dams will begin this year, with Stung Tatay due to be completed in 2014 and Stung Russey Chrum Krom in 2015, he said.
The Southeast Asian country will open nine other dams of various sizes between 2010 and 2019 to generate 1,942 MW of power, according to a government report to parliament obtained by AFP last month.
The US-based International Rivers Network last year said that two of those dams, also funded by China, threatened to flood huge swathes of Cambodia's protected forests.
Only 20 pct of Cambodian households currently have access to electricity.
Spiralling utility prices, driven by the lack of supply, are a major obstacle to attracting foreign investment, and the government has struggled to find a way to bring down the cost of power.
The government also plans to build nine coal-powered plants between 2011 and 2020, the report to parliament said.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Cambodia plans to open nine hydropower dams by 2019 [-Environmental concerns and human impacts looming]
PHNOM PENH (AFP) — Cambodia will construct controversial Chinese-funded dams as part of a plan to feed its electricity-starved economy, according to government documents obtained Monday by AFP.
The Southeast Asian country will open nine dams of various sizes between 2010 and 2019 to generate 1,942 megawatts of power, according to a government report to parliament obtained by AFP. At least four of the dams will be backed by China.
The US-based International Rivers Network last year said that two Chinese-funded hydroelectric dams already under construction threatened to flood huge swathes of Cambodia's protected forests.
The group said the Kamchay and Stung Atay dams, unchecked by public scrutiny, will wreak havoc on local communities and slow development.
The new government report said the Kamchay hydropower plant will open in 2010, while Stung Atay hydroelectric dam will open in 2012.
"By 2020, all villages will have electric power. (And) by 2030, at least 70 percent of the families countrywide will have electricity use," the report said.
The government also plans to build nine coal-powered plants between 2011 and 2020, the report said.
Only some 20 percent of Cambodian households currently have access to electricity.
Spiralling utility prices, driven by this lack of supply, are a major obstacle to attracting foreign investment, and the government has struggled to find a way to bring down the cost of power.
The Southeast Asian country will open nine dams of various sizes between 2010 and 2019 to generate 1,942 megawatts of power, according to a government report to parliament obtained by AFP. At least four of the dams will be backed by China.
The US-based International Rivers Network last year said that two Chinese-funded hydroelectric dams already under construction threatened to flood huge swathes of Cambodia's protected forests.
The group said the Kamchay and Stung Atay dams, unchecked by public scrutiny, will wreak havoc on local communities and slow development.
The new government report said the Kamchay hydropower plant will open in 2010, while Stung Atay hydroelectric dam will open in 2012.
"By 2020, all villages will have electric power. (And) by 2030, at least 70 percent of the families countrywide will have electricity use," the report said.
The government also plans to build nine coal-powered plants between 2011 and 2020, the report said.
Only some 20 percent of Cambodian households currently have access to electricity.
Spiralling utility prices, driven by this lack of supply, are a major obstacle to attracting foreign investment, and the government has struggled to find a way to bring down the cost of power.
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Cambodia seeks billions of dollars for 14 hydropower dams
May 4, 2008
DPA
DPA
Phnom Penh - Cambodia is seeking private investment to build 14 new hydropower dams worth more than 3.2 billion dollars, according to a government report obtained Sunday.
The report entitled Prime Investment Information in Cambodia details potential private investment opportunities around the country, including hydroelectric dam construction.
According to the report, 14 dams of various sizes and capacities are estimated to be able to generate a minimum of 1,850 megawatts.
Four are also earmarked to provide irrigation, although all but two of the 14 are currently only at desk study stage.
Only one of the proposed sites is on the Mekong river at Sambor Falls in eastern Kratie province, according to the report, and the project there is listed in two stages.
But a government source said despite the tremendous potential of the Sambor dam, it may only go ahead if northern neighbour Laos builds controversial dams higher upstream which Cambodia fears will destroy its fisheries and leave it nothing to lose.
The report estimates Kratie, where the Mekong runs strong, is currently producing a capacity of 1,570 kilovolt-amperes but could potentially have a capacity of 2,290 with dams in place.
The rest of the proposed dams are dotted along various tributaries around the country.
Cambodia's rapid economic growth has caused it to outstrip its electricity supply, with rolling brown outs common in the capital, and many rural areas without power altogether.
The country is seeking ways to generate its own power and minimize the amount it has to buy from neighbouring countries.
The report entitled Prime Investment Information in Cambodia details potential private investment opportunities around the country, including hydroelectric dam construction.
According to the report, 14 dams of various sizes and capacities are estimated to be able to generate a minimum of 1,850 megawatts.
Four are also earmarked to provide irrigation, although all but two of the 14 are currently only at desk study stage.
Only one of the proposed sites is on the Mekong river at Sambor Falls in eastern Kratie province, according to the report, and the project there is listed in two stages.
But a government source said despite the tremendous potential of the Sambor dam, it may only go ahead if northern neighbour Laos builds controversial dams higher upstream which Cambodia fears will destroy its fisheries and leave it nothing to lose.
The report estimates Kratie, where the Mekong runs strong, is currently producing a capacity of 1,570 kilovolt-amperes but could potentially have a capacity of 2,290 with dams in place.
The rest of the proposed dams are dotted along various tributaries around the country.
Cambodia's rapid economic growth has caused it to outstrip its electricity supply, with rolling brown outs common in the capital, and many rural areas without power altogether.
The country is seeking ways to generate its own power and minimize the amount it has to buy from neighbouring countries.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Pristine environment may be taken over by Chinese hydroelectric dams under Hun Sen's watch
Children stand on a bridge across a river in the Teuk Chu valley resort in Kamport province, 146 km (91 miles) west of Phnom Penh, March 24, 2008. In the last two years, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen has agreed to at least four Chinese-funded hydropower projects as part of a $3 billion scheme to boost output from a measly 300 MW today to 1,000 MW in a decade, enough to power a small city. To match feature CAMBODIA-DAM/ REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea
Girls walk across stones in the river in the Teuk Chu valley resort in Kamport province, 146 km (91 miles) west of Phnom Penh, March 24, 2008. In the last two years, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen has agreed to at least four Chinese-funded hydropower projects as part of a $3 billion scheme to boost output from a measly 300 MW today to 1,000 MW in a decade, enough to power a small city. To match feature CAMBODIA-DAM/ REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea 
People play in the river in the Teuk Chu valley resort in Kamport province, 146 km (91 miles) west of Phnom Penh, March 24, 2008. In the last two years, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen has agreed to at least four Chinese-funded hydropower projects as part of a $3 billion scheme to boost output from a measly 300 MW today to 1,000 MW in a decade, enough to power a small city. The sign reads, "Please keep the valley clean". To match feature CAMBODIA-DAM/ REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea
People play in the river in the Teuk Chu valley resort in Kamport province, 146 km (91 miles) west of Phnom Penh, March 24, 2008. In the last two years, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen has agreed to at least four Chinese-funded hydropower projects as part of a $3 billion scheme to boost output from a measly 300 MW today to 1,000 MW in a decade, enough to power a small city. To match feature CAMBODIA-DAM/ REUTERS/Chor SokuntheaChinese dams threaten Cambodia's forests, farmers
Tue Mar 25, 2008
By Ek Madra
By Ek Madra
CHAY ARENG RIVER, Cambodia (Reuters) - Along the Chay Areng valley in Cambodia's remote Cardamom mountains, children still scamper barefoot through one of mainland southeast Asia's last remaining tracts of virgin jungle.
