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| The Mekong River near the site of the proposed Xayaburi Dam in Laos (International Rivers, Piaporn Deetes/Associated Press) |
APRIL 17, 2011
By PATRICK BARTA
The Wall Street Journal
BANGKOK—A battle over plans for a giant dam across the Mekong River is highlighting the increasingly complex energy issues facing developing-world economies, especially after hopes for more nuclear power have dimmed following the recent tsunami disaster in Japan.
Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos are expected to meet Tuesday in the Laotian capital of Vientiane to debate and possibly decide whether Laos should proceed with the $3.5 billion 1,260-megawatt dam, called Xayaburi, as part of a wider effort to turn the Mekong into the world’s next big source of power. Laos hopes to use revenues from Xayaburi and other dams to drive economic growth in what remains one of the world’s least-developed countries, while Thailand is expected to be the main buyer.
But environmentalists and some government officials, especially in Vietnam, are wary. They say the project will damage downstream fishing areas—a major worry given the rising anxiety over food security in Asia—and force some residents to abandon river communities.
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