If built, the dam will cause irreversible and permanent ecological change to a mighty river that feeds millions. National consultation workshop on the proposed xayaburi dam of the lao pdr ha long city, 22 january 2011 time event event leaders 08. Nguyen thai lai, deputy minister of monre, vice chairman of vnmc. The dam would destroy the rivers complex ecosystems that serve as important fish habitats for local and migratory species. Pdf modified transboundary water interaction nexus twins. Mar 30, 2014 ngos set oneyear deadline to stop xayaburi dam posted on 30 march 2014 leading nongovernmental organisations ngos today issued a joint declaration in opposition to ongoing construction of the xayaburi dam on the mekong river mainstem, and called on the thai government to cancel the power purchase agreement relating to the controversial. Ten floodgates were installed to produce electricity. All hosted resources will be in the public domain, or licensed under creative commons.
In their place, private sector lenders, including asian regional banks, are increasingly stepping in to fund projects such as xayaburi that international financial institutions will not directly support. People and livelihoods located approximately 150 kilometers downstream of luang prabang town, a unesco world heritage site, the xayaburi dam threatens to. Thai general contracting and infrastructure development group ch karnchang through its 50 percentowned subsidiary xayaburi power co has a 29. W2 mekong river at proposed dam site w5 mekong river upstream from proposed dam site 16 km. The construction of the immense xayaburi mainstream dam, located in mountainous. Xayaburi hydropower project prior consultation process. Laos finally called out over xayaburi dam the diplomat. It was the first lower mekong mainstream hydropower project submitted to the mrc for prior consultation under the pnpca. Today, the lower mekong basin is a key site for largescale hydropower dam development,1 and it is estimated that it has the potential to generate 30,000 megawatts mw. As required under the 1995 mekong agreement, the government of laos submitted key documents to the mekong river. The lao government and its thai developer are beginning preparatory earth works and resettlement plans for those whose land is needed for the dam. Pdf notification and consultation procedures under the. Mar 25, 2014 laoss controversial xayaburi dam is 30 per cent built, its government has told the post. How the costs and impacts of the xayaburi hydropower dam are hidden and pushed away 21 2.
Impacts of the xayaburi dam on the mekong river interview. Commercial operation of the dam is scheduled to start in october 2019. Serious and widespread criticism of the xayaburi dams original design for fish passages and sediment flushing has led to some major changes and innovations. Poyry responds on its role in the xayaburi dam international rivers. Aug 16, 2012 ch karnchangs 50 percentowned subsidiary, xayaburi power co, has received a 29year concession contract from the laotian government to operate the dams power plant. From the outset, the xayaburi dam was a controversial project due to widespread concerns over its expected impacts on the river system, including transboundary impacts in. This is xayaburi dam project, laos by adrian callan on vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them. The xayaburi dam, will block critical fish migration routes for between 23100 fish species to the mekongs upper stretches as far upstream as chiang saen in northern thailand, an important spawning ground for the critically endangered mekong giant catfish. A caterpillar works on the access road to the xayaburi dam in laos in an undated photo. The xayaburi hydroelectric power project has the installed generating capacity of 1,285 mw for electricity production of 7,370 gwh per annum. Properities parameter unit w1 w2 w3 w4 w5 w6 standard. Economic, environmental and social impacts of hydropower.
An alternate pastfuture for mekong river dams under the. Ngos set oneyear deadline to stop xayaburi dam posted on 30 march 2014 leading nongovernmental organisations ngos today issued a joint declaration in opposition to ongoing construction of the xayaburi dam on the mekong river mainstem, and called on the thai government to cancel the power purchase agreement relating to the controversial. Along the riverbanks, villagers grow fruits and vegetables and pan for gold. While project documents such as the eia are yet to be made public, the project now. Ngos set oneyear deadline to stop xayaburi dam wwf. A subsequent report, published in march by the mekong river commission itself, found that, from the xayaburi dam alone, the migrations of anywhere from 23 to 100 species of fish would be restricted, and the rivers iconic giant catfish, which can span 10 ft. The mekong river is currently under siege by a proposal for a major dam on the rivers main stream in northern laos. Notification and consultation procedures under the mekong agreement. Deputy energy and mines minister viraponh viravong said the project which laos began work on without regional approval in november 2012 remains on track to be functioning in 2019. The following 16 files are in this category, out of 16 total. Laos gives the goahead to build a massive dam on the lower mekong river, despite opposition from neighbouring countries and environmentalists.
