GT-Riders pass through the controversial Xayaburi Dam site.

Mar 30, 2010
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G'day All,

The recent GT-Rider boat trip passed through the Xayaburi dam site one last time before the dam is completed.

Below are some pictures as we passed the dam site which as you can see if well and truly under construction.

If any one has more pictures, news and other information regarding the dam.. Please post in this thread.

Pictures below taken February 25th 2014.

It was extremely bright and sunny on this day.. So the pictures are not the best.

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A few more pics on my mobile phone I need to pull off.

A panoramic shot below.

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Thanks David for making his trip happen.. Once in a life time experience.

Cheers
Brian

A link to International rivers and more about the Xayabouri Dam

http://www.internationalrivers.org/campaigns/xayaburi-dam
 

DavidFL

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A picture of the Mekong dams

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http://www.waterpolitics.com/2013/01/24/in-laos-a-contested-dam-project-moves-ahead/

The Thai company hired to build a massive hydroelectric dam for Laos on the Mekong River announced Jan. 23 that it was pushing ahead on construction of the project, which has drawn severe criticism from Laos’ neighbors and could contribute to regional tensions. Downriver countries such as Cambodia and especially Vietnam fear that the 1.2 gigawatt dam will cause ecological damage and change agricultural patterns that will affect tens of millions of people in the Mekong Basin. Though Vietnam has called for a halt in the dam’s construction, it also wants to avoid a rift with Vientiane and does not want to give other potential patrons, including China or Thailand, an opportunity to undermine Vietnamese influence in Laos. Hanoi will find it has few ways to exert pressure on Laos without damaging bilateral relations.

Analysis
CH. Karnchang, one of the largest construction firms in Thailand, said work at the $3.5 billion Xayaburi dam in Laos’ northern province was already about 10 percent complete. Controversy has surrounded the project since 2010, when Laos and Thailand first signed an agreement to build the dam, the terms of which stipulate that Thailand’s state power company will receive 95 percent of the electricity the dam generates. The Mekong River Commission — a four-nation body representing Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand tasked with managing regional developments — carried out a review in April 2011 calling for an environmental study and a delay in construction. Nonetheless, Vientiane decided to move forward on the project with the support of the Thai government, and a groundbreaking ceremony for Xayaburi was held in November 2012.

Planned Mekong River Dam Projects in Laos and Cambodia
To Vientiane, the Xayaburi project and the other hydroelectric dams planned along the Mekong River represent one of the most promising prospects for its economic future. With a population of 6.2 million and per capita gross domestic product of $1,320, Laos remains one of the least developed countries in Asia. Nonetheless, Laos’ mountainous geography and numerous rivers make it a potential generator of hydroelectric power; its total hydropower potential is estimated at around 18 gigawatts, of which 12.5 gigawatts could be generated by the Mekong Basin.

Vientiane hopes to use this hydropower capacity to produce revenue and investment opportunities by supplying electricity to neighboring countries where demand for energy is growing, thereby transforming the landlocked nation into the “battery of Southeast Asia.” In 2010, the government announced an ambitious plan to build 20 hydropower plants, including nine along the Mekong River, over the next 10 years, bringing its total hydropower capacity to 8 gigawatts from the current level of 2.5 gigawatts.

However, even at the early stages, Laos’ ambitions for hydropower dams encountered significant oppositions due to concerns from downriver countries about the environmental impact of the Xayaburi dam. Vietnam and Cambodia, which rely on the Mekong Delta for more than half their total food sources, were concerned that the dam would disrupt fish migrations, block nutrients for farming and allow saltwater to creep into the Mekong River Delta by slowing the river’s flow (though the actual reduction of flow is still being studied).

The objections by other countries in the region to Vientiane’s plans illustrate the country’s geographic constraints. Confined by mountains and surrounded by more powerful neighbors, including China, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar, Laos’ location determines a development path largely based on external factors. This has led Laos to either pursue major benefactors or play its neighbors, which view Laos as a buffer, off one another to Vientiane’s advantage.

In particular, Vientiane’s hydropower ambitions risk straining ties with Vietnam, which has long been Laos’ biggest patron. Despite its own power needs, Hanoi strongly opposes the Xayaburi dam, saying it will damage Vietnam’s agriculture production and aquaculture. Vietnam’s opposition also stems from fears that the Xayaburi dam will set a precedent for the other 10 dams, including two in Cambodia, planned for the lower Mekong River. Any reduction or change in the flow of the Mekong River would almost certainly affect Vietnam’s agriculture sector, which employs about half the population and depends on the river’s waters.

Despite its opposition, Hanoi has few options to pressure Laos over the dam project. Recent increased attention from outside powers on Laos has Vietnam concerned about the possibility of losing influence in the country, which Hanoi consider a strategic buffer region protecting its narrow midsection from threats to Vietnam’s west. In the past decade, China has used its economic strength to expand its influence in the region, becoming one of the top foreign investors in Laos in recent years. Thailand has also long wanted to increase its influence in Laos as part of its regional economic strategy and has invested substantially in Laos. The Xayaburi dam is one project that reveals this strategy. With its own economic and political influence in the region waning, Vietnam fears that the growing rift with Laos could create greater space for other countries to expand their influence there at the expense of Hanoi.

Because Laos is determined to push forward with its dam projects, strained ties with neighboring countries — especially Vietnam — are likely unavoidable. While Vietnam retains strong influence over Laos, it will have to deal with increased competition from Thailand and China, which a rift between Laos and Vietnam would likely accelerate.

How far the dam will back up

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Source: http://peakwater.org/tag/mekong-river/
Loads of good articles in the above link.
 

Jurgen

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Yes, it was an ‘awesome cruise’, a unique chance to visit this stretch of the Mekong were the Xayaburi Dam (Xayaboury or Sayabouly) is under construction. It is the first on the lower Mekong, one of many controversial projects on this part of the Big River. The higher part, where the river is known under its Chinese name Lancang (Turbulent River) is already tamed through a couple of hydroelectric hindrances.

Here are a some more illustrations, similar to Brian’s contribution. Few such pictures were already published as the tourist cruises in the region are very rare.

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Sep 19, 2006
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Impressive Stuff! They certainly have enough Tower Cranes! David, Your post showing all the proposed Dams is Incredible! So Kiss Goodbye to the Once Mighty Mekong and all the Marine life, Stingrays etc and Good Bye to The Giant Cat Fish! So Sad!!!
 
Dec 27, 2007
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Ian Bungy;297219 wrote: Impressive Stuff! They certainly have enough Tower Cranes! David, Your post showing all the proposed Dams is Incredible! So Kiss Goodbye to the Once Mighty Mekong and all the Marine life, Stingrays etc and Good Bye to The Giant Cat Fish! So Sad!!!
And don't forget the critically endangered Irrawaddy dolphins... Sadly less than 100 left :(

 
Mar 30, 2010
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TonyBKK;297227 wrote: And don't forget the critically endangered Irrawaddy dolphins... Sadly less than 100 left :(

We were fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of the elusive Irrawaddy Dolphins on our Kayaking trip about 5 years ago.

Kayaking around the 4000 islands

There are incredibly fast, up and back under the surface.

Fortunate enough to have this picture below..
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People can go for days and not catch a glimpse we were informed.

Sad that some of this magical area we kayaked will be under water and destroyed.

Brian
 
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DavidFL

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A couple of environmental websites for some more info

http://www.internationalrivers.org/campaigns/xayaburi-dam

http://www.internationalrivers.org/resources/the-xayaburi-dam-2635

http://www.savethemekong.org/

Some fisheries info I was able to dig out.