If they take the same paths in a few years, they will probably have to be swimming.
Faced with a rapidly growing but power-starved economy, Prime Minister Hun Sen has decided the rivers flowing from one of the few elevated spots in a relentlessly flat country should become its battery pack.
With this in mind, in the last two years he has agreed to at least four Chinese-funded hydropower projects as part of a $3 billion scheme to boost output from a measly 300 MW today to 1,000 MW in a decade, enough to power a small city.
The indigenous communities who have lived off the forests in the Cardamoms since the dawn of time appear to be the ones who will be paying the biggest price.
"We have been living here without a dam for many generations. We don't want to see our ancestral lands stolen," said 78-year-old Sok Nuon, lighting a fire inside her wooden hut nestled in among the trees near the Chay Areng river.
"I do not want to move as it takes years for fruit trees to produce crops. By then, I'll be dead," she said.
WAR ON BLACKOUTS
Few people argue that Cambodia's 14 million people need more power.
After decades of war and upheaval, including the Khmer Rouge "Killing Fields" of the 1970s, the economy has finally taken off, growing at nearly 10 percent a year.
But its antiquated, mainly diesel-fuelled power plants can meet only 75 percent of demand, meaning frequent blackouts and unit prices around twice those of neighboring Thailand and Vietnam -- both factors inhibiting faster expansion.
With the closer ties Hun Sen has cultivated with Beijing in the last five years, Chinese cash and dam-building expertise has become a logical solution to what is one of the inevitable pains of breakneck growth.
"Chinese investment in hydropower is so important for Cambodia's development," Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said in January after meeting with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi.
But critics maintain that much of the planning is taking place with scant regard for the long-term impact on the environment in a country where (80) percent of people still rely on agriculture for their livelihoods.
"Poorly conceived and developed hydro-power projects could needlessly and irreparably damage Cambodia's river system with serious consequences," said Carl Middleton of the U.S.-based International Rivers Network.
MUDDY WATERS
The Chinese embassy in Phnom Penh denied Beijing was taking any short-cuts in dam construction in Cambodia -- part of a massive aid package designed to ensure a compliant friend in the region.
"They comply with environmental standards and are approved by the Cambodian government," said a Chinese diplomat who did not wish to be named. "We just want to help Cambodia as much as we can."
But the Chay Areng project hardly appears to be a model of transparency.
The deal was signed in late 2006 with China Southern Power Grid Co (CSG), one of China's two grid operators, to build a 260 MW plant at an estimated cost of $200 million and with a completion date of 2015.
With no prior consultation, the first villagers knew of the project was when Chinese engineers turned up this year to start working on feasibility studies -- details of which CSG and the government are reluctant to discuss.
Environmentalists who have conducted their own studies say the dam's lake will cover 110 sq km (42 sq miles) and displace thousands of indigenous people in nine villages.
More than 200 animal species, including elephants, sun bears, leopards and the endangered Siamese crocodile, would be affected upstream, said Sam Chanthy, head of the NGO Forum, a foreign-funded non-governmental organization in Phnom Penh.
Downstream, the delicate ecosystem of the flooded forest, home to some of the world's rarest turtle species as well as hundreds of types of migratory fish, would also be hit by disruptions to water flow, he said.
"It won't take long for these invaluable assets to disappear when the dam is built," said Eng Polo, of wildlife group Conservation International.
(Editing by Ed Cropley)
If they take the same paths in a few years, they will probably have to be swimming.
Faced with a rapidly growing but power-starved economy, Prime Minister Hun Sen has decided the rivers flowing from one of the few elevated spots in a relentlessly flat country should become its battery pack.
With this in mind, in the last two years he has agreed to at least four Chinese-funded hydropower projects as part of a $3 billion scheme to boost output from a measly 300 MW today to 1,000 MW in a decade, enough to power a small city.
The indigenous communities who have lived off the forests in the Cardamoms since the dawn of time appear to be the ones who will be paying the biggest price.
"We have been living here without a dam for many generations. We don't want to see our ancestral lands stolen," said 78-year-old Sok Nuon, lighting a fire inside her wooden hut nestled in among the trees near the Chay Areng river.
"I do not want to move as it takes years for fruit trees to produce crops. By then, I'll be dead," she said.
WAR ON BLACKOUTS
Few people argue that Cambodia's 14 million people need more power.
After decades of war and upheaval, including the Khmer Rouge "Killing Fields" of the 1970s, the economy has finally taken off, growing at nearly 10 percent a year.
But its antiquated, mainly diesel-fuelled power plants can meet only 75 percent of demand, meaning frequent blackouts and unit prices around twice those of neighboring Thailand and Vietnam -- both factors inhibiting faster expansion.
With the closer ties Hun Sen has cultivated with Beijing in the last five years, Chinese cash and dam-building expertise has become a logical solution to what is one of the inevitable pains of breakneck growth.
"Chinese investment in hydropower is so important for Cambodia's development," Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said in January after meeting with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi.
But critics maintain that much of the planning is taking place with scant regard for the long-term impact on the environment in a country where (80) percent of people still rely on agriculture for their livelihoods.
"Poorly conceived and developed hydro-power projects could needlessly and irreparably damage Cambodia's river system with serious consequences," said Carl Middleton of the U.S.-based International Rivers Network.
MUDDY WATERS
The Chinese embassy in Phnom Penh denied Beijing was taking any short-cuts in dam construction in Cambodia -- part of a massive aid package designed to ensure a compliant friend in the region.
"They comply with environmental standards and are approved by the Cambodian government," said a Chinese diplomat who did not wish to be named. "We just want to help Cambodia as much as we can."
But the Chay Areng project hardly appears to be a model of transparency.
The deal was signed in late 2006 with China Southern Power Grid Co (CSG), one of China's two grid operators, to build a 260 MW plant at an estimated cost of $200 million and with a completion date of 2015.
With no prior consultation, the first villagers knew of the project was when Chinese engineers turned up this year to start working on feasibility studies -- details of which CSG and the government are reluctant to discuss.
Environmentalists who have conducted their own studies say the dam's lake will cover 110 sq km (42 sq miles) and displace thousands of indigenous people in nine villages.
More than 200 animal species, including elephants, sun bears, leopards and the endangered Siamese crocodile, would be affected upstream, said Sam Chanthy, head of the NGO Forum, a foreign-funded non-governmental organization in Phnom Penh.
Downstream, the delicate ecosystem of the flooded forest, home to some of the world's rarest turtle species as well as hundreds of types of migratory fish, would also be hit by disruptions to water flow, he said.
"It won't take long for these invaluable assets to disappear when the dam is built," said Eng Polo, of wildlife group Conservation International.
(Editing by Ed Cropley)
Cambodian dam plans suffer information drought
Mar 26, 2008
By Andrew Nette
Asia Times (Hong Kong)
By Andrew Nette
Asia Times (Hong Kong)
PHNOM PENH - Cambodia has rejuvenated old plans to develop the country’s huge hydropower potential, big-ticket schemes to be led by Chinese investors which will simultaneously fill government coffers and have severe social and environmental impacts on local communities.
