IFC on May 26 announced that it is providing a financing package of US$57 million to Thuan Binh Wind Power Joint Stock Company (TBW), a subsidiary of Refrigeration Electrical Engineering Corporation (REE). This will enable the construction of two onshore wind power plants – Phu Lac 2 in Binh Thuan province and Loi Hai 2 in Ninh Thuan province – with a total capacity of 54.2 megawatts ((MW). The plants will generate about 170 million kilowatt-hours of clean energy per year once they start operating later in 2021.
Category: Region
Selected environmental stories from media outlets in the Mekong region and beyond.
Myanmar junta looks to line its pockets and fund the coup with massive auction of illegal timber
EIA Forests campaigners have learnt that the brutal military junta which seized control of Myanmar on 1 February is seeking an injection of hard currency by selling off thousands of tonnes of illegal timber to international markets.
CITES and FAO hold joint workshop in support of the verification of timber legality in the Lower Mekong Region
Verifying the origin of timber destined for export and ensuring its legality is a crucial aspect of trade regulations under CITES. Most of the countries in the Lower Mekong Region have a general understanding of the “legal acquisition findings” requirement but none have published national guidance to ensure that the verification of the legal acquisition is done systematically and in a transparent manner.
Thailand’s gold panners blame Mekong dams in China, Laos as fortune dries up
“I used to find pieces of gold the size of a tamarind seed,’ says Rodjana Thepwong, 64. ‘Now there are only tiny amounts.” I
Park dwellers’ prosecution likely to be delayed
The villagers argued they had lived there for generations until being evicted by the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plantation (DNP) more than a decade ago.
Kuoy people’s ancestral lands on verge of extinction
Kuoy indigenous community in the province’s Rovieng district are facing threats from two companies that have already cleared some of their lands and even a 10-hectare site earmarked for the construction of a school, a hospital, and a pagoda.
HRW, NGOs Call on Thai Firm to Back off on Myanmar Oil Deals
“By expanding business ties with the Myanmar military as it carries out a bloody crackdown, the Thai state-owned PTT has shown little regard for the lives and freedom of Myanmar’s people,” said Shayna Bauchner, an Asia researcher for the watchdog group.
Two Lao Workers Die From Suspected Chemical Use at Chinese-Owned Banana Farm
“This banana plantation uses a lot of chemicals to kill weeds and insects and wash the bananas, and the workers who spray them don’t wear masks,” a coworker said. “The two men who died both had chemicals building up in their systems for over a year.”
Bunong plead to keep traditional slash-and-burn way of life
“If we are not allowed to do our Bunong traditional jobs that have been practised in Cambodia since a long time ago, we worry that slash-and-burn farming will disappear from our culture” said Kroung Tola, a Bunong.
Norway and Vietnam agree major aquaculture co-operation
Grete Lochen, the Norwegian Ambassador said Vietnam had considerable potential when it came to aquaculture growth, adding that Norway had the experience to promote the sustainable development of industrial scale fish farming.