Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Laos’s Largest Dam: Construction Behind Schedule


Ways of life will change with hydroelectric dam construction in Laos.

Photo © John Brown All Rights Reserved

According to a June 8 2009 story that appeared online at The Pakistan Daily Times courtesy of AFP, construction is behind schedule on Laos’s largest dam project.

Since Laos has 60,400 cubic meters of renewable water resources per capita, more than any other country in Asia, the country stands to win big if their hydropower potential is tapped.

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Laos’s largest infrastructure project, the Nam Theun 2 hydropower development, is behind schedule but the power company says it remains hopeful that the lost time can be made up.

Logistical problems in a heavy wet season caused “significant delays” late last year to completion of electro-mechanical works inside the power station, said Aiden Glendinning, spokesman for the Nam Theun 2 Power Company.

Heavy rains delayed the movement of equipment to the site in central Laos on the Nakai plateau, where it is being built on the Nam Theun river, a tributary of the Mekong. Efforts were made this year to recover the time lost but “while some ground has been regained, there are still delays in the schedule,” Glendinning said, adding the contractors remain committed to meeting the December 15 deadline.

No official statement on the estimated completion date will be made before a board meeting early next month, he said

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To learn more about future hydropower development in Southeast Asia visit the Mekong River Commission website.

John Brown Photojournalist On LIGHTSTALKERS
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