Like neighboring Laos in the 1990s, foreign donors, electricity-hungry neighboring nations such as Thailand and Vietnam and big business interests in China are all keen to transform Cambodia into a major hydropower generator. Previous plans for developing Cambodia's hydropower potential were put on hold due to political instability and the economic chaos that followed the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis.
But with recent rapid economic growth rates in the region - including Cambodia, which notched gross domestic product growth of around 10% in 2006 and 2007 - hydropower schemes are apparently back on the national agenda. Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong told a donor’s meeting last year that his government plans to make Cambodia into the "battery of Southeast Asia".
A 2003 plan developed by the Ministry of Mines, Minerals and Energy, with the support of the Mekong River Commission, estimated that Cambodia has the potential to generate 10,000 megawatts of energy for internal use and export. Almost 50% of that power would be generated from projects along the mainstream Mekong River, which runs through Cambodia.
Foreign donors continue to play an important supporting role, particularly the Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) through its so-called Mekong Power Grid Plan, a plan it has been pushing since the early 1990s which envisages an interconnected power grid across the entire region.
The ADB predicts that Cambodia will initially be a net electricity importer but will become a net exporter once the country's full hydropower potential is realized. However, local and international environmental and other groups are warning that large-scale hydropower development could create serious problems, impacting on some of the country's most pristine ecosystems and reducing water flow and fisheries with major consequences for the livelihoods of thousands of people.
"We are not against development or hydropower," said Ngy San, deputy executive director of the NGO Forum, an umbrella body of nongovernmental organizations. "What we want to do is to ensure poverty reduction and sustainable development, which is also the government's plan.
"We are also working to ensure that Cambodian decision-makers will learn the lesson of other countries in relation to hydropower, and not repeat those mistakes," said San. What is potentially different for Cambodia is the role China is expected to play in developing the resources.
China’s and Cambodia’s political and economic ties have grown enormously over the past decade. China is the nation's single largest investor, and Chinese state companies, often financed by state-owned financial institutions such as the Chinese Export-Import Bank, are the main players in hydropower dam development.
Phnom Penh has identified about 14 priority projects, of which six are under development - all by Chinese companies. For instance, China's Sinohydro is building a 145-meter dam on the Kamchay River in Kampot province, representing Beijing’s biggest investment in the country.
There is no disagreement among officials and activists that Cambodia needs to generate more power. Currently, only 20% of the population has access to cheap, reliable sources of electricity, mainly in urban areas. Meanwhile domestic demand for electricity is estimated to be growing at around 20% per year.
"It is simple - development needs electricity," said Touch Seang Tana, an advisor to Cambodia's Council of Ministers and a fisheries expert. "Power is currently very expensive in Cambodia, particularly in regional areas that are the most disadvantaged."
The government wants to provide services to the rural communities, but this is difficult to do without electricity," he said. "The actual number of people impacted negatively [by dams] is small and overall the entire benefit to the nation is significant. The government has to balance all these factors."
Activists strike a more cautionary note. "The rush to develop our hydropower potential needs very careful study," said NGO Forum’s San. "However, it must include consultation with impacted communities, and comply with all relevant national and international laws. There are some in the government that share our concerns, but they find it difficult to act because they are not the real decision makers."
NGOs complain that the decision-making process in relation to hydropower development lacks transparency. While a plethora of departments and regulatory bodies participate in the process, observers say the agenda appears largely to be set by the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy, with the direct intervention of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.
The lack of transparency is accentuated by China’s involvement, critics say. "There is almost no information in the public domain on the financing arrangements for Cambodia's hydropower projects," stated a report released jointly in January by the US-based International Rivers Network (IRN) and the NGO Forum.
"The lack of information from the Chinese dam builders is very disturbing - they do not consult or share information," said Seng Bunra, country director for Conservation International in Cambodia (CIC). His organization works in the Cardamom Mountains Protected Forest Area, one of the largest continuous swathes of rainforest left in Southeast Asia and home to a number of globally endangered species.
According to the CIC, there are plans to build a number of dams in the protected area, all by Chinese companies. According to the plan’s critics, the number of hydropower projects scheduled for construction in protected forest areas illustrates the fact that existing laws are insufficient to protect the environment and affected communities.
The situation is particularly serious, notes the report by the NGO Forum and IRN, given that "compared against the already less than admirable environmental and social standards of Western bilateral donors and export credit agencies ... Chinese institutions are noticeably weaker".
One of the projects under scrutiny is the proposed Sambor dam on the mainstream Mekong in central Kratie province. A number of construction options are being studied, including one that would only block between one-quarter to one-fifth of the river and have, according to Council of Ministers adviser Tana, only "minimal" impact.
NGO Forum’s San concedes that there are mixed views about dam-building and the economic impact involved for the potential affected communities. "Is there a real need for electricity in Thailand? Yes. But have the economics been thought through, have any preliminary contracts for power export from Cambodia to Thailand actually been signed? No. We want to see a good economic analysis, including a full cost-benefit analysis before projects go ahead," San said.
(Inter Press Service with editing by Asia Times Online)
Like neighboring Laos in the 1990s, foreign donors, electricity-hungry neighboring nations such as Thailand and Vietnam and big business interests in China are all keen to transform Cambodia into a major hydropower generator. Previous plans for developing Cambodia's hydropower potential were put on hold due to political instability and the economic chaos that followed the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis.
But with recent rapid economic growth rates in the region - including Cambodia, which notched gross domestic product growth of around 10% in 2006 and 2007 - hydropower schemes are apparently back on the national agenda. Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong told a donor’s meeting last year that his government plans to make Cambodia into the "battery of Southeast Asia".
A 2003 plan developed by the Ministry of Mines, Minerals and Energy, with the support of the Mekong River Commission, estimated that Cambodia has the potential to generate 10,000 megawatts of energy for internal use and export. Almost 50% of that power would be generated from projects along the mainstream Mekong River, which runs through Cambodia.
Foreign donors continue to play an important supporting role, particularly the Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) through its so-called Mekong Power Grid Plan, a plan it has been pushing since the early 1990s which envisages an interconnected power grid across the entire region.
The ADB predicts that Cambodia will initially be a net electricity importer but will become a net exporter once the country's full hydropower potential is realized. However, local and international environmental and other groups are warning that large-scale hydropower development could create serious problems, impacting on some of the country's most pristine ecosystems and reducing water flow and fisheries with major consequences for the livelihoods of thousands of people.
"We are not against development or hydropower," said Ngy San, deputy executive director of the NGO Forum, an umbrella body of nongovernmental organizations. "What we want to do is to ensure poverty reduction and sustainable development, which is also the government's plan.
"We are also working to ensure that Cambodian decision-makers will learn the lesson of other countries in relation to hydropower, and not repeat those mistakes," said San. What is potentially different for Cambodia is the role China is expected to play in developing the resources.
China’s and Cambodia’s political and economic ties have grown enormously over the past decade. China is the nation's single largest investor, and Chinese state companies, often financed by state-owned financial institutions such as the Chinese Export-Import Bank, are the main players in hydropower dam development.
Phnom Penh has identified about 14 priority projects, of which six are under development - all by Chinese companies. For instance, China's Sinohydro is building a 145-meter dam on the Kamchay River in Kampot province, representing Beijing’s biggest investment in the country.
