Xayaburi Dam
Encyclopedia
The Xayaburi Dam is a proposed hydroelectric dam on the Lower Mekong River approximately 30 kilometres (18.6 mi) east of Xayaburi town in Northern Laos
.
report was submitted in February 2010. In July 2010, a memorandum of understanding for power purchase was signed between the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand
and the Lao government.
According to the 1995 Mekong Agreement, the project is subject to the Mekong River Commission
(MRC) Procedures for Notification, Prior Consultation, and Agreement. Under this agreement, the host country for the project should notify the governments of the other signatories, namely Cambodia
, Thailand
, and Vietnam
. The process was initiated in September 2010. It is the first project initiated through a regional decision-making process.
On 19 April 12011, the MRC Joint Committee announced that the MRC countries could not reach a consensus on how to proceed with the project, and agreed that a decision on the prior consultation process be tabled for consideration at the ministerial level. However, in June 2011, the Laos Government gave the Thai developer Ch Karnchang the go-ahead to resume work on the Xayaburi Dam, informing the company that the Mekong River Commission
's decision-making process was completed. Prashanth Parameswaran, a former researcher at the Project 2049 Institute
, who is conducting research on dam projects in Southeast Asia, warned: "Laos' actions not only represent a breach of trust, but threaten to undermine already fledgling efforts at regional cooperation in an ecosystem that supports the livelihoods of tens of millions of people."
The Xayaburi Dam would be 830 metres (2,723.1 ft) wide and the dam structure would be 49 metres (160.8 ft) high with 32 metres (105 ft) of water head. It would create a reservoir with a catchment area of 272000 square kilometres (105,019.8 sq mi), and surface area of 49 square kilometres (18.9 sq mi). The reservoir will reach 30 metres (98.4 ft) in depth and stretching between 60 and 90 km (37.3 and 55.9 ). It would feature a navigation lock and two fish passes.
The capacity of the hydroelectric plant will be 1,260 megawatts, with a total annual energy production of 7,406 GWh. Around 95% of produced electricity would be exported to Thailand through a planned 200 kilometres (124.3 mi) long transmission line from the Xayaburi Dam to the Loei Province
in Thailand. If the final investment decision is made, the dam's construction would take eight years and it would cost approximately US$3.5 billion. It is expected to become operational by 2019.
There are doubts that the dam will function in the long term because its reservoir may be filled with silt.
.
, around 2,100 people would be resettled, and more than 202,000 people living in the dam's area would suffer impacts due to the loss of agricultural land and riverbank gardens, an end to gold panning
in the river, and worsened access to the forest resources. The Xayaburi dam will also have a significant effect on the biodiversity of the river ecosystem, and the fisheries within the larger Mekong river basin. According to a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) report, the Xayaburi dam would drive the already critically endangered Mekong Giant Catfish
(Pangasianodon gigas) to extinction. To address these issues, an Environmental Impact Assessment was conducted by Thai TEAM consultant Cie involved in the project. However, according to critics, this study fell drastically short of addressing the true impacts of the Xayaburi dam.
Because the Mekong is a unique and particularly complex ecosystem that hosts the most productive inland fisheries in the world, the stakes are high for the construction of such a dam. According to a study conducted by WWF and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, and coordinated by the WorldFish Center
, there are 229 fish species whose spawning and migratory patterns would be affected by a mainstream dam. This change in fish biodiversity and abundance would greatly affect the tens of millions of people in the Greater Mekong Subregion who depend on the river for their food and livelihood. According to Phnom-Penh based WorldFish Center, this damage to fisheries "cannot be mitigated by fish passes and reservoirs".
A Strategic Environmental Assessment
commissioned by the Mekong River Commission
(MRC) recommends a 10-year deferral of all Mekong mainstream dams in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, and calls for further studies. According to a MRC spokeswoman construction of the Xayaburi dam "will result in irreversible environmental impacts". The MRC warns that if Xayaburi and subsequent schemes went ahead, it would "fundamentally undermine the abundance, productivity and diversity of the Mekong fish resources".
Milton Osborne
, Visiting Fellow at the Lowy Institute for International Policy
who has written widely on the Mekong, warns: "The future scenario is of the Mekong ceasing to be a bounteous source of fish and guarantor of agricultural richness, with the great river below China becoming little more than a series of unproductive lakes."