The xayaburi dam is a runofriver hydroelectric dam on the lower mekong river approximately 30 kilometres 19 mi east of sainyabuli xayaburi town in northern laos. Xayabury, laos, march 9, 2017 the xayaburi dam, with installed capacity of 1,260 mw, is the first one among 12 mainstream dams on the mekong river. Don sahong dam xayaburi dam dachaoshan dam nuozhadu dam gongguoqiao dam miaowei dam dahuaqiao dam mekong mainstream dams mekong river source. Apr 20, 2018 the xayaburi dam poses a problem for the mekong rivers fish and the people living beside it. After xayaburi, its time for some hydrodiplomacy iucn. Located in northern laos, the proposed xayaburi dam is the most advanced of eleven large. Aug 12, 2011 a subsequent report, published in march by the mekong river commission itself, found that, from the xayaburi dam alone, the migrations of anywhere from 23 to 100 species of fish would be restricted, and the rivers iconic giant catfish, which can span 10 ft. The xayaburi dam dispute the xayaburi dam project has received significant regional and global attention. A new human security measurement is developed to consider qualitative aspects of interview data in order to compare. The xayaburi dam is being pushed to become the first of a series of as many as 11 mainstream dams on the lower mekong. Under the pnpcas procedural framework, laos submitted the xayaburi dam project proposal for prior consultation to the mrc on 20 september 2010, and the mrc officially began the consultation process on 22 october 2010, whereby the other mrc states had six months to formally reply with any concerns about the proposal.
In fact, laos, with the financial and diplomatic support of thailand, is going ahead with an infrastructure which might be costly for vietnam. Thai general contracting and infrastructure development group ch karnchang through its 50 percentowned subsidiary xayaburi power co. The dam has an expected capacity of 1260mw, a height of 32m, and a reservoir length of 60 to 100km 1. The main purpose of the dam is to produce hydroelectric power, 95% of which is to be purchased by the. People and livelihoods located approximately 150 kilometers downstream of luang prabang town, a unesco world heritage site, the xayaburi dam threatens to resettle over 2,100 people in ten villages. Laos approves xayaburi mega dam on mekong bbc news.
After xayaburi, its time for some hydrodiplomacy tue, 05 feb 20 the groundbreaking ceremony for the xayaburi dam in laos on nov 7 marked the symbolic end to a long and contentious international campaign to delay the dams construction until further studies into its potential transboundary impacts were complete. The mrc regional workshop on discharge and sediment monitoring and geomorphological tool for the lower tool. Jan 23, 20 laos finally called out over xayaburi dam. Ch karnchangs 50 percentowned subsidiary, xayaburi power co, has received a 29year concession contract from the laotian government to operate the dams power plant. The project comprises 7 turbine generator units of 175 mw each that will generate and transmit power through the 500 kv transmission system to egat, and one 60 mw unit that will distribute power through the 115 kv transmission system for domestic use in. Specific instance to oecd national contact point in finland. Notification and consultation procedures under the mekong. As part of a series of 11 mainstream dams proposed on the lower mekong river, a memorandum of understanding mou for the xayaburi dam was signed on may 4, 2007 with thai company ch karnchang 3. The projected negative social and environmental impacts, and scientific uncertainty about impacts, are considerable and significant. Photo appears courtesy of international rivers updated at 6. Seven of 175 mw and one of 60 mw generators have been installed to generate electricity for. The xayaburi dam poses a problem for the mekong rivers fish and the people living beside it.