It is estimated that 40 million rural people, more than two thirds of the rural population in the Lower Mekong Basin, are engaged in the wild capture fishery (MRC, 2010b).
Fisheries contribute significantly to a diversified livelihood strategy for many people, particularly the poor, who are highly dependent on the river and its resources for their livelihoods (Baran and Myschowoda, 2009; Baran and Ratner, 2007; Baran et al.

Will dams affect fisheries production in the Mekong?
If, by 2030, eleven dams are built on the Lower Mekong Basin mainstream, forecasted total fish losses would amount to 550,000 to 880,000 tonnes compared to the baseline year 2000 (a 26-42 percent decrease). This is a loss of approximately 340,000 tonnes compared to a situation in 2030 without mainstream dams (ICEM, 2010). Estimates of the cost of lost fish production range from USD 200 million (Baird, 2011) to USD 476 million (ICEM, 2010) a year. Mainstream dams located upstream of Vientiane would have less impact on fisheries resources than those located further downstream.

In 2008, seventeen experts on fisheries and fish passes met at the Mekong River Commission Secretariat in Vientiane and concluded that, “existing mitigation technology cannot handle the scale of fish migration on the Mekong mainstream.

If all 11 planned mainstream dams are built, in 2030 more than 81 percent of the Lower Mekong Basin watershed will be obstructed, and therefore inaccessible to floodplain migratory fish (Baran, 2010).
Additionally, 55 percent of the Mekong River between Chiang Saen and Kratie will be converted to reservoirs, completely changing the environmental features of the region (Baran, 2010). At least 250,000 hectares of floodplain, 5 percent of the Lower Mekong Basin floodplain area, will be lost by 2030 if all planned tributary dam projects go ahead (ICEM, 2010; Roberts, 2004).
If you get a chance at all to spend time on the Mekong do it, because the pace of change is frightening & one day you won't be able to sail the Mekong & see such timeless lifestyles, culture & traditions.

Another vdo on the Mekong
 

DavidFL

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Some more info & viewpoints

From 2012 reports

http://www.indochinaresearch.com/newsletter/september2012/lao-batteryofsoutheastasia.html

LAOS: THE BATTERY OF SOUTH-EAST ASIA
By Ella Marley-Zagar –

On behalf of Indochina Research

The controversy has reached such heights that on 23 April 2012, the Prime Ministers in Vietnam and Cambodia issued public statements against proposed hydropower construction, with the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton strongly urging the reconsideration of hydropower sites during her visit to Laos on 11 July this year.

ELECTRICITY AT THE COST OF FOOD SECURITY?
The most controversial hydropower project to date is the Xayaboury dam in southern Laos. It is not often that the events in the small land-locked country of Laos create such big waves across the international press, but reports surrounding the Xayaboury dam have been streaked across the world’s news in the last 2 months, with articles in the New York Times, The Economist, BBC World News and Al Jazeera network. There have been accusations of secret hydropower construction in Laos despite the vehement international protest, allegations of a breach of the 1995 Mekong Agreement, and law suits filed on 23 July 2012 in a Thai administrative court by community groups who believe they will be affected downstream. The reason for such strong opposition is because it will be the first dam built on the Mekong mainstream outside China. It will be located to the south west of Luang Prabang, near where the Mekong enters Thailand and before it flows on through Cambodia and Vietnam. In April this year, a multi-billion dollar contract was signed between Xayaboury Power and a Thai Company, CH Karnchang to build the dam. Xayaboury Power plans to sells 95 per cent of the electricity generated by the dam to the state-run Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, the country’s sole power distributor. The Xayaboury dam is estimated to generate 1,285 MW of electricity per year, enough to power a small or medium-sized city.
As it will be the first run-of-the-river dam in Laos, there are grave concerns in Vietnam and Cambodia about the irreversible environmental and social impact that the Xayaboury dam could have. The Cambodians are deeply concerned that the dam will restrict the migration of fish, which could result in a decline in fish stocks in the Mekong. This would have a great impact on the large number of Cambodians in Tonle Sap who rely on fishing for their livelihood. At the beginning of July this year, the Cambodian villagers publically demonstrated against the dam proposals. Vietnam, normally Laos’ biggest ally, fears that Xayaboury could block the flow of nutrient-rich sediment that fertilizes Vietnam’s rice fields in the Mekong Delta. Farmers in the Mekong Delta are also concerned that a reduced flow of water as a result of the dam could exacerbate the problem of saltwater intrusion from the sea. A team of experts from the Vietnam Rivers Network have stated that the dam will pose a direct threat to the livelihoods of around 20 million Vietnamese residents in the Mekong Delta, as well as to Vietnam’s national and regional food security. With no social security program to fall back on, this could impact the poorest and most disadvantaged groups the most. The Strategic Environmental Assessment of Hydropower on the Mekong Mainstream produced by the International Center for Environmental Management (ICEM) Australia predicts that the dam would contribute to growing inequality in the countries of the Lower Mekong basin. While the rich would feel the benefits, the poor households that overwhelmingly depend on river resources for food production and fishing would be greatly affected, placing their food security and nutritional health at risk.

Hydropower not only affects people’s ability to survive, both with reduced agricultural yields and degradation of fish stocks, but also affects those who have to be relocated to make way for the project. The residents of Houay Souy village in Laos were relocated in January this year for the Xayaboury construction site. Many of the villagers are fishermen and, having fished along the banks of the Mekong all their lives, they feel they don’t know how else to make a living. Despite their new concrete houses, electricity and 3-year stipend, many feel at a loss as to what to do now. The Bangkok Post reported on 5 August 2012 that the former residents of Houay Souy were driving 40km on motorbikes along pot-holed roads in the dead of night to return to their village in order to fish. They have been torn from the traditional lifestyles that their families have relied on for centuries. One 54 year old resident named Ta said “we didn’t want to leave Houay Souy because we don’t know how to make a living elsewhere.’’ Grocery shop owner, Nun, 31, summed up the villagers’ feelings by saying ‘’we lived by the river all our lives and suddenly we have to live on a mountain. How are we going to survive?..[O]ur community will break down and there will not be Houay Souy anymore.’’ In total, 458 households will be relocated for the project, and a further 1,081 will be affected as a result of losing income from vegetable cultivation, gold panning and teak harvesting.

The Vietnamese, Cambodian and Thai authorities and community groups are calling for a halt to construction of the Xayaboury site until further environmental impact assessments are made. Senator Jim Webb, who heads the US Senate’s Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs, criticized the proposed dam in April this year, which he among many fear could result in regional conflict.

DEVELOPMENT WITHOUT ELECTRICITY?
On the other side of the debate, it is believed that the electricity and the funds generated by the hydropower projects are a much needed resource for Laos, which is working hard to catch up with its neighbours and achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals by 2015. Without electricity to power industry, and without money to fund initiatives, the country cannot develop.

At present, 23 per cent of people in Laos are living without electricity, relying on more hazardous alternatives such as candlelight to light up their homes. Only 802,400 families living in 5,934 villages across 139 districts nationwide have access to electricity. Laos has enormous potential for hydropower development with its mountainous terrain and free-flowing waterways; less than 10 per cent of Laos’ hydropower capacity has been developed over the last 30 years. To date, Laos has only built 14 hydropower plants with a capacity of 2,500 megawatt (MW), with 10 further dams under construction and 56 proposed or in planning stages. Laos plans to increase the hydroelectric output to 3,856 MW by 2015, providing 85 per cent of households with access to electricity – and 90 per cent with access by 2020. In doing so, the Lao Government will be able to supply its people with cheaper electricity and will be able to increase earnings from exporting excess electricity to neighbouring Thailand and Vietnam. By 2020, Laos hopes to supply a total of 7,000 MW of hydroelectric power to Thailand alone.