Fish are a staple of the diet in Laos and Cambodia, with around 80 per cent of the Cambodian population's annual protein intake coming from fish caught in the Mekong River system, with no alternative source to replace them. Dams would also restrict the flow of water over agricultural areas linked to the river.
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
.
History
On 4 May 2007, the Lao government signed a memorandum of understanding with Thailand's Ch. Karnchang Public Company for the development of this hydropower project. The formal project development agreement followed in November 2008, and a feasibility study was conducted that same year by Swiss-based AF Colenco and Thai TEAM consultants. The environmental impact assessmentEnvironmental impact assessment
An environmental impact assessment is an assessment of the possible positive or negative impact that a proposed project may have on the environment, together consisting of the natural, social and economic aspects....
report was submitted in February 2010. In July 2010, a memorandum of understanding for power purchase was signed between the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand
Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand
The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand , , is a state enterprise that owns and manages the majority of Thailand's electricity generation capacity, as well as the nation's transmission network.EGAT is managed by the Ministry of Energy....
and the Lao government.
According to the 1995 Mekong Agreement, the project is subject to the Mekong River Commission
Mekong River Commission
The Mekong River Commission is an intergovernment body charged “to promote and co-ordinate sustainable management and development of water and related resources for the countries’ mutual benefit and the people’s well-being by implementing strategic programmes and activities and providing...
(MRC) Procedures for Notification, Prior Consultation, and Agreement. Under this agreement, the host country for the project should notify the governments of the other signatories, namely Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, and Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. The process was initiated in September 2010. It is the first project initiated through a regional decision-making process.
On 19 April 12011, the MRC Joint Committee announced that the MRC countries could not reach a consensus on how to proceed with the project, and agreed that a decision on the prior consultation process be tabled for consideration at the ministerial level. However, in June 2011, the Laos Government gave the Thai developer Ch Karnchang the go-ahead to resume work on the Xayaburi Dam, informing the company that the Mekong River Commission
Mekong River Commission
The Mekong River Commission is an intergovernment body charged “to promote and co-ordinate sustainable management and development of water and related resources for the countries’ mutual benefit and the people’s well-being by implementing strategic programmes and activities and providing...
's decision-making process was completed. Prashanth Parameswaran, a former researcher at the Project 2049 Institute
Project 2049 Institute
The Project 2049 Institute is an American think tank focused on security issues and public policy in Central-Asia and the Asia-Pacific region.-Background:The Institute was founded in January 2008...
, who is conducting research on dam projects in Southeast Asia, warned: "Laos' actions not only represent a breach of trust, but threaten to undermine already fledgling efforts at regional cooperation in an ecosystem that supports the livelihoods of tens of millions of people."
Description
The Xayaburi dam has been proposed in a site located 350 kilometres (217.5 mi) upstream of Vientiane and 770 kilometres (478.5 mi) downstream of Jinhong, the last dam of the Chinese cascade of seven dams, including 4 existing dams and 3 planned ones. By global standards the Xayaburi project is a large dam, like around 300 other dams in this category in the world. In terms of mean energy supply, it would be the third largest project among those considered for development on the mainstem in the Lower Mekong Basin.The Xayaburi Dam would be 830 metres (2,723.1 ft) wide and the dam structure would be 49 metres (160.8 ft) high with 32 metres (105 ft) of water head. It would create a reservoir with a catchment area of 272000 square kilometres (105,019.8 sq mi), and surface area of 49 square kilometres (18.9 sq mi). The reservoir will reach 30 metres (98.4 ft) in depth and stretching between 60 and 90 km (37.3 and 55.9 ). It would feature a navigation lock and two fish passes.
The capacity of the hydroelectric plant will be 1,260 megawatts, with a total annual energy production of 7,406 GWh. Around 95% of produced electricity would be exported to Thailand through a planned 200 kilometres (124.3 mi) long transmission line from the Xayaburi Dam to the Loei Province
Loei Province
Loei is one of the most sparsely populated provinces of Thailand, located in the North-East. Neighboring provinces are Nong Khai, Udon Thani, Nongbua Lamphu, Khon Kaen, Phetchabun, Phitsanulok...
in Thailand. If the final investment decision is made, the dam's construction would take eight years and it would cost approximately US$3.5 billion. It is expected to become operational by 2019.
There are doubts that the dam will function in the long term because its reservoir may be filled with silt.