There is no disagreement among officials and activists that Cambodia needs to generate more power. Currently, only 20% of the population has access to cheap, reliable sources of electricity, mainly in urban areas. Meanwhile domestic demand for electricity is estimated to be growing at around 20% per year.
"It is simple - development needs electricity," said Touch Seang Tana, an advisor to Cambodia's Council of Ministers and a fisheries expert. "Power is currently very expensive in Cambodia, particularly in regional areas that are the most disadvantaged."
The government wants to provide services to the rural communities, but this is difficult to do without electricity," he said. "The actual number of people impacted negatively [by dams] is small and overall the entire benefit to the nation is significant. The government has to balance all these factors."
Activists strike a more cautionary note. "The rush to develop our hydropower potential needs very careful study," said NGO Forum’s San. "However, it must include consultation with impacted communities, and comply with all relevant national and international laws. There are some in the government that share our concerns, but they find it difficult to act because they are not the real decision makers."
NGOs complain that the decision-making process in relation to hydropower development lacks transparency. While a plethora of departments and regulatory bodies participate in the process, observers say the agenda appears largely to be set by the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy, with the direct intervention of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.
The lack of transparency is accentuated by China’s involvement, critics say. "There is almost no information in the public domain on the financing arrangements for Cambodia's hydropower projects," stated a report released jointly in January by the US-based International Rivers Network (IRN) and the NGO Forum.
"The lack of information from the Chinese dam builders is very disturbing - they do not consult or share information," said Seng Bunra, country director for Conservation International in Cambodia (CIC). His organization works in the Cardamom Mountains Protected Forest Area, one of the largest continuous swathes of rainforest left in Southeast Asia and home to a number of globally endangered species.
According to the CIC, there are plans to build a number of dams in the protected area, all by Chinese companies. According to the plan’s critics, the number of hydropower projects scheduled for construction in protected forest areas illustrates the fact that existing laws are insufficient to protect the environment and affected communities.
The situation is particularly serious, notes the report by the NGO Forum and IRN, given that "compared against the already less than admirable environmental and social standards of Western bilateral donors and export credit agencies ... Chinese institutions are noticeably weaker".
One of the projects under scrutiny is the proposed Sambor dam on the mainstream Mekong in central Kratie province. A number of construction options are being studied, including one that would only block between one-quarter to one-fifth of the river and have, according to Council of Ministers adviser Tana, only "minimal" impact.
NGO Forum’s San concedes that there are mixed views about dam-building and the economic impact involved for the potential affected communities. "Is there a real need for electricity in Thailand? Yes. But have the economics been thought through, have any preliminary contracts for power export from Cambodia to Thailand actually been signed? No. We want to see a good economic analysis, including a full cost-benefit analysis before projects go ahead," San said.
(Inter Press Service with editing by Asia Times Online)
Friday, March 21, 2008
Bowing to Regional Hydropower Demands
By Andrew Nette - Newsmekong
PHNOM PENH, Mar 21 (IPS) - For the Cambodian government, hydropower development represents great economic opportunities. But for non-government organisations (NGOs), and the communities they serve, dams pose severe social and environmental impacts.
Like neighbouring Laos in the 1990s, donors, electricity-hungry nations such as Thailand and Vietnam and business interests, particularly from China, are keen to make Cambodia a major generator of hydropower.
Plans for developing Cambodia’s hydropower potential remained on hold due to political instability and the economic crisis that struck the region in the latter part of the last decade. But with the rapid economic growth of countries in the region -- including Cambodia whose GDP growth in 2006 exceeded 10 percent -- hydropower is back on the agenda.
As he told a donors’ meeting last year, Cambodia’s Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said that his government wanted Cambodia to be the "battery of South-east Asia".
A 2003 plan developed by the Ministry of Mines, Minerals and Energy with the support of the Mekong River Commission estimated that Cambodia has the potential to generate 10,000 megawatts of energy for internal use and export. Almost 50 percent of this would come from projects along the mainstream Mekong River running through Cambodia.
"We are not against development or hydropower," said Ngy San, deputy executive director of the NGO Forum, the umbrella body representing Cambodia’s NGOs. "What we want to do is to ensure poverty reduction and sustainable development, which is also the government’s plan."
Cambodian and international NGOs are warning that large-scale hydropower development could create serious problems, impacting on some of the country’s most pristine ecosystems and reducing water flow and fisheries with major consequences for the livelihoods of thousands of people.
"We are also working to ensure that Cambodian decision-makers will learn the lesson of other countries in relation to hydropower, and not repeat those mistakes," said San.
What is different in Cambodia in 2008 is the role of China.
Political and economic ties between China and Cambodia have grown enormously over the last decade. China is the nation’s single largest investor, and Chinese state companies, often financed by state-owned financial institutions such as the Chinese Export-Import Bank, are the main players in hydropower dams.
Phnom Penh has identified approximately 14 priority projects of which six are currently under development, all by Chinese companies.
For instance, China’s Sinohydro is building a 145-metre dam on the Kamchay River in Kampot province. This is China’s biggest investment in the country. Another Yunnan-based company is working on the Steung Atai dam.
There is no disagreement that Cambodia needs to generate more power. Currently, only 20 percent of the population has access to cheap, reliable sources of electricity, mainly in urban areas. Demand for electricity is estimated to be growing at 20 percent a year.
"It is simple, development needs electricity," said Touch Seang Tana, an advisor to Cambodia’s Council of Ministers and fisheries expert. "Power is currently very expensive in Cambodia, particularly in regional areas that are the most disadvantaged. The government wants to provide services to the rural communities but this is difficult to do without electricity."
"The actual number of people impacted negatively (by dams) is small and overall the entire benefit to the nation is significant," he said. The government has to balance all these factors."
"The demand exists, that is true," agreed San. "The rush to develop our hydropower potential needs very careful study. However, it must include consultation with impacted communities, and comply with all relevant national and international laws."
"There are some in the government that share our concerns, but they find it difficult to act because they are not the real decision makers," he added.
As is the case with much government policymaking in Cambodia, exactly what the real decision-making process is in relation to hydropower is a major issue for NGOs, who say the process completely lacks transparency.
"The biggest barrier is actually getting to talk with the Cambodian government about what is going on," said San. "They just treat as us opponents, as people who complain and create problems."
While a plethora of departments and regulatory bodies participate in the process, observers say the agenda appears to be largely set by the Ministry of Industry Mines and Energy, with the direct support of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Donors continue to play an important supporting role, particularly the Asian Development Bank (AsDB) through its Mekong Power Grid Plan. This envisages an interconnected power grid across the region, a plan it has been pushing since the early nineties.
The Manila-based AsDB initially envisages that Cambodia will be a net electricity importer, but will become an exporter once the country’s full hydropower potential is realised.
The lack of transparency is accentuated in relation to China. "There is almost no information in the public domain on the financing arrangements for Cambodia’s hydropower projects," states a report released in January by the U.S.-based International Rivers Network (IRN) and the NGO Forum.
"The lack of information from the Chinese dam builders is very disturbing, they do not consult or share information," said Seng Bunra, country director for Conservation International in Cambodia.
His organisation works in the Cardamom Mountains Protected Forest Area in the south-west of the country. It is one of the largest continuous sections of rainforest left in South-east Asia and home to a number of globally endangered species, including some of the last remaining populations of Asian elephants and Siamese crocodiles.
