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RFA
Laos is preparing to build the seventh of nine planned large-scale Mekong River mainstream dams, the latest project in its controversial economic strategy to become the “battery of Southeast Asia,” sources in the country told Radio Free Asia.
The 728-megawatt Phou Ngoy Dam, whose projected completion date is 2029, would join the now operational Xayaburi and Don Sahong Dams, as well as the Pak Beng, Pak Lay, Luang Prabang and Sanakham Dams, which are in various stages of planning. Two others, Pak Chom and Ban Koum, are on the horizon after that.
“The initial environmental and social impact study for this dam has just been approved, however, the project still needs a lot more study,” an official of the Energy and Mines Department of Champasak province in far southern Laos told the Lao Service of Radio Free Asia (RFA) on Dec. 23. BenarNews is affiliated with RFA.