Perspectives
by Lia Sciortino
Perspectives
Reading Media
Johanna Son
BANGKOK -- Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia. What images might these words conjure up in the minds of international consumers of news? Perhaps war, maybe the Khmer Rouge. Or they might say, ‘Oh, it’s that those countries that had that war some time ago. . . they’re near one another, and they’re all the same’.
China's 1st Hydro BOT Project in Burma Revs Up
The Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) agreement of Ruili (Shweli) River I hydropower station, signed signed in Burma's capital, Naypyidaw, on Dec. 30, 2006 is China's first hydropower BOT project in its neighbouring country.
The agreement was signed by Yunnan Joint Power Development Co and the Department of Hydropower Implementation of the Myanmar's Ministry of Electric Power No.1. The project owner will be Ruili (Shweli) River I Power Station Co Ltd, which was formed by the above two parties. The Yunnan company, which was formed by Yunnan Huaneng Lancang River Hydropower Co, Yunnan Power Grid Co and Yunnan Machinery Equipment Export-Import Co Ltd., is dedicated to developing hydropower resources in Burma and South-east Asia. Shweli River I power station will also be the company's first hydropower project outside mainland China.
The Yunnan company, which owns 80 percent of the Sino-Burma joint-venture,
will be fully in charge of the project construction, operation and management. The company will run the power station for 40 years after its completion, and then transfer to Burma's government.
The Ruili (Shweli) River I power station is located inside Shan State of northern Burma, 90 km from China's border city of Ruili. This will be a run-of-river hydropower station, which involves no
resettlement, little land inundation and environmental impact. The installed capacity is 600 MW. The actual power supply will be 174.8 MW, and the annual power output is 4,033 GWh. The electricity will be transmitted to both Myanmar and China through 230 kV and 220 kV cables. (Source: Xinhua Net (Yunnan Channel), Dec 30, 2006.
Mekong's Avian Flu
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What's New
Journalism Workshop Applications Deadline Moved to Dec. 2, 2011
Due to the current flooding crisis in Bangkok, the Mekong Energy Journalism Workshop, originally set for Nov. 27-30, 2011, has been moved to 17 - 20 January 2012. Application submission deadline is on Dec. 2, 2011. The selection result will be announced on Dec. 14, 2011.
MA Scholarships Open for Myanmar Students
Heinrich Boell Foundation holds an annual scholarship competition for a small number of students from within Myanmar/Burma to study at two premier Thai universities, offering three international programmes for the academic year 2009 and 2009/10.