By CHEANG SOKHA
THE PHNOMPENHPOST
Photo by: AFP Prime Minister Hun Sen and Finance Minister Keat Chhon at the opening of the first stage of Kampot's Kamchay dam in late 2008. Related Coverage Cambodia 'most exposed' to dams threat
Cambodia and China have signed an agreement to study the feasibility of four proposed hydropower dam projects amid fresh concerns about the long-term environmental impact of Mekong dam developments.
Suy Sem, the Minister of Industry, Mines and Energy, said the agreement was one of 16 signed on Thursday during meetings with a visiting Chinese delegation led by Wu Bangguo, chairman of the standing committee of China’s National People’s Congress.
“The signing of these four hydropower dams will allow the companies to study the feasibility of the projects,” he said after the meeting.
“We will discuss this in detail after the completion of the studies, and then will allow for the construction.”
The agreement will pave the way for two state-owned Chinese firms – China Huadian Corporation and China Guodian Corporation – to conduct feasibility studies of the proposed 108-megawatt Cheng Areng dam in Koh Kong and the Srepok III (340 megawatts) and Srepok IV (230 megawatts) projects in Stung Treng.
The firms will also study the feasibility of the Sambor Dam project, planned for the Mekong mainstream in Kratie province, and decide whether the government should proceed with a 460-megawatt option or a more complex 2,600-megawatt design for the site.
Suy Sem did not reveal the total cost of the four proposed projects, but said construction could cost as much as US$1.5 million per megawatt of generating power.
The announcement comes on the heels of a recent report, commissioned by the Mekong River Commission, which argues that dam developments slated for the Mekong mainstream could have far-reaching impacts on Cambodia.
The report claimed more than one million fisheries-dependent people were at risk from the impact of Mekong dams.…read the full story in tomorrow’s Phnom Penh Post or see the updated story online from 3PM UTC/GMT +7 hours.
Suy Sem, the Minister of Industry, Mines and Energy, said the agreement was one of 16 signed on Thursday during meetings with a visiting Chinese delegation led by Wu Bangguo, chairman of the standing committee of China’s National People’s Congress.
“The signing of these four hydropower dams will allow the companies to study the feasibility of the projects,” he said after the meeting.
“We will discuss this in detail after the completion of the studies, and then will allow for the construction.”
The agreement will pave the way for two state-owned Chinese firms – China Huadian Corporation and China Guodian Corporation – to conduct feasibility studies of the proposed 108-megawatt Cheng Areng dam in Koh Kong and the Srepok III (340 megawatts) and Srepok IV (230 megawatts) projects in Stung Treng.
The firms will also study the feasibility of the Sambor Dam project, planned for the Mekong mainstream in Kratie province, and decide whether the government should proceed with a 460-megawatt option or a more complex 2,600-megawatt design for the site.
Suy Sem did not reveal the total cost of the four proposed projects, but said construction could cost as much as US$1.5 million per megawatt of generating power.
The announcement comes on the heels of a recent report, commissioned by the Mekong River Commission, which argues that dam developments slated for the Mekong mainstream could have far-reaching impacts on Cambodia.
The report claimed more than one million fisheries-dependent people were at risk from the impact of Mekong dams.…read the full story in tomorrow’s Phnom Penh Post or see the updated story online from 3PM UTC/GMT +7 hours.
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