As the mekong river flows through the mountainous province of xayaboury in northern laos, it becomes the spawning grounds of migratory fish species that feed millions of people along the entire length of the river. In the lower mekong, more than 3,235 mw has been realized via facilities built largely over the past ten years, while projects under construction will represent an additional 3,209 mw. Insights from the xayaburi controversy volume 5 issue 1 alistair rieuclarke skip to main content accessibility help we use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a. Modified transboundary water interaction nexus twins. The xayaburi hydro power project is a reinforce concrete dam with 810 meters long and 28. Nov 15, 2016 in 2019, the first dam on the lower mekong will be completed. Brief report on national consultation on xayaburi in quang ninh. While environmentalists fear it will threaten fisheries and communities, the lao government says the concerns are exaggerated. Insights from the xayaburi controversy volume 5 issue 1 alistair rieuclarke skip to main content accessibility help we use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. More recently, not only are the benefits of the xayaburi dam being trumpeted in the government public relations paper, the vientiane times, laos is even beginning to launch projects such as the pak beng dam in the north, and the don sahong.
The estimated hydropower potential of the lower mekong basin i. Xayaburi dam 30% finished, says laos phnom penh post. Recently, laos, thailand, cambodia, and vietnam agreed to put construction of the xayaburi dam on hold until an official impact assessment can be made of the potentially adverse environmental, social. Work restarts at xayaburi dam in laos project leader reuters. Xayaburi dam case study article pdf available in water 123. The plaintiff between electricty generation authority of thailand. Cambodia, and vietnam over whether the xayaburi dam should be built on the mekong river. Don sahong dam xayaburi dam dachaoshan dam nuozhadu dam gongguoqiao dam miaowei dam dahuaqiao dam mekong mainstream dams mekong river. The project comprises 7 turbine generator units of 175 mw each that will generate and transmit power through the 500 kv transmission system to egat, and one 60 mw unit that will distribute power through the 115 kv transmission system for domestic use in lao pdr. Xayaburi hppproject background poyrys role in the xayaburi hpp project in lao pdr 15 copyrightpoyry in 2011 poyry acted as a technical consultant to government of lao gol xpoyrys assignment in 2011 was to report on whether xayaburi power company limited owner has complied with and satisfied the mekong river. Can damming the mekong power a better life to laos. Oct 24, 2019 from the outset, the xayaburi dam was a controversial project due to widespread concerns over its expected impacts on the river system, including transboundary impacts in neighboring countries.
Insights from the xayaburi controversy article pdf available in asian journal of international law 501. Economic, environmental and social impacts of hydropower development in the lower mekong basin apisom intralawan, david wood and richard frankel mae fah luang university, chiang rai presentation prepared for the lower mekong public policy initiative, fulbright economics teaching program, ho chi minh city, vietnam 09 december 2016. Unofficialtranslation summary of the supreme administrative court decision to hear the case submitted by the network of thai people in 8 mekong provinces challenging the xayaburi dam power purchase agreement date. Media in category xayaburi dam the following 12 files are in this category, out of 12 total. W3 mekong river upstream from proposed dam site 8 km. Laoss controversial xayaburi dam is 30 per cent built, its government has told the post. In 2019, the first dam on the lower mekong will be completed. W6mekong river upstream from proposed dam site 20 km. Letters from the mekong 6 changes in the xayaburi and don sahong projects may successfully mitigate some of the impacts on fisheries and sediment transfer, but this unfortunately cannot be known until the dam is operational and impacts are irreversible. The xayaburi hydroelectric power project xayaburi power xpcl. The xayaburi dam on the mekong river may have to be redesigned to avoid any adverse impact on the environment, a senior lao official says, citing a french. The xayaburi dam located in a mountainous valley in northern laos, the proposed xayaburi hydropower dam is the most advanced of eleven large dams planned for the lower mekong rivers mainstream.
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