There are plans to build a number of dams in the protected area, all by Chinese companies.
According to critics, the presence of so many potential hydropower projects in protected forest areas illustrates the fact that the laws to safeguard the environment are insufficient to protect affected communities. The situation is particularly serious, notes the report by the NGO Forum and IRN, given that "compared against the already less than admirable environmental and social standards of Western bilateral donors and export credit agencies ... Chinese institutions are noticeably weaker".
Cambodian and international NGOs are also worried about the impact on fish stocks, water quality and flow, and the relocation of thousands of villagers.
As evidence, they point to the 750 Mw Yali Falls dams on the Se San tributary of the Mekong in Vietnam, which began operating in 2001. Local people claim the dam has been responsible for sudden flooding, causing the deaths of residents in Cambodia and the collapse of fish stocks in the northern Cambodian provinces of Stung Treng and Ratanakiri.
Although Tana conceded that Se San is now a "dead river in terms of fisheries," he adds that the dam is in "Vietnam’s territory, so what can we do?"
"The surrounding countries are all doing this and we are getting the impacts," he continued. "Why should we keep our environment pristine, when our neighbours are doing projects that impact us?"
Tana also makes a distinction between development on the tributaries of the Mekong, the impacts of which he believes can be mitigated, and dam-building on the mainstream of the sort widely seen in China and soon to take place in southern Laos, which is far more serious.
One of the projects being examined in Cambodia is the Sambor dam on the mainstream Mekong in central Kratie province. A number of options are being studied, including one that would only block between one-quarter to one fifth of the river and have, according to Tana, only "minimal" impact.
San concedes there are mixed views about dam building among the potential communities that are going to be affected by these.
He insists, however, that even one of the core arguments in support of hydropower, that it will generate income from the sale of power, is unproven.
"Is there a real need for electricity in Thailand? Yes. But has the economics been thought through, have any preliminary contracts for power export from Cambodia to Thailand actually been signed? No. We want to see a good economic analysis, including a full cost-benefit analysis before projects go ahead," San added.
Like neighbouring Laos in the 1990s, donors, electricity-hungry nations such as Thailand and Vietnam and business interests, particularly from China, are keen to make Cambodia a major generator of hydropower.
Plans for developing Cambodia’s hydropower potential remained on hold due to political instability and the economic crisis that struck the region in the latter part of the last decade. But with the rapid economic growth of countries in the region -- including Cambodia whose GDP growth in 2006 exceeded 10 percent -- hydropower is back on the agenda.
As he told a donors’ meeting last year, Cambodia’s Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said that his government wanted Cambodia to be the "battery of South-east Asia".
A 2003 plan developed by the Ministry of Mines, Minerals and Energy with the support of the Mekong River Commission estimated that Cambodia has the potential to generate 10,000 megawatts of energy for internal use and export. Almost 50 percent of this would come from projects along the mainstream Mekong River running through Cambodia.
"We are not against development or hydropower," said Ngy San, deputy executive director of the NGO Forum, the umbrella body representing Cambodia’s NGOs. "What we want to do is to ensure poverty reduction and sustainable development, which is also the government’s plan."
Cambodian and international NGOs are warning that large-scale hydropower development could create serious problems, impacting on some of the country’s most pristine ecosystems and reducing water flow and fisheries with major consequences for the livelihoods of thousands of people.
"We are also working to ensure that Cambodian decision-makers will learn the lesson of other countries in relation to hydropower, and not repeat those mistakes," said San.
What is different in Cambodia in 2008 is the role of China.
Political and economic ties between China and Cambodia have grown enormously over the last decade. China is the nation’s single largest investor, and Chinese state companies, often financed by state-owned financial institutions such as the Chinese Export-Import Bank, are the main players in hydropower dams.
Phnom Penh has identified approximately 14 priority projects of which six are currently under development, all by Chinese companies.
For instance, China’s Sinohydro is building a 145-metre dam on the Kamchay River in Kampot province. This is China’s biggest investment in the country. Another Yunnan-based company is working on the Steung Atai dam.
There is no disagreement that Cambodia needs to generate more power. Currently, only 20 percent of the population has access to cheap, reliable sources of electricity, mainly in urban areas. Demand for electricity is estimated to be growing at 20 percent a year.
"It is simple, development needs electricity," said Touch Seang Tana, an advisor to Cambodia’s Council of Ministers and fisheries expert. "Power is currently very expensive in Cambodia, particularly in regional areas that are the most disadvantaged. The government wants to provide services to the rural communities but this is difficult to do without electricity."
"The actual number of people impacted negatively (by dams) is small and overall the entire benefit to the nation is significant," he said. The government has to balance all these factors."
"The demand exists, that is true," agreed San. "The rush to develop our hydropower potential needs very careful study. However, it must include consultation with impacted communities, and comply with all relevant national and international laws."
"There are some in the government that share our concerns, but they find it difficult to act because they are not the real decision makers," he added.
As is the case with much government policymaking in Cambodia, exactly what the real decision-making process is in relation to hydropower is a major issue for NGOs, who say the process completely lacks transparency.
"The biggest barrier is actually getting to talk with the Cambodian government about what is going on," said San. "They just treat as us opponents, as people who complain and create problems."
While a plethora of departments and regulatory bodies participate in the process, observers say the agenda appears to be largely set by the Ministry of Industry Mines and Energy, with the direct support of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Donors continue to play an important supporting role, particularly the Asian Development Bank (AsDB) through its Mekong Power Grid Plan. This envisages an interconnected power grid across the region, a plan it has been pushing since the early nineties.
The Manila-based AsDB initially envisages that Cambodia will be a net electricity importer, but will become an exporter once the country’s full hydropower potential is realised.
The lack of transparency is accentuated in relation to China. "There is almost no information in the public domain on the financing arrangements for Cambodia’s hydropower projects," states a report released in January by the U.S.-based International Rivers Network (IRN) and the NGO Forum.
"The lack of information from the Chinese dam builders is very disturbing, they do not consult or share information," said Seng Bunra, country director for Conservation International in Cambodia.
His organisation works in the Cardamom Mountains Protected Forest Area in the south-west of the country. It is one of the largest continuous sections of rainforest left in South-east Asia and home to a number of globally endangered species, including some of the last remaining populations of Asian elephants and Siamese crocodiles.
There are plans to build a number of dams in the protected area, all by Chinese companies.
According to critics, the presence of so many potential hydropower projects in protected forest areas illustrates the fact that the laws to safeguard the environment are insufficient to protect affected communities. The situation is particularly serious, notes the report by the NGO Forum and IRN, given that "compared against the already less than admirable environmental and social standards of Western bilateral donors and export credit agencies ... Chinese institutions are noticeably weaker".
Cambodian and international NGOs are also worried about the impact on fish stocks, water quality and flow, and the relocation of thousands of villagers.
As evidence, they point to the 750 Mw Yali Falls dams on the Se San tributary of the Mekong in Vietnam, which began operating in 2001. Local people claim the dam has been responsible for sudden flooding, causing the deaths of residents in Cambodia and the collapse of fish stocks in the northern Cambodian provinces of Stung Treng and Ratanakiri.
Although Tana conceded that Se San is now a "dead river in terms of fisheries," he adds that the dam is in "Vietnam’s territory, so what can we do?"