DID YOU KNOW?
By 2015, the Lao Government plans to build enough hydropower stations to have an installed capacity of 3,856MW, generating 19,184 million kWh of electricity per year.

During the last decade, hydropower has played a central role in Laos’ rapid economic growth, with the export of hydroelectric power constituting around one eighth of the country’s GDP. As such, the Lao Government is actively pursuing the development of hydropower to increase revenue from its exports, and graduate from its Least Developed Nation status. This is of particular priority now that the world’s most developed countries are facing a recession, potentially jeopardizing the USD 700 million of overseas development assistance that Laos depends on each year. Providing that stringent due diligence is carried out, large multilateral development organizations such as the World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB) support hydropower development in Laos, as a proportion of the revenue generated will be used to fund community development initiatives, poverty reduction, healthcare and education projects. The Nam Theun hydropower project in Khammouane province for example will generate USD 2 billion for the Lao Government throughout its 25-year concession period, with USD 27 million in 2012 alone. Xayaboury is anticipated to generate USD 3.9 billion throughout the 29 year concession. After the concession period ends, the projects assets will be handed over to the Lao Government under the build-own-operate-transfer basis. Laos is one of the poorest countries in Asia, but it has the potential to shed its Least Developed status through royalties, dividends and taxes from hydropower. Indeed, this fiscal year, Laos is expecting to see a 2 percent decrease in poverty (to 22 percent), attributable to the soaring growth in the mining and hydropower sectors.

The Lao Government’s power sector policy encourages the optimal use of the country’s natural resources, focussing on energy efficiency in power sector institutions and creating an environment conducive to investment, both public and private. In 1999, the Lao Government passed an Environmental Protection Law that outlined measures on the management of the environment and natural resources. In 1995, the countries through which the Lower Mekong flows signed an agreement pledging to consult each other on how they use the river, which culminated in the creation of the intergovernmental body the Mekong River Commission (MRC). The MRC is now responsible for ensuring the sustainable management of the Mekong basin, whose members include Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.

DID YOU KNOW?
The MRC estimates that if 6 planned mainstream dams are built in northern Laos, the result would be a 66,000 tonne loss in fish stocks per year, putting the livelihoods of 450,000 people at risk.

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WHICH WAY WILL IT GO?
Many opponents of the Xayaboury dam feel that if work is completed on the mainstream hydropower station, then this will set a precedent for 11 further dams that are already in the planning stage in the Lower Mekong, which are projected to generate 8 percent of Southeast Asia’s power by 2025. By ensuring the energy dependency of neighbouring countries, Laos could not only see an increase in development, but also an increase in regional leverage and prestige.

But this development needs to be carefully planned, with full consultation and comprehensive impact assessment studies. Hillary Clinton offered assistance in the funding of studies to examine the effect of the proposed dams on the river basin, in order that the Mekong region could learn from the mistakes that the US made with the Mississippi River. There is a need for a more comprehensive basin wide approach, with capacity strengthening in enforcement agencies. Japan is also trying to encourage Laos to conduct more detailed assessment programs, with a project running until May 2013 in conjunction with two Japanese electric power companies Chubu Electric Power Co Inc and J. Power. The project aims to enhance the current Power Development Plan by ensuring that it is more comprehensive and more reliable; improving policies, laws, co-ordination procedures, effectiveness and transparency. The project also aims to propose an institutional and human resource development program to augment power sector governance. Projects are also desperately needed to help those who are affected to re-train and gain alternative skills, so that they are able to make the transition from their traditional lifestyles and adapt to their new lives away from the river.

The Mekong River is the artery of the Indochina region, and clogging its free flowing waters with concrete dams will undoubtedly have an effect on the people that rely on the water and fish stocks. However, hydropower is a key factor for the country’s race for development, but it could be that the poor and disadvantaged groups are the ones who pay the highest price. The question should be ‘is it worth it for the Lao people?’, but there are now so many high level interests and large-scale investments at stake, that the question that is now emerging is ‘can we stop it?’ These might be the last few years of freedom for one of the world’s most celebrated wild rivers.

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STORY FROM THE LAO GOVERNMENT in 2012

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STORY

http://www.indochinaresearch.com/newsletter/september2012/lao-batteryofsoutheastasia.html

The Deputy Minister of Energy and Mines Mr Viraphonh Viravong gave an exclusive interview to the Aljazeera Network on 20 August this year about the Xayaboury hydropower project. The following is a summary of the interview, reported in the Vientiane Times on 6 September 2012.

“ What are the reasons for the dam’s construction and what are the potential effects on the local and national economy?

(i) Laos is blessed with large hydro potential. Hydropower is clean, has zero carbon emissions, and is renewable. No other method of generating electricity can create opportunities for providing water for human consumption and flood control. Hydropower is also a non-consumptive use of water, i.e. after electricity generation, water can still be used for irrigation. The sustainable and responsible development of hydropower can be a catalyst for economic development and can help bring about poverty reduction in Laos.

(ii) The direct benefits to the local population are better infrastructure such as roads, clean water, irrigation, electricity, and improvement of living conditions such as employment, education, health, trade, etc.

(iii) National direct benefits include royalties, taxes and dividends; reliable supply of clean and renewable energy; training of skilled labour; raise creditworthy and cheaper project financing; opportunity to develop large hydro potentials.

(iv) Hydropower contributes 33 percent to the natural capital of Laos’ wealth (Wealth and Sustainability - Background Paper on the Lao PDR Development Report 2009 by World Bank Group). Without hydropower development, it will be difficult for Laos to leave Lower Income Country status by 2015-2018.

What are the environmental risks involved in building this dam, and what is the government doing to try to minimise them?

In developing hydropower projects, generally there are 5 domains of concern that may have transboundary impacts. The Mekong River Commission Secretariat issued “Preliminary Design Guidance for Proposed Mainstream Dams in the Lower Mekong Basin” in 2009 which addressed the 5 issues as follows:

(i) Navigation.
(ii) Fish migration.
(iii) Sediment transport and river morphology.
(iv) Water quality and aquatic ecology.
(v) Safety of dams.

Xayaboury is a run-of-river type dam without large storage capacity, and also has a low dam height (average dam height of only 40 metres, compared to the 198 metre height of the Nam Ngum II dam built by the same developer), thus:

(I) Navigation locks are fairly common and there are hundreds of references in the world of successful operation.

(II) There are a fish ladder, fish lift and fish passage through the navigation locks; in addition, fish-friendly turbines are specified to be used, and a fish hatching station will complement any endangered fish species.

(III) Sediment transport through the dams will be designed in accordance with recommendations from Compagnie Nationale du Rhone (CNR), which has been operating their 19 run-of-river hydropower stations on the Rhone River successfully for the last 50 years.

(IV) Quality of water will be the same as before since there is no reservoir and the ratio of retention capacity is negligible compared with the inflow at Xayaboury.

(V) Fluctuation of the downstream water level will be kept to less than 0.5 metre in one day. Safety of dams is designed with all applicable international standards.”

THE WAY THEY SAY IT

Mr Bounxou from Khoneleaung village in Vientiane Province is 53 years old. He is the chief of the village and has lived there for 15 years. He is from the Thai Deang ethnic group.
"My life is better since the hydropower construction, as the community has received skills training and the village infrastructure has been improved. I have received compensation from the hydropower company in the form of support for myself as a community speaker, as well as the building of a well and fresh water supply, however I do not think this compensation is adequate for the damage caused. I have suffered health problems from dirty river water and from the flooding of the dam. There has also been increased pollution, heightened crime and antisocial behavior and we now pay more for our electricity".

