The Lao government has adhered to an agenda that gambles the country’s international reputation and is also starkly out of step with its stated goals around sustainable development
Category: Laos
In Laos, Reform Hopes Peter Out Into Business as Usual
The Lao communist party’s newly selected General Secretary Thongloun Sisoulith once promised change. Now he sits atop a closed and sclerotic system.
Thailand rejects new technical report on large-scale Lao Mekong mainstream dam
Thailand called on the developer to conduct an extensive environmental impact assessment and again revise the report before the next prior consultation.
Lao govt to inspect safety of hydropower dams every five years
There are currently 78 operational hydropower plants with a combined installed capacity of 9,972 MW in Laos. According to the Lao Ministry of Energy and Mines, dam builders have to enhance safety systems, both for existing and under-construction dams.
Laos shifts to China equity from loans as party congress starts
China’s rise as the country’s leading lender has been fueled by billions of dollars to finance a building spree of megaprojects, spanning large hydropower dams and economic zones to a flagship high-speed railway.
Thailand Unhappy About China-Funded Laos Dam
The deputy governor of Loei Province, which is immediately downstream of the site, has voiced local concerns that the impact of the dam could be even more significant than that already felt by the Xayaburi dam, despite it being considerably further upstream.
Construction of fifth Lao-Thai bridge begins
The bridge, which will take 36 months to build, will connect Bolikhamxay province in Laos to Thailand’s northeastern province of Bueng Kan.
Laotian Plan To Build Another Big Mekong Dam Concerns Thais
The projects are controversial because of their environmental impact, displacement of villagers without adequate compensation, and questionable financial and power demand arrangements.
Lao Dams Lower Water Levels on a Scenic River, Harming Tour Boat Operators and Other Local Businesses
Water levels lowered by seven dams along a stretch of the Nam Ou River in Laos are blocking boat travel in a scenic area popular with tourists, impacting tour and passenger boat operators and other local businesses, Lao sources say.
1st expressway in Laos inaugurated
The Vientiane-Vangvieng section of the China-Laos expressway, the first highway in Laos jointly constructed by the Lao government and China’s Yunnan Construction and Investment Holding Group (YCIH), was inaugurated on Sunday.