Areng project changes hands again

Sinohydro Corporation has taken over the concession to build the Stung Cheay Areng dam in Koh Kong province and is preparing for the early stages of construction, according to a company representative and government officials. Ith Prang, secretary of state at the Ministry of Mines and Energy, said yesterday that Sinohydro, which built the Three Gorges Dam in China, had taken over the concession from another Chinese firm, China Guodian Corporation. ... But Tou Savuth, governor of Thma Baing district, said yesterday that Sinohydro Corporation representatives, and officials from the Ministry of Mines and Energy visited the dam site on Friday in preparation for the building of an access road so that heavy machinery could be brought into the site. “Sinohydro company representatives went down there to meet with district officials and officials from the Ministry of Mines and Energy on Friday,” he said. ... Correspondence between Qi Wenhua, director of Sinohydro’s legal department, and the NGO International Rivers, obtained by the Post, provides further evidence that the firm is now running the project. ...

Chhay Channyda and Daniel Pye
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/areng-project-changes-hands-again