Mrs. Ly
Mrs Ly has lived in Khoneleaung for 8 years. She is a 53 year old agriculturist from the Khmu ethnic group.
“I have been affected by the hydropower station, through flooding of the dam and the degradation of the route from my house to my fields. I believe that my life is the same after the hydropower project; as it has improved education, community skills and the availability of jobs in my area, but has also been a source of pollution and poor water management. I have not received any compensation for my loss of livelihood”.
 

King of Jars

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Thanks for this complementary update. Anyone having a clue when they are to close the dam? I'd like to do the trip but have had June+ in mind?
 

DavidFL

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For Ticino

From
2014 GTR Mekong Boat trip. Part 2. Luang Prabang - Sayabouly Dam - Pak Lay

Info sourced from the Mekong River's Commission Prior Consultation Project Review Report 2010.

The primary function of the project is to provide hydropower generation capability comprising seven turbine-generator units of 175 MW capacity or a total of 1,225 MW for export to Thailand, and one unit of 60 MW capacity for use in Lao PDR. The main facilities are the dam structure itself (820 m long, 32.6 m high, rated head of 18.3 m), the spillway for discharge of river flow greater than the powerhouse discharge capacity, sluices for bypass.
QUOTE] From 2010
Overall layout of Xayaburi dam project. The structure is 820 m long and 32.6 m high. The spillway facility comprises ten radial gates, 19 m wide and 21 m high. Gross reservoir volume is 1,300 m3 or 1.3 km3

From a 2010 report

Construction would commence with a six-month period for site preparation and building the access road.
The main contract period, for 7 years and 9 months, includes two main phases when the river is modified by cofferdams.
The first phase is scheduled for three years and will involve right-bank construction of the spillway, navigation lock and part of the intermediate block.
The river will remain in the original channel during this period and cofferdams will be used to isolate the work areas.
Fish migration, navigation, and other in-stream uses are in the left river channel.

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The second phase of the construction involves completion of the remainder of the intermediate block, the powerhouse, and the left bank fish passing facilities (see Figure 6). During this period, the reservoir will fill with water being discharged through the open spillway gates and over the sill of the spillway.

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The reservoir level will vary depending on the river flow. Navigation will be through the locks, which are designed for operation with the river levels during this period.
Upstream fish migration during the second construction stage appears to be restricted to the use of the navigation lock as the head difference across the spillway will be too large, while downstream migration is deigned to occur through the spillway.
The Fisheries Expert Group therefore recommended that fish-passage facilities are implemented in a phased approach with a nature-like fish pass constructed during the first phase of the dam construction to be operational in the second phase.

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During construction, water levels upstream and downstream from the dam will fluctuate with the natural flow of the river as there should be no re-regulation of the discharge other than that occurring due to the reservoir operating at low level with free spillway outflow.
Powerhouse civil works construction is planned for three years during the second phase of construction followed by completion of the electrical and mechanical works.

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Cofferdams will be used to isolate the powerhouse work during this period.
The first generating unit will be commissioned after 7 years and 3 months with the subsequent units entering service approximately at one-month intervals.

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Some other bits & pieces

The reservoir impounded behind the dam would be maintained at 275 m above sea level at all times of the year (with exceptions noted below).
This corresponds to the level that the river would reach in a 1:000 year flood (a flow of 37,100 m3/s).
The reservoir (or back water effect) would extend up the Mekong from the dam to Luang Prabang town, a distance of 100 km.
The water level in the Mekong mainstream downstream of the Xayaburi dam would vary seasonally depending on the river flow.
The downstream level would rise and fall with flow pattern changes between the dry and wet seasons.
The water level would typically vary up to 19 m between 236.0 masl in the dry season to about 255.7 masl in the flood season (excluding exceptional flood events such as a PMF).
The elevation of 236.0 masl is the lowest tail-water level for operating turbines, before the commissioning of Pak Lay, for a river flow of 1,000 m3/s.

Based on a backwater analysis, the review further concludes that the water levels are expected to rise up to a maximum of 200 km upstream of the Xayaburi dam, specifically at lower flows.
At higher flows, the effect is expected to be limited to around 100 km. The zone of influence expected, all within Lao territory, is further than stated in the Xayaburi Feasibility Study.

MEKONG FISH MIGRATION
The migratory biomass of the Mekong is one of the largest of any river in the world.
In the early wet season, when large pangasiid catfishes and large cyprinids are migrating and the migratory biomass in the upper migration zone is estimated to be 36,000 tonnes , there may be 10,000 kg of fish per hour
passing, if we assume the migration is evenly distributed over five months.
There is also likely to be pulses of higher biomass with seasonal and dial peaks14.

The middle and lower migration systems have much greater migratory biomass.
Fish-passage solutions developed for Xayaburi may not be transferable to these zones.
For example, between 200,000 and 260,000 kg of fish per hour is estimated to migrating upstream in the lower migration system (using the MRC estimate of 0.75-0.95 million tonnes migrating per year in the lower system [Barlow et al. 2008], spread over five months.
The Sayabouly / Xayaboury is going to be a monumental change to the Mekong river in Laos & the life of peoples on living on / by the river.

Let's hope for the best, because there aint no stopping the Mekong dams now.
 
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Bangkok Post 3 April 2014
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/403291/xayaburi-dam-almost-a-quarter-complete

Xayaburi Dam in Laos "23% complete"

Vientiane -
Construction of the controversial Xayaburi Hydro-power plant, the first dam on the lower stretch of the Mekong River, is now 23% complete, Lao media reports said Thursday.

The US$3.5 billion dam and power plant in Xayaburi province is "on track to be operational in 2019 as planned," the Vientiane Times reported.

Xayaburi Power Co Ltd's deputy managing director gave US ambassador to Laos Daniel Clune a tour of the project this week, the state-run daily said.

The ambassador also visited the resettlement site under construction for the inhabitants of 15 villages displaced by the project.

The dam has been strongly opposed by environmentalists and neighbouring countries concerned about its potential impact on the river's fisheries.

The ambassador reportedly said the project would benefit the Lao people in the future as long as it was able to minimise downstream effects

In November 2012, Laos officially began construction on the dam, despite serious objections from partners in the Mekong River Commission.

The prime ministers of the commission's four member countries - Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam - were to meet Saturday in Ho Chi Minh City to review development projects for the Mekong river, including the Xayaburi dam.

The Xayaburi project's Thai developers say they have answered critics' concerns by including fish ladders and fish elevators in their dam designs.

But questions remain about the potential impact on fish migration in the 4,880-kilometre-long Mekong.
 

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Here's another interesting article on the dam

2014-0408 - South China Morning Post - Experts renew quake fears over Xayaburi dam on Mekong River in Laos

http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1469903/experts-renew-quake-fears-over-xayaburi-dam-mekong-river-laos

LAOS
Experts renew quake fears over Xayaburi dam on Mekong River in Laos

Thai geologist notes the massive barrage on the Mekong lies close to fault zones; contractor insists seismic guidelines are being followed

Tom Fawthrop in Xayaburi, Laos

Earthquake experts have renewed concerns about the potential for a seismic disaster hitting the massive Xayaburi dam, which is well under construction on the Mekong River in a quake-prone location in Laos.

Geologist Dr Punya Charusiri of Chulalungkorn University in Bangkok said: "The Xayaburi dam poses a potential danger because there are active faults close to the dam site."