"The surrounding countries are all doing this and we are getting the impacts," he continued. "Why should we keep our environment pristine, when our neighbours are doing projects that impact us?"
Tana also makes a distinction between development on the tributaries of the Mekong, the impacts of which he believes can be mitigated, and dam-building on the mainstream of the sort widely seen in China and soon to take place in southern Laos, which is far more serious.
One of the projects being examined in Cambodia is the Sambor dam on the mainstream Mekong in central Kratie province. A number of options are being studied, including one that would only block between one-quarter to one fifth of the river and have, according to Tana, only "minimal" impact.
San concedes there are mixed views about dam building among the potential communities that are going to be affected by these.
He insists, however, that even one of the core arguments in support of hydropower, that it will generate income from the sale of power, is unproven.
"Is there a real need for electricity in Thailand? Yes. But has the economics been thought through, have any preliminary contracts for power export from Cambodia to Thailand actually been signed? No. We want to see a good economic analysis, including a full cost-benefit analysis before projects go ahead," San added.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Hun Sen's "battery of Asia" dams are serious threats to people
Cambodia's biggest hydropower dams serious threats to people
Mon, January 28, 2008
By Supalak G Khundee
The Nation (Thailand)
Mon, January 28, 2008
By Supalak G Khundee
The Nation (Thailand)
The construction of Cambodia's first and second biggest hydropower dams pose serious threats to eco-systems and the livelihood of thousands people in southwest of the country, an environmental conservationist report said Monday.
Under an aid package of $600 million(Bt18.6 billion) from China, Cambodia is constructing the Kamchay Dam with an installed capacity of 180 Megawatts (MW) the biggest in Cambodia in the southwestern Kampot Province and the 120 MW Stung Atay Dam in Pursat Province.
The Kamchay Dam developed by China's largest hydropower developer, Sinohydro Corporation, is located wholly within the Bokor National Park and will flood 2,000 hectares of protected forest, according to a research report by the US-based conservationist International Rivers.
The project, to be completed by 2010, denied access to nontimber forest products to local residents, for whom many is an important source of income, and potentially a negative impact on a local tourist resort downstream of the dam, it said.
The Stung Atay, constructed by Yunnan Corporation for International Techno Economic cooperation, will be completed by 2012. The dam will flood a substantial area of the Central Cardamom Protect Forest, the report said.
"Cambodia's free flowing rivers and abundant natural resources are invaluable assets, the health of which are vital to the wellbeing of Cambodia's rural population," said Carl Middleton, Mekong Program Coordinator with International Rivers.
"Poorly conceived hydropower development could irreparably damage these resources and undermine Cambodia's sustainable development."
At present, only 20 percent of households in Cambodia have access to electricity. It is expected that the soaring demand for electricity will increase to more than 900 from the 212 MW in 2002.
The government has many hydropower projects under feasibility study, including the Sambor Dam to be built in the mainstream of the Mekong River in Kratie Province with a capacity of 465 or 3500 MW depending on the design and size of the reservoir.
The Sambor Dam, if built, would block major fish migrations and could decimate the income of tens of thousands of subsistence and commercial fishers. The dam also threatens the habitat for the endangered Irrawaddy Dolphin, around which a thriving local tourism industry has grown.
The Ministry of Industry, Mine and Energy estimated the country has the potential to generate approximately 10,000 M, of which more than 50 percent will come from the Mekong mainstream.
Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong told an investment conference in Tokyo recently that his country has a great potential to generate electricity supplies for the region. Apart from Laos, Cambodia could be the "battery of Asia", he said.
The report recommends that Cambodia adopts international best practices in electricity planning, including the findings of the World Commission on Dams, which is widely recognised to be the international standard for energy and water planning.
"Cambodia has many choices for meeting our electricity needs including renewable and decentralised energy options that must be explored," said Ngy San, Deputy Executive Director with the NGO Forum on Cambodia.
Under an aid package of $600 million(Bt18.6 billion) from China, Cambodia is constructing the Kamchay Dam with an installed capacity of 180 Megawatts (MW) the biggest in Cambodia in the southwestern Kampot Province and the 120 MW Stung Atay Dam in Pursat Province.
The Kamchay Dam developed by China's largest hydropower developer, Sinohydro Corporation, is located wholly within the Bokor National Park and will flood 2,000 hectares of protected forest, according to a research report by the US-based conservationist International Rivers.
The project, to be completed by 2010, denied access to nontimber forest products to local residents, for whom many is an important source of income, and potentially a negative impact on a local tourist resort downstream of the dam, it said.
The Stung Atay, constructed by Yunnan Corporation for International Techno Economic cooperation, will be completed by 2012. The dam will flood a substantial area of the Central Cardamom Protect Forest, the report said.
"Cambodia's free flowing rivers and abundant natural resources are invaluable assets, the health of which are vital to the wellbeing of Cambodia's rural population," said Carl Middleton, Mekong Program Coordinator with International Rivers.
"Poorly conceived hydropower development could irreparably damage these resources and undermine Cambodia's sustainable development."
At present, only 20 percent of households in Cambodia have access to electricity. It is expected that the soaring demand for electricity will increase to more than 900 from the 212 MW in 2002.
The government has many hydropower projects under feasibility study, including the Sambor Dam to be built in the mainstream of the Mekong River in Kratie Province with a capacity of 465 or 3500 MW depending on the design and size of the reservoir.
The Sambor Dam, if built, would block major fish migrations and could decimate the income of tens of thousands of subsistence and commercial fishers. The dam also threatens the habitat for the endangered Irrawaddy Dolphin, around which a thriving local tourism industry has grown.
The Ministry of Industry, Mine and Energy estimated the country has the potential to generate approximately 10,000 M, of which more than 50 percent will come from the Mekong mainstream.
Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong told an investment conference in Tokyo recently that his country has a great potential to generate electricity supplies for the region. Apart from Laos, Cambodia could be the "battery of Asia", he said.
The report recommends that Cambodia adopts international best practices in electricity planning, including the findings of the World Commission on Dams, which is widely recognised to be the international standard for energy and water planning.
"Cambodia has many choices for meeting our electricity needs including renewable and decentralised energy options that must be explored," said Ngy San, Deputy Executive Director with the NGO Forum on Cambodia.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Green group urges Laos to stop dam expansion plan
Tue Nov 27, 2007
By Darren Schuettler
By Darren Schuettler
BANGKOK, Nov 27 (Reuters) - A major expansion of a hydropower dam in communist Laos will cause serious flooding, ruin fisheries and displace thousands of people living downstream, a Norwegian environmental group said on Tuesday.
Water releases from the Theun-Hinboun dam had already ruined the ecology of two rivers and damaged fisheries and farms since it was built a decade ago to supply electricity to neighbouring Thailand, the group said in a new report.
"In a cruel irony, many of the people to be affected by the expansion project have already been seriously affected by the existing Theun-Hinboun Hydropower Project," the report by the Association for International Water Studies (FIVAS) said.
The Theun-Hinboun Power Co, owned jointly by Norwegian state power utility Statkraft, a Thai power firm and the Lao government, had so far failed to pay compensation to people living downstream, it said.
The company should shelve the plan "until it has proven that it is capable of restoring the livelihoods of communities affected by the existing project," FIVAS director Andrew Preston said in a statement.
Statkraft, which owns 20 percent of the joint venture, said $45 million had been set aside in the project to address the problems mentioned in the report such as by building houses, schools, infrastructure and health stations.
