TECH-ENG’G: VIENTIANE, Laos- Laos hydro project switched on along dried-out Mekong
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“Xayaburi Hydroelectric Power Plant is ready to commence,” CKPower said in a statement Tuesday.
Developers plastered Thai newspapers with advertising touting the Xayaburi dam as a “fish friendly power plant” and the “blueprint of renewable energy”.
But drone footage taken on Monday downstream in Thailand’s NongKhai province suggested a different story, as plummeting water levels exposed vast areas of parched river bed.
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PianpornDeetes, of International Rivers, said some parts of the Mekong in that region had experienced worrying drops in water levels since July coinciding with Xayaburi’s trial operations.
“They have monopolised the future of the Mekong’s ecosystems and of the river basin’s population,” she told AFP, adding it was difficult to fully evaluate because of a lack of information.
Contacted by AFP, the company did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Thailand is supposed to buy almost all of the electricity generated by Xayaburi.
Still, a network of residents from seven provinces in Thailand issued an “urgent” plea on Monday for the Thai government to mitigate the environmental impact of the Mekong dams.
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