Dr Punya said there was a 30 per cent chance of a medium-sized earthquake hitting the dam site in the next 30 years, and a 10 per cent chance of a powerful earthquake of up to magnitude 7. He said: "If the fault at the dam site becomes active … there is no chance for seismic engineering to take care of that."

He also said construction should "never have started" at such a site without further research into its seismic risk, although the dam's builders say it already complies with all earthquake safety rules.

There have been a series of earthquakes near the project site in recent years, and Dr Punya's warning comes after Phnom Penh expressed concerns about the earthquake risk at Xayaburi to the Laotian government in 2011.

In 2011, two quakes hit 48 kilometres from the dam site, one of 5.4 magnitude and one of 4.6. A month later a quake of 3.9 occurred 60 kilometres from the site. In 2007, a 6.3-magnitude quake hit the Xayaburi area.

Further away, in northern Myanmar, a 6.9 magnitude quake on March 24, 2011 killed 151 people.

Dr Punya said the quakes near Xayaburi occurred on what were thought to have been inactive faults, "an unusual development and one that causes additional concern".

The dam is being built by Swiss-based Poyry Energy and Thai company CH. Karnchang. They insist the dam will be safe.

Poyry Energy's general manager, Dr Martin Wieland, said seismic hazards at Xayaburi had been thoroughly studied and all aspects of the dam's construction were in accordance with seismic design guidelines prepared by the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD).

However, researchers at Chulalungkorn University used remote sensing techniques to identify two active faults nearby, one 60 kilometres from the site and one 20 to 40 kilometres away.
The Xayaburi dam poses a potential danger because there are active faults

Geologist Dr Punya Charusiri said: "The company should never have started construction of the dam on a fault, before the research into the seismic danger had been completed."

The government of Laos officially launched the Xayaburi dam project in November 2012, despite protests from the downstream nations of Cambodia and Vietnam, scientists and a host of NGOs. Critics fear the dam's environmental impact, as well as the risk posed to food production by massively reducing fisheries and the loss of sediment that would affect soil fertility and agriculture.

Te Navuth, secretary general of Cambodia's National Mekong Committee, said: "An independent and specialised research team must assess the risk of earthquakes and dam safety."

The Mekong River Commission, an advisory body with representatives from nations along the river, made several requests for information on dam safety management before the Laotian government last month released a "probabilistic seismic hazard assessment". Thirty per cent of the dam has already been built.

The US$3.5 billion hydropower project, which will sell energy to Thailand, is scheduled for completion in 2019.

Poyry Energy's Asia director, Knut Sierotzki, recently said "all relevant guidelines from ICOLD were followed by the design engineer to ensure the safety of such a large hydraulic structure".

Critics say the ICOLD is not an independent research body, but a forum for the dam engineering lobby largely funded by hydropower companies. Poyry's Dr Wieland is also chairman of the committee on seismic aspects of dam design for the ICOLD.

Last week the Vietnam Rivers Network, a group of NGOs based in Vietnam, called for the immediate suspension of the Xayaburi dam project, citing risks to fisheries, food security and livelihood.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as Experts flag quake fears at Laos dam.
 
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Vietnam screams for halt to Mekong dams as delta silts up
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Vietnam-screams-for-halt-to-Mekong-dams-as-delta-s-30232520.html

Kraisak Choonhavan
Special to The Nation April 30, 2014 1:00 am
Thai activists protest against construction of the Xayaburi Dam.

30232520-01_big.gif


Thailand must join with downstream neighbours in persuading Laos to abide by regional oversight mechanism

When the livelihoods of 20 million of your citizens living in the Mekong River delta are threatened, along with 27 per cent of your GDP, 90 per cent of your rice exports and 60 per cent of your seafood exports, what do you do, especially when the sources of that threat, the governments of Laos and Thailand, don't appear to be listening to your objections?

This is the challenge facing Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung as he tries to maintain cordial diplomatic relations with his fellow Mekong River Commission Council and Asean members, while at the same time ratcheting up pressure for a halt to construction of the giant US$3.8-billion (Bt122.9 billion), 1,285MW Xayaburi hydropower project and the smaller but equally controversial 260MW Don Sahong dam, the first barriers on the mainstream of the lower Mekong.

Speaking at the opening of the Second Mekong River Commission (MRC) summit in Ho Chi Minh City on April 5, Prime Minister Dung noted that the Mekong has become one of the five great rivers in the world with the most serious flow reduction and that salinity intrusion in Vietnam's delta region was expanding into new areas. He called for "full and effective implementation of the 1995 Mekong Agreement, including the Procedure of Notification, Prior Consultation and Agreement (PNPCA), to support sound decision-making on proposed water resource development projects".

This was a clear reference to Laos' violation of its obligations under the Mekong Agreement, which made the PNPCA mandatory for all mainstream projects. Riding roughshod over the strong objections of Cambodia and Vietnam, Laos unilaterally launched construction of the Xayaburi project under Thai developer Ch Karnchang in 2012, without completing the PNPCA process. Then in September last year it announced the start of the Don Sahong Dam, this time avoiding the PNPCA process by claiming the project was not on the mainstream, a claim dismissed as clearly untrue by all impartial observers.

To minimise a diplomatic confrontation that would push Laos even further into an avaricious Chinese patron-client relationship, Vietnam's strategy is to rely on science. "Let's listen to the science to chart a sustainable path for development along the lower Mekong," says Tran Xuan Viet of the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations. So Vietnam is pushing for the rapid completion of two scientific studies which it expects will provide sufficient independent confirmation that the Xayaburi and Don Sahong dams threaten "significant harm" to Cambodia's and Vietnam's national interests, thus allowing them to activate Article 7 of the Mekong Agreement and halt construction of mainstream dam projects.

Confirming this strategy Dung called for the MRC to accelerate its research activities, "with the highest priority being given to the completion of the MRC Council Study on the sustainable management and development of the Mekong River". This is the study mandated by MRC Council members in 2011 to resolve the impasse created by Cambodia's and Vietnam's refusal to agree to the Xayaburi project, a move later ignored by Laos. Both this study and Vietnam's delta study are expected to be completed next year.

In another carefully orchestrated move clearly designed to broadcast Vietnam's objections to the Xayaburi and Don Sahong dams the week before the summit, the People's Aid Coordinating Committee (PACCOM), a Vietnamese government agency reporting to the prime minister's office, organised a day-long workshop on the Xayaburi attended by Vietnamese scientists, National Assembly agencies, research institutes and other stakeholders.

The workshop's conclusions must have shocked the Lao and Thai governments as well as the four Thai banks which are financing the Xayaburi project. The meeting called for three dramatic actions: the Lao government to temporarily suspend construction of the Xayaburi dam, the Thai government to cancel its "premature" power purchase agreement until there is regional consensus on hydropower projects on the Mekong mainstream, and for the Thai banks to reconsider their risk assessments and value their international reputation.

These unusually forthright demands, stage-managed by a Vietnamese government agency, show just how far Vietnam is prepared to go to stop the Xayaburi dam. The PACCOM meeting followed up with letters to the big four Thai banks inviting them to send representatives to explain why they are financing the Xayaburi.

Three days after the PACCOM meeting another unprecedented demonstration of the burgeoning anti-Xayaburi sentiment took place when 40 Cambodian, Thai, Vietnamese and international NGOs issued a Declaration of Solidarity, setting a one-year deadline to stop construction of the Xayaburi. Issued "in support of the 60 million Cambodians, Laotians, Thais and Vietnamese whose lives and livelihoods are threatened by the Xayaburi dam", the Declaration's one-year deadline was based on the developer's schedule which indicates that construction of the dam across the main body of the river will start around February 2015, "thereby causing major irreversible ecological and hydrological impacts on the entire lower Mekong River basin system".

