Xayaburi construction forging ahead
Construction of the main structure of the supposedly on-hold Xayaburi dam could begin by the end of this year, the Thai company contracted to build it said yesterday. Ch Karnchang chief executive Plew Trivisvavet said preparatory work at the site of the proposed US$3.8 billion, 1,285-megawatt dam in northern Laos was being undertaken – with the aim of beginning to build the main dam structure on the Lower Mekong River by December. “We have entered the area for some relocation work and to prepare for the construction of the reservoir,” Plew told Reuters. … Various statements from Lao government officials, including Foreign Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, have said only preparatory work had been approved pending further studies of environment impacts on countries such as Cambodia.
