Energy
Experts question praise of China’s ‘drought relief’
The Mekong River Commission, in a missive posted on their website on November 14, credited China’s “emergency water release” from its Mekong dams with successfully helping to alleviate the drought in the Mekong River Basin earlier this year, a claim disputed by experts. The statement ...
Govt proceeds with planned Mekong hydro project
The government has informed the Mekong River Commission that it will proceed with the planned development of a new Mekong hydropower project in Pakbaeng district, Oudomxay province. The MRC Secretariat said on its website that it has received notification from the Lao government that Laos ...
The hydropower paradox: is this energy as clean as it seems?
In July, UN Secretary Ban Ki-Moon highlighted the role of hydropower in boosting the use of renewable energy globally, when he visited a nonprofit institute in China that helps emerging nations develop and build hydropower plants. Many countries consider hydroelectricity a clean source of power ...
Bids for petroleum blocks face delay
The bidding for the Erawan and Bongkot petroleum blocks in the Gulf of Thailand may be delayed further, from next March to the second quarter of 2017, says Energy Minister Anantaporn Kanjanarat. The Energy Ministry had aimed for the new auction of gas fields to take ...
President inspects Biluchaung Hydro-power Plant 2 in Kayah State
President U Htin Kyaw, together with Union Ministers U Than Myint, U Thein Swe and U Pe Zin Tun and Deputy Minister Maj-Gen Than Htut, visited Loikaw in Kayah State on November 3 and met with local officials, entrepreneurs, farmers and residents in Linphonlay Village. The ...
KrisEnergy ups stake to unclog offshore Block A oil
Singapore-listed KrisEnergy Ltd has upped its stake in the Block A offshore oil field to 95 percent, acquiring the shares of two minority stakeholders who had opposed the Cambodian government’s attempts to renegotiate a revenue-sharing model, the company revealed in its third-quarter filings. The document, ...
New guidelines on impact assessments almost ready
Civil society groups are getting closer to unveiling a new set of guidelines that will change how the impact of big development projects is assessed across the Mekong region, NGOs said on November 1, following the end of a two-month public consultation period. Activists, however, ...
Indonesia, Vietnam look to blaze trail for solar in Southeast Asia
Indonesia and Vietnam are looking to join Thailand in blazing a trail for solar power in Southeast Asia, introducing targets to fire up green energy generation as a landmark global agreement to curb pollution is set to take effect. Countries around the world are coming ...
Cambodian Deputy PM observes fish passage improvements at Don Sahong dam
A high-ranking delegation from Cambodia led by Foreign Affairs Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Mr Hor Namhong visited the Don Sahong hydropower project in Champassak province on October 29 to observe progress of the project, especially fish passage improvements. Mr Hor Namhong and his delegation are ...
Experts warn Mekong Delta agriculture, livelihoods face serious threats
Even though the latest El Niño wound down in Vietnam in September, it left in its wake diminished water supplies, risks to people’s health and food security, and a loss of livelihoods. The effects of the severe drought that the El Niño weather phenomenon—exacerbated by climate change—delivered ...