The Declaration also supported Vietnam's official position on the Xayaburi, "to defer it and all other projects on the Mekong mainstream for at least 10 years", and called on the Thai government to cancel the power purchase agreement for the Xayaburi.

Can construction of the Xayaburi Dam be stopped within a year, before it starts to cause irreversible damage to the entire lower river-basin system?

(According to the developer, construction is between 23 and 30 per cent complete.)

Yes. It's been done before, recently, and in a neighbouring country, Myanmar. In September 2011, President Thein Sein's decision to stop construction of the Chinese-backed Myitsone Dam on the Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) River shocked Beijing and signalled the start of the much-lauded democratisation process and a sharp brake on the creeping Chinese economic colonisation of Myanmar.

Anti-dam sentiment in Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam is rapidly catching up with that in Thailand, where the current government's ill-conceived Bt350-billion flood protection "non-plan" is stalled due to strong public protest against some 20 proposed dams. Vietnam has cancelled over 400 dam projects in the last 12 months, ending a decades-long love affair, while in Myanmar petitions are being sent to the Chinese and Thai governments to immediately halt six proposed dam projects on the Thanlwin (Salween) River, one of the longest free-flowing rivers in the world. And just after the Mekong Summit, Cambodia's National Assembly held a hearing about the Don Sahong project which is likely to result in petitions against both dams being sent to key promoters, including the Thai banks financing the projects. According to Son Chhay, Chief Whip of the Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP), "most of our party's elected MPs and senators are opposed to the Xayaburi and the Don Sahong dams because they threaten regional collaboration and pose the greatest risk to the Tonle Sap, the central pillar of Cambodian food security".

Bangkok Bank, Kasikorn Bank, Krungthai Bank and Siam Commercial Bank, the Xayaburi's main lenders, and PTT, which holds a 25 per cent stake in the project, are all now facing an increasingly tough choice: Stop the Xayaburi now, either by suspending their syndicated loan or persuading the Thai government to cancel the power purchase agreement, or face the growing displeasure of the Vietnamese government and even greater losses when Vietnam eventually stops the project next year.

The Thai stakeholders have plenty at risk. The four banks all have expansion plans in Vietnam, while PTT is in an advanced stage of planning for a multibillion-dollar Vietnamese refinery project. To compound its dilemma, there have been media reports that PTT is even considering increasing its stake in the Xayaburi, in what can only be described as a clear case of politically motivated interference designed to decrease prime promoter Ch Karnchang's exposure to this increasingly risky project.

SCB chairman Anand Panyarachun, a strong promoter of sustainable development in the past, once called on Asean to reconsider its so-called principle of non-interference. What we need today is a proactive principle of ecological interference. Environmental impacts do not recognise sovereign borders. We need the four MRC members to tell China to pay attention to the impact its six dams on the upper Mekong are having downstream, and refrain from building more, and we need Thailand to join with Cambodia and Vietnam to persuade Laos to repair the broken PNPCA process by stopping construction of the Xayaburi dam immediately.

Kraisak Choonhavan is a former senator.
 

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http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Lao-dam-project-tests-swimming-ability-of-fish-30235984.html

Lao dam project tests swimming ability of fish

June 11, 2014 3:10 pm

Vientiane - Laos' controversial Xayaburi dam project on the Mekong River has begun testing the effectiveness of fish passage ways, news reports said Wednesday.
British-based Fishtek Consulting has been hired to evaluate whether species indigenous to the river are able to use ladders that bypass the Xayaburi hydroelectric dam, the first to be built on the lower Mekong, said the Vientiane Times.

"Fish swimming ability tests began in May this year and are ongoing," it said.

The 3.5-billion-dollar dam has faced strong opposition from environmentalists and neighbouring countries concerned about its potential impact on fisheries.

To address these concerns, the majority Thai-owned contractor Xayaburi Power Company included fish ladders and elevators as part of the dam’s construction design, but such devices have never been tested on species indigenous to the 4,880-kilometre Mekong.

Fishtek has been testing whether fish can swim against a current travelling 1.2 metres per second, the Vientiane Times said.

"At this speed most of the fish species require several attempts to enter the flume," it said.

Construction was started in November 2012 and is now one-fourth complete, despite concerns about the dam’s impact on fisheries, an important source of protein and income for millions of people living in the Mekong basin.

Will it ever worK?

299888=19457-xayaburi_dam_fish_migration_upstream_impacts.jpg
 
Mar 30, 2010
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Aljazera report from the Xayabouri Dam

http://video.aljazeera.com/channels/eng/videos/critics-debate-environmental-impact-of-xayaburi%C2%A0dam-in-laos/4819736215001

Cheers

Brian
 

DavidFL

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Channel News Asia has a nice little report

Xayaburi dam: 'Testing ground for untried technologies'

In 2019, the first dam on the Lower Mekong will be completed. Environmentalists fear it will threaten fisheries and communities, but the Lao government says the concerns are exaggerated. In the first part of a special series, Pichayada Promchertchoo visited the dam site to find out how developers plan to mitigate the impact.

VIENTIANE: "I miss the Mekong." A sad smile flickered across the face of Thongkham Phalibai, a mother of two and owner of a grocery store in Luang Prabang.

"I was living by the river for so long, earning money from gold panning and farming. But I can't go back there anymore. I don't know where my old house used to be."

It has been four years since Thongkham left a simple life in her old village of Pak Neun for a new one in Neunsavang, a remote village 80 kilometres south of Luang Prabang. She was among the 2,986 villagers who were forced to resettle because their homes either sat on the location of the controversial Xayaburi dam or were in areas that will be flooded.


A joint venture between the Lao government and Thai investors, the US$3.8-billion mega-project has encountered fierce opposition from environmental groups and countries downstream of the dam. Many fear its successful completion will lead to more dams being built on the Mekong, which they believe could have a devastating impact on the tens of millions of people who live in the Lower Mekong Basin.

But the government has played down the concern, maintaining it has struck the right balance between the benefits and potential negative impact of the dam - the first to be built across the Lower Mekong mainstream and one of 12 such projects proposed for the region.

"It's very much exaggerated that we would kill 60 million people. You have to have balance. You have to optimise the benefits and minimise the impacts. And that’s the case," said Laos’ Deputy Minister of Energy and Mines Viraphonh Viravong.

pp-dam-tech-2-data.jpg


His country is the poorest state in Southeast Asia. It is a landlocked nation with limited options to achieve sustainable economic and social development.

But Laos is blessed with many rivers and streams, including Southeast Asia's largest and most powerful river - the Mekong. It flows 1,835 kilometres through the country’s mountainous terrain from north to south, channelling more than half of the region’s power potential to the small nation. As a result, Laos relies heavily on hydropower development, which not only creates energy for domestic consumption but can also raise revenue through export sales.

"You generate cheap electricity. It's renewable and doesn't emit carbon dioxide," Viraphonh added.


WINDOWS OF OPPORTUNITY

But even the deputy minister admitted there are downsides to hydropower development, particularly when it involves mainstream facilities such as the Xayaburi dam.

The construction has displaced thousands of people from 15 villages and resulted in a loss of traditional livelihoods. Its location across the Mekong’s main channel also means fish migration, sediment and the river's hydrology are affected, which has a potential impact on the millions of people who rely on these natural systems, both within Laos and beyond.

pp-dam-tech-9-data.jpg


But as environmental groups highlight the concerns, Laos sees windows of opportunity.

Once its turbines start turning in 2019, the Xayaburi dam will generate 1,285 megawatts of clean energy. But because Laos does not need so much power, 95 per cent will be sold to Thailand.

