China has made a big bet on renewable energy installation to wean the country off dirty fossil fuels and to meet its emission targets, but the latest government statistics show that a big portion of power generation from Chinese solar farms, wind projects and hydroelectric dams has failed to reach energy users.
Category: Viet Nam
Work starts on Nghi Son 2 thermal power plant
Construction began on the Nghi Son 2 Thermal Power Plant at the Nghi Son Economic Zone in the central province of Thanh Hoa on September 18. The plant is being built at a total cost of 2.3 billion USD, with 25 percent contributed by a joint venture between Japan’s Marubeni Group and the Republic of Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco) and the remaining coming from foreign banks.
Environment group voices concerns over Mekong dam
An environmental watchdog based in Viet Nam is asking the Laos government to reconsider the construction of a controversial hydropower plant along the Mekong River. The non-governmental organisation Viet Nam River Network issued a press release last Friday stating that the Don Sahong project, the second largest dam approved by the Laos government, would adversely affect the area.
Mekong dwellers struggle to adapt to tides of change
Since its founding, the inhabitants of Can Tho city have sold their wares atop the water, which has become a tourist spectacle. Rush hour at the floating market is around 8am. After noon, the sellers pack up their boats and return home. In recent years, local communities have begun to struggle against the growing problems of erosion and pollutants that threaten their way of life on the Hau River, a large branch off the MekongThe 185-kilometre (115-mile) Hau River passes through the southern part of Vietnam and into Cambodia, where it is called the Bassac River. In both countries, people call this river their home and depend on it for the livelihood by selling products from the Can Tho delta.
Can Tho river signs to reduce speeds, erosion
HCM CITY (VNS) — Can Tho authorities plan to install speed limit signs on the Hau River to prevent barges from travelling too fast, causing serious erosion and damaging property in the city’s An Binh Ward.
Vietnamese plea to Thailand: Don’t divert the Mekong
Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha voiced plans to use water from the Mekong and Salween rivers to fill dams that have run low because of drought and poor water management. But the PM’s remarks have caused shockwaves in the Mekong Delta, which would be directly affected if such a project was to go ahead.
China’s demand for aluminium is poisoning Southeast Asia
Soaring Chinese demand for natural resources is wreaking environmental havoc throughout Southeast Asia. Driven by its internal needs to provide breakneck rates of job creation and economic growth, China’s developmental model has repeatedly abused the fickle regulatory environment of its neighbors to drive its thirst for commodities. It has made it clear that, whoever can provide, it will buy. At the behest of Chinese companies, countries such as Vietnam and Malaysia have rolled out the red carpet, with little regard for their fragile ecosystems.
Urban sprawl causes floods in Mekong Delta province
Thousands of people in the southern province of Dong Nai were hit last week by the worst flooding in 20 years.
Poor water management hits Delta
Viet Nam’s Mekong Delta, which is home to 18 million people, has suffered adverse consequences due to poor water resource management, a researcher at a Can Tho University think tank has said.
Mekong nations to set up EIA working group
Government officials and civil society representatives from across the Mekong region have agreed to establish a working group to develop a regional public participation guideline for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) recently in Hanoi, Vietnam.