But Statkraft brushed off FIVAS' demands to back out of the project, which will double power production from the dam.
"We think this is a sustainable and a right project in a region experiencing strong growth and strong demand for energy," said Statkraft's spokesman Knut Fjerdingstad.
The expansion involves the construction of a 65-metre (213-ft) high dam on the Nam Gnouang river and a water diversion to the Nam Hai and Nam Hinboun rivers.
The report estimated it would "affect over 50,000 people who will suffer flooding, displacement, erosion and loss of livelihood if the project is approved", of whom 4,200 would be forced to move to higher ground.
Fjerdingstad said the challenges cited in the report were known to Statkraft, and the company would take seriously any input that could contribute to improving the project.
"This project will happen whether Statkraft is in on it or not. We can contribute to making this a better project," he said. The start-up is planned for 2008, though the final decision has not been made, he said.
WESTERN INVESTMENTS
The report was released ahead of a workshop on the expansion plan being held this week in the Lao capital, Vientiane.
The study was conducted by a research team that interviewed people in five villages along the Hai and Hinboun rivers in May.
Landlocked Laos says it wants to become "a battery for the region" by building a series of dams with funds mainly coming from neighbouring Thailand, China and Vietnam.
Western companies are also investing heavily in Laos, led by French electricity group EDF, which is involved in the massive Nam Theun 2 project.
Lao Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh told Reuters last week his country was committed to supply 7,000 megawatts to Thailand, 5,000 megawatts to Vietnam and 1,500 megawatts to Cambodia by 2015.
The government has said it will use the profits from hydropower sales to fight poverty in the country of 6.5 million people, where the average monthly income is less than $2 a day. (Additional reporting by Aasa Christine Stoltz in Oslo; Editing by Michael Battye and Roger Crabb/James Jukwey)
Water releases from the Theun-Hinboun dam had already ruined the ecology of two rivers and damaged fisheries and farms since it was built a decade ago to supply electricity to neighbouring Thailand, the group said in a new report.
"In a cruel irony, many of the people to be affected by the expansion project have already been seriously affected by the existing Theun-Hinboun Hydropower Project," the report by the Association for International Water Studies (FIVAS) said.
The Theun-Hinboun Power Co, owned jointly by Norwegian state power utility Statkraft, a Thai power firm and the Lao government, had so far failed to pay compensation to people living downstream, it said.
The company should shelve the plan "until it has proven that it is capable of restoring the livelihoods of communities affected by the existing project," FIVAS director Andrew Preston said in a statement.
Statkraft, which owns 20 percent of the joint venture, said $45 million had been set aside in the project to address the problems mentioned in the report such as by building houses, schools, infrastructure and health stations.
But Statkraft brushed off FIVAS' demands to back out of the project, which will double power production from the dam.
"We think this is a sustainable and a right project in a region experiencing strong growth and strong demand for energy," said Statkraft's spokesman Knut Fjerdingstad.
The expansion involves the construction of a 65-metre (213-ft) high dam on the Nam Gnouang river and a water diversion to the Nam Hai and Nam Hinboun rivers.
The report estimated it would "affect over 50,000 people who will suffer flooding, displacement, erosion and loss of livelihood if the project is approved", of whom 4,200 would be forced to move to higher ground.
Fjerdingstad said the challenges cited in the report were known to Statkraft, and the company would take seriously any input that could contribute to improving the project.
"This project will happen whether Statkraft is in on it or not. We can contribute to making this a better project," he said. The start-up is planned for 2008, though the final decision has not been made, he said.
WESTERN INVESTMENTS
The report was released ahead of a workshop on the expansion plan being held this week in the Lao capital, Vientiane.
The study was conducted by a research team that interviewed people in five villages along the Hai and Hinboun rivers in May.
Landlocked Laos says it wants to become "a battery for the region" by building a series of dams with funds mainly coming from neighbouring Thailand, China and Vietnam.
Western companies are also investing heavily in Laos, led by French electricity group EDF, which is involved in the massive Nam Theun 2 project.
Lao Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh told Reuters last week his country was committed to supply 7,000 megawatts to Thailand, 5,000 megawatts to Vietnam and 1,500 megawatts to Cambodia by 2015.
The government has said it will use the profits from hydropower sales to fight poverty in the country of 6.5 million people, where the average monthly income is less than $2 a day. (Additional reporting by Aasa Christine Stoltz in Oslo; Editing by Michael Battye and Roger Crabb/James Jukwey)
Friday, September 07, 2007
Laos: New Dams Won't Harm Environment
09.07.07
By MICHAEL CASEY
AP
By MICHAEL CASEY
AP
BANGKOK, Thailand - Laos insisted Friday that its plans to build as many as nine new dams and expand its hydroelectric capacity 10-fold in the next eight years will not harm the environment.
The new dams will generate 7,000 megawatts of electricity, of which 5,000 megawatts will be sold to Thailand, with the rest going to Vietnam and Cambodia, Laotian Energy and Mines Minister Bosaykham Vongdara said at a hydro forum.
Laos is negotiating to supply Thailand with an additional 2,000 megawatts after 2015, Bosaykham said.
Landlocked Laos currently has 700 megawatts of hydroelectric generating capacity.
A majority of the new dams - including the World Bank-financed Nam Theun 2 project - will be built on tributaries of the Mekong River.
Viraphonh Viravong, the ministry's director general, said Laos will aim to strike a balance between providing electricity for parts of Southeast Asia and ensuring the projects follow strict environmental standards.
"They have to be developed according to the guidelines of the World Bank and the rules of the environment," Viraphonh said, boasting that Laos has the potential of generating as much as 20,000 megawatts of electricity from hydropower.
"If we have too much problems, a project will not fly," he said. "The first thing is the environment and then we can go to the economics and finance. All parties have to benefit from a project."
Ian Porter, the World Bank's Southeast Asia regional director, said expanding hydropower from Laos can help the impoverished country reach middle class status by 2020 while ensuring Thailand maintains its steady economic growth.
However, environmental groups such as International Rivers Network remain unconvinced that the hydropower boom will benefit Laos. They say the dam projects will destroy biologically rich river networks and displace scores of villages.
"The status quo indicates that the Lao hydro boom will be a major bust for hundreds of thousands of Lao farmers and fishers," Shannon Lawrence, Laos program director for International Rivers Network, said in a statement. "Thai dam builders, funders and electricity consumers should not support Lao projects that do not meet the highest environmental and social standards."
Thai Energy Minister Piyasvasti Amranand scoffed at the opposition to the dams, suggesting that environmentalists should "go and live in Laos for a week" to experience the impoverished conditions that villagers must endure.
"How could you raise the standard of living of the people of Laos to the standard you see in an industrialized country?" Piyasvasti asked.
"I think it would only be fair to achieve that goal of raising incomes of the Thai people and the Lao people to the standards you enjoy in the West," he said. "I can't see how you can do that without building hydroelectric dams."
The new dams will generate 7,000 megawatts of electricity, of which 5,000 megawatts will be sold to Thailand, with the rest going to Vietnam and Cambodia, Laotian Energy and Mines Minister Bosaykham Vongdara said at a hydro forum.
Laos is negotiating to supply Thailand with an additional 2,000 megawatts after 2015, Bosaykham said.
