(November 29, 2008) Egat International Co (Egat Inter), a subsidiary of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, has received coal exploration and production rights in Sumatra from the Indonesian government, which will strengthen its power generating portfolio overseas.
Great Expectations
(November 28, 2008) Big things are expected of China’s new energy regulator as the country faces a power pinch and calls for a shift toward renewable sources.
Lao dams muddying the waters
(November 18, 2008) Environmentalists say regional forums have proven themselves inadequate to address the cross-border impacts of a slew of hydropower dam projects planned for southern Laos.
Reclaiming the Sesan River
(November 15, 2008) Ever since Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) began damming the Sesan River for hydropower, affected communities in downstream Cambodia have grappled with the question: what, if anything, can be done to reduce the worst effects of EVN dam operations?
Chinese dams accused of flooding the region
(November 14, 2008) Many of the 300 representatives at a recent forum in Bangkok have blamed Chinese authorities for releasing water from three hydropower dams on the Mekong River in August, which devastated hundreds of communities downstream.
ELECTRICITY OF VIETNAM: High electricity prices a drain on the economy, say Hanoi economists
(November 10, 2008) Hanoi University’s Centre for Economic and Policy Research calls for more competition in electricity generation and independent checks on Electricity of Vietnam’s costs and profits before any further rate increases.
Reclaiming the Sesan River
(November 3, 2008) Restoring natural flows by modifying hydropower dam operations: International experience and hope for the Sesan River?
Chinese dam planner says upper Mekong dam impacts “limited”
(October 29, 2008) Last month in Vientiane, a spokesman for one of China’s largest dam planning agencies1 assured the Mekong River Commission (which includes the four lower Mekong countries of Lao PDR, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam) that dam-building on the upper Mekong would have only “limited impact” downstream.
Sinohydro seeks MIGA insurance for Mekong dams
(October 29, 2008) Sinohydro, the company that helped build China’s massive Three Gorges dam, has requested political risk insurance from the World Bank’s investment guarantee agency (MIGA) for the Nam Ngum 5 hydro project it is building in neighbouring Lao PDR.
EVN slammed for fat bonus appeal despite loss claims
(October 21, 2008) Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) repeatedly proclaims its losses and lack of investment funds, but does not shy away from asking for huge bonuses to its staff, a National Assembly deputy said in a rebuke to an EVN request.
Vietnamese experts fault electricity monopoly for power cuts
(October 10, 2008) Vietnamese economists and industrial power consumers have criticized Electricity of Vietnam, the only electricity provider in Vietnam, for its unannounced power cuts, which have caused heavy losses for businesses and disrupted people’s lives, Vietnam News Agency reports.
STATEMENT: Mekong NGOs call for open decision making
(March 27, 2008) Read a letter sent to the Chief Executive Officer of the Mekong River Commission in November, 2007 from more than 200 civil and environmental groups from 30 countries, including Probe International, calling on the Mekong River Commission (MRC) to block the planned construction of six dams on the Mekong river.
Vietnam’s unreliable power sector hurts industry
(October 6, 2008) In a recent online consultation with Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry on boosting the country’s exports, the Chairman of Vietnam’s leather and footwear association, Nguyen Duc Thuan, said the power sector often cut off electricity, damaging production at the country’s leather- and shoe-making enterprises.
Vietnam voices worry over Mekong hydropower
(September 29, 2008) Vietnamese officials voice concerns about planned hydropower development on the lower Mekong at a conference held in Vientiane last week. Millions of Vietnamese who rely on fishing and farming in the Mekong delta could be negatively affected.
Mekong Panel Lacks Transparency: NGOs
(September 26, 2008) As a three-day meeting of the Mekong River Commission focusing on hydropower development started Thursday in Vientiane, a regional alliance of NGOs blasted the commission for failing to publicize critical information on the Mekong dams.
Patricia Adams
Dai Qing
Fan Xiao
Lawrence Solomon
Mu Lan
Probe International
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Probe Media
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