According to project owner Xayaburi Power Co Ltd (XPCL), the project will earn Laos more than US$100 million per year. And for the government, that economic windfall has the potential to improve the lives of the 6.8 million population.

"That's why when you visit any site of hydropower projects in Laos, you won’t see anybody against it," Viraphonh said.

Generally, he seems to be correct


Despite her nostalgia for the good old days by the Mekong, Thongkham admitted her life is far more comfortable in the new village more than 30 kilometres away. Her husband provides motorcycle repair services while she runs a grocery store. Both enjoy reliable electricity, running water and roads.

A similar response was heard on the other side of the Mekong. At Nator Yai village, hundreds of villagers are getting on with their new lives. They had to move from their homes in Houay Souy village to make way for the dam’s development, losing their farmland in the process.


pp-dam-tech-4-data.jpg


More than 70 affected families have been given new houses and land to grow food, and while some complain they need more space, they agree that life at the new village is not bad.

"It's comfortable," said fisherman-turned-carpenter Thong Phonchampa. "There are many good things here. There is a road and electricity. There is also a school and a temple they built for us. Plus, we're now also closer to doctors."

"Still, I miss the Mekong," the 68-year-old added.

pp-dam-tech-10-data.jpg


TRANSBOUNDARY IMPACT

In Laos, affected families have been compensated for what they have lost. But it remains unclear exactly how the dam could affect people in neighbouring countries.

For years, the fishermen of Pak Ing Tai village in northern Thailand have struggled with the impact of China's damming in the Upper Mekong. Their riverbank farming has been disrupted by unseasonal floods and droughts while catches continue to decline. Life is also getting harder with shrinking incomes.

"If my husband can't catch any fish, our income that day is zero," said Ratchadaporn Jaikaew. Her young daughter needs to go to school and both of them rely on her husband, Ae.


pp-dam-tech-6-data.jpg


During the dry season, Ae grows vegetables on the riverbank and fishes for two months when it rains. If he is lucky, he can catch two to three fish in one day and sell them for about US$15, which is enough to buy food for his family. But sometimes, his net remains empty throughout the week. The 35-year-old does not really know why there are fewer fish in the river. However, he is certain in his belief that damming the Mekong mainstream will have a negative impact on fishing stock.

Such stories have influenced the thinking of those who have viewed the development of the Xayaburi dam with concern.

"TESTING GROUND FOR UNTRIED TECHNOLOGIES"

Thousands of people in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam have protested against the Xayaburi hydropower project since it was tabled in 2010 with the Mekong River Commission (MRC) - an intergovernmental organisation that supervises the development of Southeast Asia’s longest river.

pp-dam-tech-3-data.jpg


In the same year, a key report commissioned by the MRC strongly recommended that any decisions on mainstream dams be delayed for 10 years due to their potential to have a major impact on many people. The recommendations drew solid support from the Vietnamese government and environmental groups, which claimed that vital ecosystems, food security and the livelihoods of Mekong communities are at stake.

But the project went ahead and is now 67 per cent complete. Owner XPCL maintains that any potential impact can be mitigated with new technologies, including low-level outlets on the dam to transport sediment - which is a natural fertiliser - and a fish passage.

Also known as a fish ladder, the 18-metre passage is designed to help fish migrate up and down the river, which should allow communities to continue to have access to sufficient fishing supplies. Its many slots feature different water speeds, which XPCL said help different migratory fish in the Mekong.

"The fish passage is designed specifically for Mekong fish. And we're confident it will be effective," said XPCL's deputy managing director of operation and maintenance, Anuparp Wonglakorn.



But some environmentalists do not share his confidence.

"We don't believe in the fish ladder. There's a lot of complexity. How can you make them go to your fish ladder or elevators? They are not human beings," said World Wildlife Fund Cambodia country director Chhith Sam Ath.

"You can't go and call for some training. They live in nature and they have a cycle."

Still, Anuparp is positive the facility will work. He cited a study by fisheries specialists to determine the behaviour of Mekong fish, including the water speeds they use to migrate. Tests were carried out in the river and the findings were used to design the lift.

pp-dam-tech-5-data.jpg


But due to the great variety of Mekong fish, the company focused on species that are rare or economically important. "The rest are secondary," Anuparp said.

The Mekong is home to the world's largest inland fish habitat and hundreds of species. Critics believe the environmental costs could be devastating if the fish passage fails to work. But until the dam starts operating, nobody knows for sure what will happen.

"This is a trial-and-error approach to impact mitigation, and it essentially turns the vital ecosystems of the Mekong River Basin, and the lives of its people, into a testing ground for new and untried technologies," said Maureen Harris, Southeast Asia Program Director of International Rivers, a leading environmental group that works to protect rivers and the rights of people affected by damming.

pp-dam-tech-6-data.jpg


MONEY VS ENVIRONMENT

Internationally, environmentalists are calling for the Xayaburi project to be halted while further studies are undertaken to understand its impact. But for investors, a long delay only means more costs and a wait for profit.

"If we want to study nature, it won’t be done even in 20 years because nature keeps changing. And if we delay the construction, the cost will go up. Construction materials will become more expensive and so will the project. It's not worth the investment," Anuparp said.

pp-dam-tech-7-data.jpg


In front of him, the Mekong was flowing through an enormous concrete barrage. Construction workers were going about their business as usual, oblivious to the waves of concern that continue to build.

But for Anuparp, the sight was a constant reminder of the great potential of hydropower production which should be embraced due to a flood of economic benefits.

Explore the whole series: Power Struggle - Damming the Mekong. Follow Pichayada Promchertchoo on Twitter @PichayadaCNA​
 
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DavidFL

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A brief update on the dam

The lock is already operating
The RV Champa Pandaw
RV Champa Pandaw.jpg

on the maiden cruise Vientiane - Jinhong went through the lock a few days ago.

The water level is raised 16 metres in the lock.

received_10154803681697790.jpeg


here's the snug fit
received_10154803682157790.jpeg


Here's the cruise details
Pandaw.com - Pandaw River Cruise Itinerary - The Mekong: From Laos to China

As of yesterday upstream from Pak Beng, they have already had to replace the prop twice.
It's an exciting first time adventure.
 
Mar 30, 2010
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Channel News Asia has a nice little report

Xayaburi dam: 'Testing ground for untried technologies'

In 2019, the first dam on the Lower Mekong will be completed. Environmentalists fear it will threaten fisheries and communities, but the Lao government says the concerns are exaggerated. In the first part of a special series, Pichayada Promchertchoo visited the dam site to find out how developers plan to mitigate the impact.

VIENTIANE: "I miss the Mekong." A sad smile flickered across the face of Thongkham Phalibai, a mother of two and owner of a grocery store in Luang Prabang.

"I was living by the river for so long, earning money from gold panning and farming. But I can't go back there anymore. I don't know where my old house used to be."

It has been four years since Thongkham left a simple life in her old village of Pak Neun for a new one in Neunsavang, a remote village 80 kilometres south of Luang Prabang. She was among the 2,986 villagers who were forced to resettle because their homes either sat on the location of the controversial Xayaburi dam or were in areas that will be flooded.


A joint venture between the Lao government and Thai investors, the US$3.8-billion mega-project has encountered fierce opposition from environmental groups and countries downstream of the dam. Many fear its successful completion will lead to more dams being built on the Mekong, which they believe could have a devastating impact on the tens of millions of people who live in the Lower Mekong Basin.

But the government has played down the concern, maintaining it has struck the right balance between the benefits and potential negative impact of the dam - the first to be built across the Lower Mekong mainstream and one of 12 such projects proposed for the region.

