An official form the Lao Ministry of Mines stated that the government had not received a formal notice from the Thai Energy Ministry indicating that officials were not going to sign PPAs from the four Lao dams. “If Thailand doesn’t buy electricity from those four dams, we’ll sell it to China, Vietnam, and Cambodia,” said the official.
Category: Mekong
Climate change likely to be high on the agenda of the Mekong River summit
Falling water levels, from drought and damming, have also reduced the stock of Cambodia’s freshwater fish, mostly caught in the Mekong and Bassac rivers. About 6 million people work in fisheries or fisheries-related activities in Cambodia and their catch contributes as much as 12 percent to gross domestic product.
Korea pledges cooperation with Mekong countries
Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong on Wednesday reiterated South Korea’s commitment to stronger cooperation with Mekong countries in health care, climate, infrastructure and people-to-people exchanges, his office said.
Harnessing technology to manage flood, drought risks in Lower Mekong Basin
The Lower Mekong region remains highly vulnerable to increased flood and drought. To offset the increased risk, the Mekong River Commission (MRC) and its partners are deploying innovative information and communication technologies to assist governments and communities manage extreme weather conditions.
US, China dueling for power on the Mekong
.Because China sits at the river’s headwaters and has shown its power to turn it off at will, the MRC, Mekong-US Partnership and Japan’s initiatives seem destined to become sideshows in another rising contest for regional influence.
Sokhonn set for Korea visit, Mekong-ROK foreign ministers’ meeting
The Mekong-ROK Foreign Ministers’ Meeting will review the progress of the cooperation, the mechanism set out in the Plan of Action (2021-2025), private sector engagement, and the future direction of the mechanism.
Not just sea life: Migratory fish, birds and mammals also fall foul of plastic
In major freshwater systems, marine mammals are particularly at risk from drowning following entanglement in discarded fishing gear. The report cites the Ganges river dolphin (Platanista gangetica), of which an estimated 3,500 remain, and the Mekong population of Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris), which numbers less than 100, as particularly vulnerable.
Strategic basin and delta planning increases the resilience of the Mekong Delta under future uncertainty
“Herein, we demonstrate an approach to identify planning levers that can increase the resilience of river deltas under a wide range of future conditions for the 40,000-km2 Mekong Delta in Southeast Asia.”
ASEAN needs more Belt and Road money, say ministers
Meeting online at a Belt and Road Summit, ASEAN ministers said the region has benefited from the infrastructure and digital connectivity already brought about by BRI, but new initiatives are needed to create opportunities amid pandemic-induced uncertainties.