Xayaburi dam presents no risks to environment, lao. The lao government pledged close cooperation with the mekong river commission secretariat mrcs to share all relevant and practical information on design changes to the xayaburi dam in northern laos. Review of the design changes made for xayaburi hydropower. Xayaburi dam the xayaburi dam is a hydropower project under construction on the mekong river in northwest laos, just across the border from nan province, thailand. Ngos set oneyear deadline to stop xayaburi dam wwf. Laos, for example, has proceeded with construction on the xayaburi dam, the first in the mainstem series, over objections from the governments of cambodia and vietnam, which are. Review of the design changes made for xayaburi hydropower project technical reference paper. The xayaburi dam, will block critical fish migration routes for between 23100 fish species to the mekongs upper stretches as far upstream as chiang saen in northern thailand, an important spawning ground for the critically endangered mekong giant catfish. The dam itself was suspended shortly thereafter due to complaints from downstream countries cambodia and vietnam. In the report titled xayaburi runofriver hydroelectric power project, the claim is made that the potential impact on sediment flows will be mitigated by the use of a low barrage and a design and. Prior consultation for the proposed xayaburi dam project 24th march 2011 1. Even though construction started back in 2012, it is due to finally start operating sometime in 2019.
In fact, laos, with the financial and diplomatic support of thailand, is going ahead with an infrastructure which might be costly for vietnam. Ngos set oneyear deadline to stop xayaburi dam posted on 30 march 2014 leading nongovernmental organisations ngos today issued a joint declaration in opposition to ongoing construction of the xayaburi dam on the mekong river mainstem, and called on the thai government to cancel the power purchase agreement relating to the controversial. Laos government submits xayaburi dam project to mrc pnpca. Compared to other data analyses based on software algorithms, the content. Photo appears courtesy of international rivers updated at 6. Seven of 175 mw and one of 60 mw generators have been installed to generate electricity for. According to the lao government, xayaburi is the model for all dams in the mainstream mekong river. Xayaburi hydroelectric project how the design implement to the construction. Review of the design changes made for the xayaburi. Review of the design change made for xayaburi hydropower project. Realistically, xayaburi dam or pak beng dam are at least 1,500 miles up north from cambodia or southern vietnam, meaning how much of silts or fishes can be effect from 1,500 miles away, not to mention the chinese are buildings how many dams up north of laos and no animals are barking up to those dams up there. The project comprises 7 turbine generator units of 175 mw each that will generate and transmit power through the 500 kv transmission system to egat, and one 60 mw unit that will distribute power through the 115 kv transmission system for domestic use in lao pdr.
Documentation, including reports, powerpoint presentations. After making modifications to the dams design, laos started construction with a ceremony on 7 november 2012. Review of design changes made for the xayaburi hydropower project. Laos has suspended construction on the controversial xayaburi dam on the mekong river following an uproar from neighboring cambodia and environmental groups, a. According to a strategic environmental assessment published by the mekong river commission in 2010, these dams would together affect millions of people living across the river basin. The sesan, srepok, and sekong 3s rivers dam developments. You just wouldnt know it by looking at whats sitting on the dam software lot. Govt pledges to release xayaboury dam design data laos author. The mekong river commission mrc will forgo an opportunity to voice opposition to the xayaburi dam project which member state laos began building in november when it meets for its annual council meeting next week.
W4 mekong river upstream from proposed dam site 12 km. In december laos agreed to suspend the controversial dam project and said on july work had stopped after neighbours in cambodia and vietnam repeatedly expressed concern that the 1,285 megawatt dam would harm migratory fish and the. Work restarts at xayaburi dam in laos project leader. Today, the supreme administrative court of thailand hears a case brought by thai villagers against thai agencies for. This is xayaburi dam project, laos by adrian callan on vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.
Discharge and sediment monitoring program dsmp data reflects a lower. Construction began in 2012 and is scheduled to finish in 2019 but the project has been marred by allegations of human rights abuses and concerns over severe environmental and social. Designing earth dams optimally university of michigan. Seven of 175 mw and one of 60 mw generators have been installed to generate electricity for sell to thailand and laos pdr. Engineering design of an earth dam is a crucial issue from the view point of safety and economy of construction cost. Mekong levels at lowest on record as drought and dams. The xayaburi hydroelectric power project has the installed generating capacity of 1,285 mw for electricity production of 7,370 gwh per annum. Eleven dams are proposed for the lower mekong river, nine of them in laos. Laos gives the goahead to build a massive dam on the lower mekong river, despite opposition from neighbouring countries and environmentalists. The xayaburi hydro power project is a reinforce concrete dam with 810 meters long and 28. The project began in 2010 and is now 70percent complete. The proposed dam, known as the xayaburi for the province in laos where it is located, is a test case for a 1995 agreement signed by laos, thailand, cambodia and vietnam to share the rivers. The dam would destroy the rivers complex ecosystems that serve as important fish habitats for local and migratory.