"It's very much exaggerated that we would kill 60 million people. You have to have balance. You have to optimise the benefits and minimise the impacts. And that’s the case," said Laos’ Deputy Minister of Energy and Mines Viraphonh Viravong.

pp-dam-tech-2-data.jpg


His country is the poorest state in Southeast Asia. It is a landlocked nation with limited options to achieve sustainable economic and social development.

But Laos is blessed with many rivers and streams, including Southeast Asia's largest and most powerful river - the Mekong. It flows 1,835 kilometres through the country’s mountainous terrain from north to south, channelling more than half of the region’s power potential to the small nation. As a result, Laos relies heavily on hydropower development, which not only creates energy for domestic consumption but can also raise revenue through export sales.

"You generate cheap electricity. It's renewable and doesn't emit carbon dioxide," Viraphonh added.


WINDOWS OF OPPORTUNITY

But even the deputy minister admitted there are downsides to hydropower development, particularly when it involves mainstream facilities such as the Xayaburi dam.

The construction has displaced thousands of people from 15 villages and resulted in a loss of traditional livelihoods. Its location across the Mekong’s main channel also means fish migration, sediment and the river's hydrology are affected, which has a potential impact on the millions of people who rely on these natural systems, both within Laos and beyond.

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But as environmental groups highlight the concerns, Laos sees windows of opportunity.

Once its turbines start turning in 2019, the Xayaburi dam will generate 1,285 megawatts of clean energy. But because Laos does not need so much power, 95 per cent will be sold to Thailand.

According to project owner Xayaburi Power Co Ltd (XPCL), the project will earn Laos more than US$100 million per year. And for the government, that economic windfall has the potential to improve the lives of the 6.8 million population.

"That's why when you visit any site of hydropower projects in Laos, you won’t see anybody against it," Viraphonh said.

Generally, he seems to be correct


Despite her nostalgia for the good old days by the Mekong, Thongkham admitted her life is far more comfortable in the new village more than 30 kilometres away. Her husband provides motorcycle repair services while she runs a grocery store. Both enjoy reliable electricity, running water and roads.

A similar response was heard on the other side of the Mekong. At Nator Yai village, hundreds of villagers are getting on with their new lives. They had to move from their homes in Houay Souy village to make way for the dam’s development, losing their farmland in the process.


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More than 70 affected families have been given new houses and land to grow food, and while some complain they need more space, they agree that life at the new village is not bad.

"It's comfortable," said fisherman-turned-carpenter Thong Phonchampa. "There are many good things here. There is a road and electricity. There is also a school and a temple they built for us. Plus, we're now also closer to doctors."

"Still, I miss the Mekong," the 68-year-old added.

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TRANSBOUNDARY IMPACT

In Laos, affected families have been compensated for what they have lost. But it remains unclear exactly how the dam could affect people in neighbouring countries.

For years, the fishermen of Pak Ing Tai village in northern Thailand have struggled with the impact of China's damming in the Upper Mekong. Their riverbank farming has been disrupted by unseasonal floods and droughts while catches continue to decline. Life is also getting harder with shrinking incomes.

"If my husband can't catch any fish, our income that day is zero," said Ratchadaporn Jaikaew. Her young daughter needs to go to school and both of them rely on her husband, Ae.


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During the dry season, Ae grows vegetables on the riverbank and fishes for two months when it rains. If he is lucky, he can catch two to three fish in one day and sell them for about US$15, which is enough to buy food for his family. But sometimes, his net remains empty throughout the week. The 35-year-old does not really know why there are fewer fish in the river. However, he is certain in his belief that damming the Mekong mainstream will have a negative impact on fishing stock.

Such stories have influenced the thinking of those who have viewed the development of the Xayaburi dam with concern.

"TESTING GROUND FOR UNTRIED TECHNOLOGIES"

Thousands of people in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam have protested against the Xayaburi hydropower project since it was tabled in 2010 with the Mekong River Commission (MRC) - an intergovernmental organisation that supervises the development of Southeast Asia’s longest river.

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In the same year, a key report commissioned by the MRC strongly recommended that any decisions on mainstream dams be delayed for 10 years due to their potential to have a major impact on many people. The recommendations drew solid support from the Vietnamese government and environmental groups, which claimed that vital ecosystems, food security and the livelihoods of Mekong communities are at stake.

But the project went ahead and is now 67 per cent complete. Owner XPCL maintains that any potential impact can be mitigated with new technologies, including low-level outlets on the dam to transport sediment - which is a natural fertiliser - and a fish passage.

Also known as a fish ladder, the 18-metre passage is designed to help fish migrate up and down the river, which should allow communities to continue to have access to sufficient fishing supplies. Its many slots feature different water speeds, which XPCL said help different migratory fish in the Mekong.

"The fish passage is designed specifically for Mekong fish. And we're confident it will be effective," said XPCL's deputy managing director of operation and maintenance, Anuparp Wonglakorn.



But some environmentalists do not share his confidence.

"We don't believe in the fish ladder. There's a lot of complexity. How can you make them go to your fish ladder or elevators? They are not human beings," said World Wildlife Fund Cambodia country director Chhith Sam Ath.

"You can't go and call for some training. They live in nature and they have a cycle."

Still, Anuparp is positive the facility will work. He cited a study by fisheries specialists to determine the behaviour of Mekong fish, including the water speeds they use to migrate. Tests were carried out in the river and the findings were used to design the lift.

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But due to the great variety of Mekong fish, the company focused on species that are rare or economically important. "The rest are secondary," Anuparp said.

The Mekong is home to the world's largest inland fish habitat and hundreds of species. Critics believe the environmental costs could be devastating if the fish passage fails to work. But until the dam starts operating, nobody knows for sure what will happen.

"This is a trial-and-error approach to impact mitigation, and it essentially turns the vital ecosystems of the Mekong River Basin, and the lives of its people, into a testing ground for new and untried technologies," said Maureen Harris, Southeast Asia Program Director of International Rivers, a leading environmental group that works to protect rivers and the rights of people affected by damming.

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MONEY VS ENVIRONMENT

Internationally, environmentalists are calling for the Xayaburi project to be halted while further studies are undertaken to understand its impact. But for investors, a long delay only means more costs and a wait for profit.

"If we want to study nature, it won’t be done even in 20 years because nature keeps changing. And if we delay the construction, the cost will go up. Construction materials will become more expensive and so will the project. It's not worth the investment," Anuparp said.

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In front of him, the Mekong was flowing through an enormous concrete barrage. Construction workers were going about their business as usual, oblivious to the waves of concern that continue to build.

But for Anuparp, the sight was a constant reminder of the great potential of hydropower production which should be embraced due to a flood of economic benefits.

Explore the whole series: Power Struggle - Damming the Mekong. Follow Pichayada Promchertchoo on Twitter @PichayadaCNA​
Excellent report.

At Christmas while at Ban Mai Rimkhong.
We got talking to one of the Guests. He works at the Mekong River Commission.

Interesting to have the other perspective. As you only hear criticism of the MRC.

As he rightly said..
The MRC can only advise. It is each countries sovereign right to decide what to do at the end of the day.

He does feel the MRC plays an important role.. The alternative would be conflict with out a body to discuss things through.

Also Laos is responsible for a lot of the issues.. Not only China.

As for what will happen with all these dams.. We will have to wait and see.

One of the things he agreed with.. The MRC is not very good at getting the message out to the masses.
So I promised myself to look at the MRC website more to keep informed.

Home » Mekong River Commission

Not only rely on the newspapers.


Cheers
Brian