Govt, hydro developers pave way for safe dam management

The government and hydropower project developers have begun exploring the development of model dams that benefit all stakeholders and ensuring their safe operation.
The first meeting to discuss and exchange lessons learnt about the issue between the government and dam developers was held last Friday in Vientiane.
The Ministry of Energy and Mines and Nam Theun 2 Power Company co-organised the meeting.
In his opening remarks, Minister of Energy and Mines, Dr Khammany Inthirath noted the active development of the electricity sector.

He said that as of last month, hydropower projects in the country included 63 operational plants with an installed capacity of 7,213 MW, 112 projects being constructed with an installed capacity of 7,598 MW, and 340 future projects with an installed capacity of 19,494 MW.
While the nation has witnessed rapid growth in the sector, the collapse of a Xe Pian-Xe Namnoy hydropower plant saddle dam on July 23 last year tragically killed over 40 people, saw hundreds more go missing and rendered thousands homeless in Attapeu province’s Sanamxay district. Four villages in the district were virtually wiped out by the floods.
Recent findings of the subsequent investigation confirmed that the dam collapse was not a ‘force majeure’ event.
In his address, Dr Khammany stressed the essential elements in making electricity development projects safe, sustainable, and effective. These included the responsible management of operations, maintenance of dams and reservoirs, mitigation of environmental and social impacts, prevention of droughts and floods, early warning systems, and emergency management of natural disasters.
“We have to pay special attention to this work, especially during the initial reservoir impoundment and the operation of the dam,” he said, adding this was to ensure the project was implemented in line with the technical specification, procedures and effective generation of electricity, to create the most benefit for the nation.
The meeting also discussed the establishment of a communication system between companies and government, especially between project operators and local authorities to ensure emergency messages reach communities quickly.
“All hydropower projects have to follow the dam safety regulations for the benefit of all stakeholders and for the development of good model dams in terms of socio-environmental friendly operations and maintenance,” the minister said.
A representative from Namtheun 2 Hydropower Company as a co-organiser of the meeting stressed the importance of sharing lessons learnt among dam developers for use in other projects.

By Somxay Sengdara
(Latest Update June 19, 2019)