Environmental and social programmes on the Nakai Plateau and in downstream areas will continue despite completion of a 1,088- megawatt hydroelectric power plant.
On Thursday, an international
panel of environmental and social
experts monitoring the project made
a number of recommendations to
the government, Nam Theun 2
Power and the latter's shareholders
after paying a visit to the project area
from February 1-17.
The panel consisted of three
internationally respected academ
ics: Lee Talbot, Thayer Seudder and
David McDowell. This is their 16th
mission to Laos.
The goal of the project monitor
ing is to ensure the US$1.2-billion
(Bt39.83 billion) project's pioneer
ing social and environmental pro
grammes remain on track over the
next 25 years of its operational con
cession period in accordance with
the concession agreement with the
government.
Electricity Promotion and
Development Department deputy
director-general Sychath
Boutsakitirath said the government
and company highly valued the
panel's recommendations aimed at
ensuring sustainable protection of
the environment and improvements
to communities in the project area.
He said implementing the pro
grammes in the area was not easy
and required advice from inde
pendent authorities.
In a press release, the Energy and
Mines Ministry said local authorities
in Khammuan and Borikhamxay
provinces are gradually taking
greater responsibility for manage
ment of project infrastructure.
About $67 million worth of assets
and infrastructure, including roads
and community buildings designed
to help resettled communities
achieve better living conditions, have
been handed over to Nakai-district
authorities and the Public Works
and Transport Ministry.
Construction of Nam Theun 2,
the country's largest hydropower
plant, began in 2005. It was sched
uled to begin delivering power to the
national grid and for export to
Thailand last December, but tech
nical problems caused commercial
operations to be postponed.
Nam Theun 2 Power is unable to
provide an exact date for when com
mercial operations will begin, saying
only the official export of electricity
will take place in the near future.
Officials and loan providers believe commercial operations will begin late next month or in early April.
Shareholders of the Nam Theun 2 hydropower plant are Electricite de France (35 per cent), Lao Holding State Enterprise (25 per cent), the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (25 per cent) and Italian-Thai Development (15 per cent).
The project is in a build-operate-transfer format, under which the shareholders will operate the facility for 25 years and then transfer it to the Lao government.
