Laos to construct dam in Mekong amid protests

Off to the ground-breaking ceremony.

Amid objections from environmentalists, the Lao government will continue with the planned construction of the 3.5-billion-dollar Xayaburi dam on the Mekong River.

This was announced by Viraphonh Viravong, Laos deputy minister of Energy and Mines. He noted that this is a cheaper alternative than to put up solar farms.

The ceremony on November 7 will mark the beginning of work in the river bed, with construction on access roads and facilities already under way.

The 1,260 megawatt hydroelectric project is to be the first run-of-river dam to be built on the lower Mekong. Four dams have already been built on the upper Mekong in China.

The project has been criticised by environmentalists, neighbouring countries and downstream riverside communities for its possible impact on the flow of sediments and fish migration.

In December, members of the Mekong River Commission’s council, consisting of water and environment ministers

from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, urged a delay to allow further environmental research.

In response, the Lao government and its chief partner in the project, Thailand’s Ch Karnchang Public Co Ltd, agreed to spend anadditional 100 million dollars to revamp the design of a fish ladder and sediment flow gates.

"They have no more serious complaints on the redesign of the dam,"Viraphonh said of Laos’ neighbours. "The Lao government is confident that with all these changes there will be no serious environmental impact, and that’s why we’ve decided to go ahead."

The Xayaburi project, to be operational by 2019, will be Laos' 14th hydropower plants and one of its largest.

More than 90 percent of its electricity will be exported to neighbouring Thailand.

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