Laos ready to field questions on Xayaboury dam
The government is ready to answer questions concerning the Xayaboury dam and is confident it can address concerns over the cross-border impacts of the first hydropower dam planned for the Lower Mekong Basin.
The Ministry of Energy and Mines announced on Friday that it will accompany representatives of Mekong countries and development partners in Laos on a visit this week to the planned site of the first hydropower plant on the lower Mekong.
This is the first time the government has officially given foreigners access to the US$3.5 million project area. It has stayed silent on the issue despite demands from environmentalists in recent months to conduct the project transparently.
“We have nothing to hide,” Deputy Minister of Energy and Mines Mr Viraphonh Viravong said on Friday while briefing Lao media and government officials about the visit to the planned Xayaboury dam on July 16-17.
The government hired two reputable independent consultants - Poyry and Companie Nationale du Rhone - to review the concerns of environmentalists and Mekong River Commission (MRC) members, even though a prior consultation process had been completed in line with a 1995 MRC agreement.
The consultants will also take part in the Xayaboury tour and answer all of the questions put by participants concerning measures in response to the concerns of environmentalists.
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