Landlocked Laos currently has 700 megawatts of hydroelectric generating capacity.
A majority of the new dams - including the World Bank-financed Nam Theun 2 project - will be built on tributaries of the Mekong River.
Viraphonh Viravong, the ministry's director general, said Laos will aim to strike a balance between providing electricity for parts of Southeast Asia and ensuring the projects follow strict environmental standards.
"They have to be developed according to the guidelines of the World Bank and the rules of the environment," Viraphonh said, boasting that Laos has the potential of generating as much as 20,000 megawatts of electricity from hydropower.
"If we have too much problems, a project will not fly," he said. "The first thing is the environment and then we can go to the economics and finance. All parties have to benefit from a project."
Ian Porter, the World Bank's Southeast Asia regional director, said expanding hydropower from Laos can help the impoverished country reach middle class status by 2020 while ensuring Thailand maintains its steady economic growth.
However, environmental groups such as International Rivers Network remain unconvinced that the hydropower boom will benefit Laos. They say the dam projects will destroy biologically rich river networks and displace scores of villages.
"The status quo indicates that the Lao hydro boom will be a major bust for hundreds of thousands of Lao farmers and fishers," Shannon Lawrence, Laos program director for International Rivers Network, said in a statement. "Thai dam builders, funders and electricity consumers should not support Lao projects that do not meet the highest environmental and social standards."
Thai Energy Minister Piyasvasti Amranand scoffed at the opposition to the dams, suggesting that environmentalists should "go and live in Laos for a week" to experience the impoverished conditions that villagers must endure.
"How could you raise the standard of living of the people of Laos to the standard you see in an industrialized country?" Piyasvasti asked.
"I think it would only be fair to achieve that goal of raising incomes of the Thai people and the Lao people to the standards you enjoy in the West," he said. "I can't see how you can do that without building hydroelectric dams."
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Cambodia to construct 2 hydroelectric power stations
PHNOM PENH, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- The construction of two small hydroelectric power stations has began in Cambodia's Mondulkiri province in a bid to encourage the diversification and enlargement of local businesses, local media reported Wednesday.
Presiding over the groundbreaking ceremony, Suy Sem, Cambodian Minister of Industry, Mines and Energy, said that the two rural electrification projects, built with more than 9 million U.S. dollars with Japanese funding, will help provincial residents to expand their businesses, reported the Koh Santepheap newspaper.
An unidentified deputy provincial governor said that the two hydroelectricity stations are being constructed in Saen Monorom district, some 500 km northeast of Phnom Penh.
One capable of supplying 175 kilowatts will be built in O Romleng, three km from the provincial town, and another with same capacity built in O Romeoul, eight km from the provincial town, he said.
Three Japanese companies, including J Power, Konoike and NipponKoei, will take charge of the construction, he said, adding that a300 kilowatt generator has also been installed to supply power to the province during the dry season.
Suy Sem said that under the national policy of rural electrification, all villagers have access to electricity by 2020 and at least 70 percent of Cambodia's families access to electricity by 2030, the Koh Santepheap newspaper said.
Presiding over the groundbreaking ceremony, Suy Sem, Cambodian Minister of Industry, Mines and Energy, said that the two rural electrification projects, built with more than 9 million U.S. dollars with Japanese funding, will help provincial residents to expand their businesses, reported the Koh Santepheap newspaper.
An unidentified deputy provincial governor said that the two hydroelectricity stations are being constructed in Saen Monorom district, some 500 km northeast of Phnom Penh.
One capable of supplying 175 kilowatts will be built in O Romleng, three km from the provincial town, and another with same capacity built in O Romeoul, eight km from the provincial town, he said.
Three Japanese companies, including J Power, Konoike and NipponKoei, will take charge of the construction, he said, adding that a300 kilowatt generator has also been installed to supply power to the province during the dry season.
Suy Sem said that under the national policy of rural electrification, all villagers have access to electricity by 2020 and at least 70 percent of Cambodia's families access to electricity by 2030, the Koh Santepheap newspaper said.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Cambodia begs VN to build hydroelectric dams, establish mining resource maps, and provide cheap electricity ... at what cost though?
Suy Sem asks Vietnam to build hydroelectric dams on the Sesan River
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Rasmei Kampuchea newspaper
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Rasmei Kampuchea newspaper
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy
During his visit to Vietnam, Suy Sem, the minister of industry, mining and energy, said that Cambodia is waiting for help from Vietnam to build two hydroelectric dams on the Sesan River.
Suy Sem told the Vietnamese News Agency on 13 July that these dams will be built in the Sesan 1 and Sesan 2 areas.
The same source indicated that during his visit to Vietnam, Suy Sem led a Cambodian delegation to discuss on numerous constructions with Vietnamese mining industries and experts from the Vietnamese ministry of industry, the Vietnamese department of natural resources and environment, and he was warmly welcomed by one of the Vietnamese deputy prime ministers.
The same source indicated that besides the construction of hydroelectric dams, Suy Sem also discussed with Vietnam to help provide cheap electricity to Cambodia, as well as the aid package provided by the Vietnamese government to establish a mining resource map in the Northeastern zone of Cambodia, and a number of other issues.
Based on past studies, the Sesan River flows across three provinces in Cambodia’s Northeast, and that 5 hydroelectric dam sites have been defined. The total amount of electricity that can be produced along the Sesan River would total 818 Megawatts (MW), if the 5 dams were to be built. The first dam site along the Sesan River would be located at the border between Cambodia and Vietnam which will have a capacity of 90 MW, the second dam would be built in Stung Treng province with a capacity of 420 MW, the third one in the Prek Leang 1 area with a capacity of 64 MW, the fourth one located at the Prek Leang 2 area with a capacity of 64 MW, and the fifth one in Ratanakiri province with a capacity of 180 MW.
The cost for the construction of the dams would be $1.388 billion, and the dams will be built soon under the cooperation with Vietnam.
Suy Sem told the Vietnamese News Agency on 13 July that these dams will be built in the Sesan 1 and Sesan 2 areas.
The same source indicated that during his visit to Vietnam, Suy Sem led a Cambodian delegation to discuss on numerous constructions with Vietnamese mining industries and experts from the Vietnamese ministry of industry, the Vietnamese department of natural resources and environment, and he was warmly welcomed by one of the Vietnamese deputy prime ministers.
The same source indicated that besides the construction of hydroelectric dams, Suy Sem also discussed with Vietnam to help provide cheap electricity to Cambodia, as well as the aid package provided by the Vietnamese government to establish a mining resource map in the Northeastern zone of Cambodia, and a number of other issues.
Based on past studies, the Sesan River flows across three provinces in Cambodia’s Northeast, and that 5 hydroelectric dam sites have been defined. The total amount of electricity that can be produced along the Sesan River would total 818 Megawatts (MW), if the 5 dams were to be built. The first dam site along the Sesan River would be located at the border between Cambodia and Vietnam which will have a capacity of 90 MW, the second dam would be built in Stung Treng province with a capacity of 420 MW, the third one in the Prek Leang 1 area with a capacity of 64 MW, the fourth one located at the Prek Leang 2 area with a capacity of 64 MW, and the fifth one in Ratanakiri province with a capacity of 180 MW.
The cost for the construction of the dams would be $1.388 billion, and the dams will be built soon under the cooperation with Vietnam.
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