Three Gorges Probe
November 3, 2000
(1) Three Gorges dam officials deny problems
(2) No customers for Xiaolangdi dam(1) Three Gorges dam officials deny problems
Oct. 26, 2000 – South China Morning Post reports that Three Gorges dam officials are denying that problems plague the controversial project. In January, Chinese mainland auditors reported more than US$59-million in resettlement funds had gone missing, but officials say this figure is not accurate. According to Guo Shuyuan, the deputy director of the Three Gorges Project Committee, the “real graft” only involved around US$2-million, or just 3.7 per cent of the alleged missing money which, for the most part, had been spent on resettlement operations but without authorization. Commenting on other issues of concern, officials say there will be no lack of demand for electricity generated by Three Gorges dam, even though nearby Chongqing city and Hubei province, where the dam is located, are experiencing a supply surplus. Officials also insist the project’s resettlement operation is going smoothly, although Mr. Guo admitted some rural peasants had written petitions and staged protests complaining that local officials had embezzled relocation funds. Officials reported that 253,200 people had been moved by August, 2000.
Related news story: Dam project graft figure ‘exaggerated’(2) No customers for Xiaolangdi dam
Oct. 18, 2000 – South China Morning Post reports that China’s World Bank-financed US$4-billion Xiaolangdi dam in Henan province has failed to find customers for its electricity, says Wang Xianwu, the project’s vice-general manager. Dogged by operational problems and industrial disputes, Xiaolangdi – one of 12 dams on the Yellow River – is now threatened by an electricity glut and is demanding too high a price for its power, reports South China Morning Post. Henan officials hope that by slashing rural electricity tariffs and constructing a national power grid and market pricing system, the province will be able to export its surplus electricity to coastal regions. Backed with US$1-billion in World Bank loans, Xiaolangdi is largely designed to trap sediment and control flooding in the Yellow River’s middle and lower reaches, but was unable to prevent serious flooding in the area this summer.
(2) No customers for Xiaolangdi dam(1) Three Gorges dam officials deny problems
Oct. 26, 2000 – South China Morning Post reports that Three Gorges dam officials are denying that problems plague the controversial project. In January, Chinese mainland auditors reported more than US$59-million in resettlement funds had gone missing, but officials say this figure is not accurate. According to Guo Shuyuan, the deputy director of the Three Gorges Project Committee, the “real graft” only involved around US$2-million, or just 3.7 per cent of the alleged missing money which, for the most part, had been spent on resettlement operations but without authorization. Commenting on other issues of concern, officials say there will be no lack of demand for electricity generated by Three Gorges dam, even though nearby Chongqing city and Hubei province, where the dam is located, are experiencing a supply surplus. Officials also insist the project’s resettlement operation is going smoothly, although Mr. Guo admitted some rural peasants had written petitions and staged protests complaining that local officials had embezzled relocation funds. Officials reported that 253,200 people had been moved by August, 2000.
Related news story: Dam project graft figure ‘exaggerated’(2) No customers for Xiaolangdi dam
Oct. 18, 2000 – South China Morning Post reports that China’s World Bank-financed US$4-billion Xiaolangdi dam in Henan province has failed to find customers for its electricity, says Wang Xianwu, the project’s vice-general manager. Dogged by operational problems and industrial disputes, Xiaolangdi – one of 12 dams on the Yellow River – is now threatened by an electricity glut and is demanding too high a price for its power, reports South China Morning Post. Henan officials hope that by slashing rural electricity tariffs and constructing a national power grid and market pricing system, the province will be able to export its surplus electricity to coastal regions. Backed with US$1-billion in World Bank loans, Xiaolangdi is largely designed to trap sediment and control flooding in the Yellow River’s middle and lower reaches, but was unable to prevent serious flooding in the area this summer.
For related stories see:
“Why Ertan cannot sell its power”
“New doubts over Chinese plant”
“China’s Three Gorges dam faces financial death spiral”
“Chongqing municipality refuses to buy power from World Bank-financed Ertan dam”
Three Gorges Probe welcomes submissions. However, it is not a forum for political debate. Rather, Three Gorges Probe is dedicated to covering the scientific, technical, economic, social, and environmental ramifications of completing the Three Gorges Project, as well as the alternatives to the dam.
Publisher: Patricia Adams
Executive Editor: Mu Lan
Assistant Editor: Lisa Peryman
ISSN 1481-0913
Categories: Three Gorges Probe
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