Developers
The leading developer of this project is the Thailand's Ch. Karnchang Public Company. Other potential investors include the Lao government, Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Holding Company, and EGAT International CompanyElectricity Generating Authority of Thailand
The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand , , is a state enterprise that owns and manages the majority of Thailand's electricity generation capacity, as well as the nation's transmission network.EGAT is managed by the Ministry of Energy....
.
Impact
According to International RiversInternational Rivers
International Rivers is a non-profit, non-governmental, environmental and human rights organization based in Berkeley, California, United States...
, around 2,100 people would be resettled, and more than 202,000 people living in the dam's area would suffer impacts due to the loss of agricultural land and riverbank gardens, an end to gold panning
Gold panning
Gold panning, or simply panning, is a form of placer mining that extracts gold from a placer deposit using a pan. The process is one of the simplest ways to extract gold, and is popular with geology enthusiasts because of its cheap cost and the relatively simple and easy process involved. It is the...
in the river, and worsened access to the forest resources. The Xayaburi dam will also have a significant effect on the biodiversity of the river ecosystem, and the fisheries within the larger Mekong river basin. According to a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) report, the Xayaburi dam would drive the already critically endangered Mekong Giant Catfish
Mekong giant catfish
The Mekong giant catfish, Pangasianodon gigas, is a species of catfish in the shark catfish family , native to the Mekong basin in Southeast Asia.-Species characteristics:...
(Pangasianodon gigas) to extinction. To address these issues, an Environmental Impact Assessment was conducted by Thai TEAM consultant Cie involved in the project. However, according to critics, this study fell drastically short of addressing the true impacts of the Xayaburi dam.
Because the Mekong is a unique and particularly complex ecosystem that hosts the most productive inland fisheries in the world, the stakes are high for the construction of such a dam. According to a study conducted by WWF and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, and coordinated by the WorldFish Center
WorldFish Center
The WorldFish Center an organization dedicated to reducing poverty and hunger by improving fisheries and aquaculture. It is an international, non-profit research organization that focuses on the opportunities provided by fisheries and aquaculture to reduce poverty, hunger and vulnerability in...
, there are 229 fish species whose spawning and migratory patterns would be affected by a mainstream dam. This change in fish biodiversity and abundance would greatly affect the tens of millions of people in the Greater Mekong Subregion who depend on the river for their food and livelihood. According to Phnom-Penh based WorldFish Center, this damage to fisheries "cannot be mitigated by fish passes and reservoirs".
A Strategic Environmental Assessment
Strategic Environmental Assessment
Strategic environmental assessment is a system of incorporating environmental considerations into policies, plans, and programmes. It is sometimes referred to as strategic environmental impact assessment. The specific term strategic environmental assessment relates to European Union policy...
commissioned by the Mekong River Commission
Mekong River Commission
The Mekong River Commission is an intergovernment body charged “to promote and co-ordinate sustainable management and development of water and related resources for the countries’ mutual benefit and the people’s well-being by implementing strategic programmes and activities and providing...
(MRC) recommends a 10-year deferral of all Mekong mainstream dams in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, and calls for further studies. According to a MRC spokeswoman construction of the Xayaburi dam "will result in irreversible environmental impacts". The MRC warns that if Xayaburi and subsequent schemes went ahead, it would "fundamentally undermine the abundance, productivity and diversity of the Mekong fish resources".
Milton Osborne
Milton Osborne
Milton Osborne is an Australian historian, author, and consultant specializing in Southeast Asia.He attended North Sydney Boys High School, graduated from the University of Sydney and received a Ph.D. from Cornell University. Osborne held academic positions in Australia, the United Kingdom, the...
, Visiting Fellow at the Lowy Institute for International Policy
Lowy Institute for International Policy
The Lowy Institute for International Policy is an independent think tank endowed by Frank Lowy to conduct original, policy-relevant research about international political, strategic and economic issues from an Australian perspective. It is based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
who has written widely on the Mekong, warns: "The future scenario is of the Mekong ceasing to be a bounteous source of fish and guarantor of agricultural richness, with the great river below China becoming little more than a series of unproductive lakes."
Fish are a staple of the diet in Laos and Cambodia, with around 80 per cent of the Cambodian population's annual protein intake coming from fish caught in the Mekong River system, with no alternative source to replace them. Dams would also restrict the flow of water over agricultural areas linked to the river.