Energy

Mekong nations pressed to share data as water level falls to new low

The inter-governmental Mekong River Commission on Friday urged China and Southeast Asian countries to share more data on hydropower dam operations, as water flow in the Mekong hit record low levels for a second consecutive year. A report by the commission attributes the low water level ...

Plans for wind power from Chinese firm fall apart in Myanmar

Residents of Chaung Tha, a holiday resort and village on the Bay of Bengal, are still relying on diesel generators to get them through electricity blackouts more than four years after Myanmar’s government gave a Chinese company the go-ahead to build a wind farm nearby. Shortly ...

Kyaw Ye Lynn

Solar Power Can Help Halt Dramatic Decline Of Migratory Fish

A report issued last week revealed that, worldwide, migratory freshwater fish have declined by 76% since 1970. This result joins a growing and dispiriting list of dramatic declines for biodiversity and wildlife. However, it also highlights a continuing threat to food security for many regions of the world.  Freshwater fish provide the primary ...

Jeff Opperman

Are China’s dams responsible for droughts along Mekong River?

Chinese dams aren’t the problem causing droughts for downstream nations along the Mekong River – they are part of the solution – says a Chinese study released in July. The study is an attempt to pour water on claims by a rival US-backed investigation that blamed dams ...

Maria Siow

Laos Builds Road and Workers’ Camp for Luangprabang Dam Ahead of Formal Approval

A Thai dam developer has begun clearing land for a large-scale Mekong River dam near the ancient Lao capital Luang Prabang before signing a hydropower sale pact required for approval, raising concerns from downstream communities already hit hard by Laos’ aggressive damming of the vital ...

RFA’s Lao Service. Translated by Max Avary. Written in English by Eugene Whong.

Vietnam considers scrapping half of coal power plant pipeline in favour of gas and renewables

The coming decade could see Vietnam shelve nearly half of its currently planned coal power plant capacity as alternative sources of energy take up growing shares in its power mix, the government-affiliated research body tasked with drawing up the nation’s next power sector roadmap has ...

Tim Ha

BCPG eager to build Asean's largest wind farm in Laos

SET-listed BCPG Plc, a renewable energy arm of Bangchak Corporation Plc, plans to build Asean’s largest wind farm in Laos to generate revenue from rising demand for electricity. The company announced it will spend US$ 840 million, around 26.8 billion baht, developing the facility, with a ...

YUTHANA PRAIWAN

Large hydropower projects to continue in Myanmar Govt

Although electricity generated by natural gas is expected to rise, Myanmar is planning to continue implementing large hydropower projects such as the Myitsone Dam project to meet the country’s electricity needs, U Khin Maung Win, Deputy Minister of Electricity and Energy, told Pyidaungsu Hluttaw on ...

Kang Wan Chern

Drought, Dams on Mekong River Drop Cambodia’s Tonle Sap Lake to Record Low Levels

Climate change, drought, and upstream dams have led to record low water levels on the Mekong River, according to experts, who say the shortage is significantly harming Cambodia’s Tonle Sap Lake and the surrounding fishing communities who rely on it to earn a living. The water ...

Reported and translated by Sovannarith Keo. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.

A broken dam and broken promises: Laos doubles down on hydropower despite risks

Two years ago this week, a dam in southern Laos collapsed, releasing a flood that displaced over 7,000 people and killed at least 71. When a section of the Xe Pian-Xe Namnoy hydropower project broke on July 23, 2018, it sent 500 million cubic meters of ...

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