Energy
Opposition to Myitsone Dam Will Be Outgoing Chinese Ambassador’s Chief Legacy
It has been a busy week for the Chinese ambassador to Myanmar. Just a week after Beijing hosted the 2nd Belt and Road (BRI) forum, Hong Liang has been bustling around the government offices in Naypyitaw attending a series of meetings since Monday. So far, he ...
Nan Lwin
Environmentalist Warns of Long-Term Impacts of Reckless Hydropower Development
A prominent environmentalist has warned that hydropower-reliant countries will face significant negative impacts in the long-term and could see a repeat of the tragic bursting of the Xe Pian Xe Namnoy dam in Laos last July that killed dozens. Ian Baird, a professor at the University ...
Men Kimseng
Where Did All the Free-Flowing Rivers Go?
A map of the world’s free-flowing rivers shows a shrinking number can still meander as they please. New plans for hydropower will further constrain flow. Giant catfish once swam in the golden-brown waters of the Mekong River near the Thai village of Sob Ruak. But since ...
Jenessa Duncombe
More power projects under way
Construction works for electricity projects that will electrify more than 75,000 households in seven regions and states, will complete within one and a half year, said Union Minister for Electricity and Energy Win Khaing, at a ceremony to sign the contracts with tender-winning companies for ...
Giving a dam about the Mekong
Originating in the Tibetan highlands and running through China, Myanmar, Thailand, Lao PDR, Cambodia, and Vietnam, the Mekong and its tributaries provide water, food and income for 60 million people. The longest river in Southeast Asia is home to the world’s largest inland fishery. It ...
Sheith Khidhir
Coal-fired power plant development must come with environmental protection
Phạm Trọng Thực, deputy director general of the Industrial Safety Technique and Environmental Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, talks to Công Thương (Trade and Commerce) newspaper on the national plan to develop coal-fired power plants What is the current state of Vietnamese coal power ...
New China-Laos joint project to power up electricity distribution in Laos' capital
The new 500 kV and 230 kV transmission lines to be installed in Laos’ capital Vientiane, a joint project between Lao and Chinese companies, will ensure more Lao people to have sufficient power, officials here have said. The new power lines will transmit electricity from hydropower ...
Illegal Charcoal Trade Wrecks Myanmar’s Bulwark Against Cyclones
The depletion of mangroves in southern Myanmar is impacting local fisheries near the island villages and playing havoc with the mangrove forest that protect the coastline from extreme weather events. The illegal charcoal trade persists due to a lack of law enforcement and oversight in Myanmar ...
Wudan Yan
The curse of hydropower?
As the world continues to suffer from climate change impacts, decarbonisation of the global economy is one of the most urgent needs faced by governments. This, though, will never be the only axis on which strategic political and economic decisions are taken. With more than a ...
Omair Ahmad
Villagers In Pursat Risk Losing Everything to Dam Development
The Cambodian government last week announced an 80-megawatt hydropower dam on the Anlong Krouch river, which flows to the town of Pursat. ANLONG KROUCH VILLAGE, PURSAT PROVINCE — For Khieu Him and Bun Kim Eng, orange trees provide hope. The ethnic Chorng and Por indigenous minority villagers ...