‘Nearly 1,100 Lao families to be displaced’ by Thai-Vietnam dam project
A Thailand-Vietnam joint venture is going ahead with the construction of what will be Laos’ fifth hydropower dam on the mainstream Mekong River in Luang Phrabang province, with hundreds of families likely to be affected.
adio Free Asia reported on Thursday that more than 1,077 Lao families in the three northern provinces of Laos – Luang Phrabang, Oudomxay, and Xayaburi – will be affected by the Luang Phrabang hydropower dam project, a joint venture of PetroVietnam Power Corporation and CK Power Pcl from Thailand.
The report cited information from a local Lao officer that the construction of the dam would force at least 465 families in the Jomped district of Luang Phrabang province to evacuate within this month.
The project is estimated to have a total capacity of 1,410 megawatts. It will be the fifth dam to be built on the lower reaches of the mainstream Mekong River in Laos after the Xayaburi, Don Sahong, Pak Beng, and Pak Lai dams.
Information about the project outline and the electricity usage plan of this dam have not been disclosed yet.