WLE Mekong
  • About Us
    • About us
      • Our objectives
      • Our team
      • Contact us
    • Our partners
        • Cambodian Partners
        • Chinese Partners
        • International Partners
        • Lao Partners
        • Myanmar Partners
        • Thai Partners
        • Vietnamese Partners
    • Close
  • Changes
    • Where We Work
      • Irrawaddy River Basin
      • Mekong River Basin
      • Red River Basin
      • Salween River Basin
      • View all projects
    • Our Work
      • Benefit-sharing
      • Catchments & Landuse
      • Gender & Diversity
      • Research for Development
      • River Food Systems
      • River Monitoring
      • Water Governance
      • Capacity Building & Professional Development
    • Our Research
      • Greater Mekong Dams Observatory
      • State of Knowledge Series
      • Water Knowledge Series
      • Irrawaddy River Basin
      • Mekong River Basin
      • Red River Basin
      • Salween River Basin
    • Close
  • Dialogue
    • Stories
      • Irrawaddy River Basin
      • Mekong River Basin
      • Red River Basin
      • Salween River Basin
      • Mekong Citizen
    • Greater Mekong Fora
      • 2018 Greater Mekong Forum
      • 2017 Greater Mekong Forum
      • 2016 Greater Mekong Forum
      • 2015 Greater Mekong Forum
    • Close

Mekong Blog

  • Mekong River Basin

Xayaboury dam will have no transboundary impact: Project developers

  • Stories
  • Greater Mekong Forums
  • Mekong Citizen

Xayaboury dam will have no transboundary impact: Project developers

cpwf.mekongOctober 14, 2012Uncategorized, Vientiane Times

Vientiane Times, October 09, 2012

Developers of the Xayaboury hydropower plant in northern Laos expect to complete the redesign of the first run-of-river dam planned for the lower Mekong within the next few months, aiming to mitigate any negative impacts on neighbouring countries.

The US$3.5 billion run-of-river dam will be built on this section of the Mekong in Xayaboury province.

“We are redesigning the power plant and its hydraulic model is now being tested at the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok,” Xayaboury Power Company Deputy Managing Director, Mr Rewat Suwanakitti, said last week, adding that the new design should be completed within three months.

The developers of the 1,285MW hydropower plant took the decision to redesign the dam after Cambodia and Vietnam expressed concerns that in its present form the migration of fish would be affected. They also said the dam would prevent the natural flow of sediment to downst ream areas of the Mekong.

Fish is the main food source for Mekong riparian communities while sediment is both a fertiliser and a food source of aquatic species. Some
environmentalists are concerned that when the dam is built it will have an adverse effect on the biodiversity of the river and the millions of people who live downstream.

Mr Rewat said the redesign of the dam would not have any cross border impact on Cambodia and Vietnam, which are located more than 1,500 km downstream. Based on recommendations from independent consultants Poyry and Campagnie Nationale du Rhone, the Xayaboury run-of-river dam will be equipped with a number of fish passage facilities, including a fish ladder. This will ensure that fish can migrate up and down the Mekong through the 40 metre dam as the structure won’t block their natural access, Mr Rewat said.

“The length of the fish ladder will be extended from the original 800 metres to 3 kilometres so that fish can pass through the dam,” he said. The project developers hired fish experts AF Colenco and Teraplant to study fish migration at the project site and create the best system for fish to
pass through the dam.

Mr Rewat said the dam will be equipped with a sediment flushing system to ensure the flow of sediment downstream. He said this system had proved effective in many dams in Europe. Laos was not the first country to build a run-of-river dam, he noted, adding that this was an opportunity to learn about the positive and negative aspects of previous projects.

The project developers had agreed to fund the redesign and construction of the power plant to create one of the world’s most modern dams.

Mr Rewat stressed that the Xayaboury dam was based on the run-of-river principle and did not store water like other dams. The development concept was to build a transparent dam, meaning that everything that enters the dam can pass through it.

Previous
Story
Next
Story

Related Stories

  • mekong
    January 19, 2016
    Impressions from a study trip to Laos - Vo Thanh Trang
    River Food Systems
  • mekong
    January 29, 2014
    Hydropower construction continues on Nam Ou
  • mekong
    June 3, 2014
    Groups urge dam construction be stopped
  • mekong
    November 29, 2017
    Development Reduces Gender Impacts of Hydropower - a Perspective in China
    Gender & Diversity
  • mekong
    June 13, 2013
    World Bank resumes "support for hydropower"
    Water Governance
  • mekong
    August 30, 2013
    PM's Xayaboury visit puts spotlight on reforestation
  • mekong
    October 27, 2012
    Water resources to be preserved for hydropower
  • mekong
    February 19, 2014
    More Lao workers needed at Xayaboury dam site
  • mekong
    July 11, 2013
    Feasibility study begins on Nam Theun 4 dam in Laos
  • mekong
    December 6, 2017
    Outrespecting the 2017 Forum
    Gender & Diversity | Water Governance
  • mekong
    May 14, 2014
    At Mekong meet, all eyes on Laos dams
  • mekong
    June 20, 2018
    Science-policy collaboration: an appealing way to tackle pollution from bananas
    Water Governance
  • mekong
    May 15, 2014
    Families, Monks Want Chinese Dam Canceled
  • mekong
    March 7, 2013
    Denying green development is deplorable: hydropower helps us all
  • mekong
    April 24, 2014
    Chinese company to develop hydropower in Xaysomboun
  • mekong
    March 25, 2015
    NA President visits Nam Ngiep1 hydro project
  • mekong
    September 16, 2014
    Mekong Dam: Court to Hear Fishermen Lawsuit
  • mekong
    February 2, 2015
    Increased government aid propelling growth opportunities in the semiconductor market in Vietnam
  • mekong
    March 10, 2015
    Cambodia PM says work on mega-dam will not start until 2018
  • mekong
    May 15, 2014
    Laos to reach 7,000MW by 2016

The sustainable development of the Greater Mekong depends on the fair and equitable governance of its water.

ABOUT WLE

  • Our objectives
  • Our team
  • Our partners
  • Terms of use
  • Newsletters
  • Contact us

CO-SUPPORTED BY

WLE Greater Mekong is funded in part by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

Water, Land & Ecosystems Mekong - footer logos
© All rights reserved - WLE CGIAR
Subscribe to our newsletter SIGN UP
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkPrivacy policy