Ten floodgates were installed to produce electricity. I n a remote part of northern laos, history is being made. The first dam built on the lower mekong, xayaburi, has commenced its. The xayaburi dam now being built on the mekong river is part of the lao governments strategy to become the battery of southeast asia. The xayaburi dam is a large hydroelectric dam, situated right on the banks of the lower mekong river. Xayaburi a runofriver power station for lao pdr at the end of 2012, andritz hydro won an international bidding process. Opinion no more dams on the mekong the new york times. Laos approves xayaburi mega dam on mekong bbc news. Xayaburi dam is the first dam to be built on the lower mekong mainstream. The xayaburi dam also sets a dangerous precedent for dambuilding along the mekong river. You can do stability modeling with slopew, seepage modeling with seepw, stress and deformation modeling with sigmaw and so on.
The timeline below gives an interactive view of the history of the xayaburi dam project, the first dam proposed and under construction on the lower stretch of the mekong river mainstream in laos the xayaburi dam has faced significant opposition from local communities, mekong governments, the mekong river commission mrc, scientists and stakeholders from around the world. The xayaburi dam, which would produce hydropower for market, has become a divisive issue among mekong river countries. The thaiowned xayaburi dam has been a lightning rod for criticism even before construction began in 2012, with environmentalists warning of its. After making modifications to the dams design, laos started full construction. Modified transboundary water interaction nexus twins. Xpcl and government of lao pdr gol undertook the redesign of certain aspects of the project to address the concerns raised during the prior consultation process. Thai general contracting and infrastructure development group ch karnchang through its 50 percentowned subsidiary xayaburi power co has a. An interactive history of the xayaburi dam international. Focus will be on the tools needed by usda for flood control dam rehabilitation and the transfer of technology from ars to the engineering community. Decision looms on mekong river dam opposed by conservation groups xayaburi dam decision time for the guardians of southeast asias mother of all rivers jonathan watts.
The xayaburi controversy essentially pits laos and thailand, which stand to benefit most from the dam, against cambodia and vietnam, which are further downriver and will suffer the environmental. Construction of the dam is spearheaded by ch karnchang, a thai construction company, and funded by six thai banks. A subsequent report, published in march by the mekong river commission itself, found that, from the xayaburi dam alone, the migrations of anywhere from 23 to 100 species of fish would be restricted, and the rivers iconic giant catfish, which can span 10 ft. The 1,285megawatt xayaburi dam was built by ckpowera subsidiary of the thai builder and majority shareholder ch karnchangwhich went ahead with construction despite protests in. A further eight dams are proposed along the river in laos, with two more planned on this lower part of the river in other countries. The xayaburi dam is on a site 350 kilometres 220 mi upstream of vientiane and 770 kilometres 480 mi downstream of jinhong, the last dam of a chinese cascade of seven dams, including four existing and three planned dams. The extent and severity of impacts from the xayaburi dam on an ecosystem that provides food security and livelihoods for millions are still. Goals objectives to develop userfriendly software tools for watershed dam design and analysis. Evaluation of safety of a given design involves intensive computation. A caterpillar works on the access road to the xayaburi dam in laos in an undated photo.
Decision looms on xayaburi dam, its impact still unclear. The xayaburi dam, with installed capacity of 1260 mw, is the first one among 12. Decision looms on mekong river dam opposed by conservation. This is in northern laos and about 19 miles to the east of the town of xayaburi. After making modifications to the dams design, laos started full construction with a ceremony on 7 november 2012. Construction began in 2010 and as of last month the project was 10 percent complete. The xayaburi hydroelectric power project xayaburi power xpcl. Despite the advances in soft computing and development of software for analyzing design safety, their utilization in practical applications appears to be. A look inside xayaburi dam open development mekong. For the earth dam, geostudio software is the best option. While laos is forcefully pressing forward with its xayaburi dam plans. Materials on the open development cambodia odc website and its accompanying database are compiled from publicly available documentation and provided without fee for general informational purposes only. Xayaburi hydropower project prior consultation process.
Laos finally called out over xayaburi dam the diplomat. Xayaburi dam project open development cambodia odc. In 2019, the first dam on the lower mekong will be completed. Can damming the mekong power a better life to laos. Laos hydro project switched on along driedout mekong. Undisclosed subsurface conditions way be encountered which may materially affect the design of the dam. Located in northern laos, the proposed xayaburi dam is the most advanced of eleven large hydropower dams planned for the lower mekong river. What is the best software to design the structure dam. While environmentalists fear it will threaten fisheries and communities, the lao government says the concerns are exaggerated. To ensure a safe design, the designer must be able to confirm design assumptions and revise the dam design if unanticipated. Review of the design changes made for xayaburi hydropower project. W1 mekong river downstream from proposed dam site 2 km.
299 303 660 971 248 586 1327 1353 368 41 493 256 1181 1553 334 1025 185 70 166 1045 411 1311 208 1474 971 427 1368 1357 920 400 1231