Laos Begins Work on a Second Mekong River Dam

[KTMphil]

Laos Begins Work on a Second Mekong River Dam
Date:
Sunday, September 2, 2012
For Immediate Release: September 3, 2012

View attachment 9520




Mekong River near the Don Sahong Dam site
Bangkok, Thailand – The Lao government has begun work on its second hydropower project on the Mekong River, the 260-380 MW Don Sahong Dam, despite unresolved concerns with the Xayaburi Dam. In August, International Rivers visited the Don Sahong Dam site, located in Laos less than 2 km from the Cambodian border. Activities are already underway at the dam site, even though the project has not yet undergone the Mekong River Commission’s (MRC) prior consultation process, as required under the 1995 Mekong Agreement.


View attachment 9518
Mekong River near the Don Sahong Dam site




Ms. Pianporn Deetes, Thailand Campaign Coordinator for International Rivers, visited the Don Sahong Dam site and observed, “Villagers reported that the dam builders have already blasted a waterfall near the Don Sahong Dam site. Lao officials have told the villagers that they will not be allowed to fish with Ly fishing gear in the area beginning in 2014. The dam’s construction and the end of Ly fishing is a major concern because local people depend so heavily on fishing for their livelihoods.”


The Don Sahong Dam is being built by Malaysian company Mega First Corporation Berhad near the iconic Khone Falls of the Mekong River. According to the MRC’s 2010 Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), the dam would block the only section of the Mekong River where fish can pass during the dry season, called the Hou Sahong channel. The SEA noted that “the Don Sahong project would represent an impassable barrier to Mekong dry season fish migration.” According to local villagers, last year the project company blasted the waterfall at the Hou Xang Pheuak channel, in order to create a new 5 meter wide channel in the river that is intended to become a fish passage. Currently, fish are able to migrate through the 50-100 meter wide Hou Sahong channel year-round. The SEA report confirms that fishery experts have concluded that no fish mitigation technology exists to effectively mitigate the threat that mainstream dams, including the Don Sahong Dam, pose to the Mekong’s fisheries.



View attachment 9519



Traditional "ly" fishing trap
“The proposed Don Sahong Dam would spell disaster for the Mekong’s fisheries,” said Ms. Ame Trandem, Southeast Asia Program Director for International Rivers. “The dam would block vital fish migrations and decimate the livelihoods of local people who depend on fish for their food security. Like the Xayaburi Dam, the impacts would be transboundary.”


In May, Mega First announced that the Don Sahong Dam’s environmental impact assessment had been approved by the Lao government and that it was close to signing a power purchase agreement with the government for a 30 year concession. The environmental impact assessment has not been publicly disclosed. According to an evaluation of potential impacts of mainstream hydropower dams on Mekong fisheries published by the MRC in 1994, the Khone Falls area was described as “an ecologically unique area that is essentially a microcosm of the entire lower Mekong River,” and pointed out that “Such a site is so rare in nature that every effort should be made to preserve all of Khone Falls [Siphandone] from any development.”


“We can already see Laos repeating the same tricks that it has used with the Xayaburi Dam,” said Ms. Deetes. “This is going to happen again and again until the MRC governments decide to take action. Before time runs out, it’s crucial that the MRC governments, secretariat, and donors call for an immediate stop to activities at both dam sites.”“As we have seen with the Xayaburi Dam, the Lao government will undoubtedly claim that the blasting of the Hou Xang Pheuak channel for the Don Sahong Dam is only ‘preparatory work’ that does not require consultations with neighboring countries, despite its environmental impacts,” said Ms. Trandem. “In reality, all activities that can harm the river must first be approved by the MRC, including channel excavation work.”


Media contacts:
Pianporn Deetes, Thailand Campaign Coordinator, International Rivers, Telephone: +66 81 422 0111, Email: pai@internationalrivers.org
Ame Trandem, Southeast Asia Program Director, International Rivers, Telephone: +66 86 882 2426, Email: ame@internationalrivers.org


More information:
View photos of the Don Sahong site Don Sahong Dam | International Rivers
Click here for more information on the Don Sahong Dam.


The proposed Don Sahong Hydropower Project is located on the Mekong River’s mainstream in the Khone Falls area (also known as Siphandone) of southern Laos, less than 2 km upstream of the Laos-Cambodia border. The Don Sahong Dam would create a barrier across the Hou Sahong channel that would be between 30 and 32 meters high and generate between 260-380 MW of electricity, mainly for export to Thailand or Cambodia. The project’s developer is Mega First Corporation Berhad of Malaysia (MFCB). U.S. company AECOM carried out the project’s environmental impact assessment and is serving as the Owner’s Engineer.


Like the Xayaburi Dam, the project must first undergo the prior consultation process of the Mekong River Commission before it can go forward. The prior consultation process, under the Procedures for Notification, Prior Consultation and Agreement (PNPCA), requires the Lao government to consult with the governments of Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam with an aim to reach a consensus on whether or not the project should proceed. With the Xayaburi project, Laos has argued that “preparatory work” does not fall within the PNPCA but has not defined what it means by this term. The MRC governments have not reached agreement on this interpretation.


In March 2006, MFCB signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Laos to prepare feasibility studies for the project. Subsequently, in February 2008, a Project Development Agreement was signed that authorized MFCB to enter into advanced negotiations and finalize the project details with the Government of Laos and potential electricity buyers. MFCB reported that the dam’s final Environmental Impact Assessment report was approved by the Government of Laos in April 2012.


While the Don Sahong Dam’s final Environmental Impact Assessment has not yet been released to the public, the dam is expected to block the migration of many commercial fish species during the dry season. The loss of fish biomass will impact livelihoods and commercial fisheries in Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam, with repercussions for food security and the region’s economies. In the vicinity of the dam site, many families use a traditional type of wing trap fishing, called Ly, which involves setting traps to catch fish that migrate through the channels. Families can earn around $6,000 per year through Ly fishing, and have passed this traditional knowledge through generations. Villagers reported that this type of fishing will be made illegal near the dam site beginning in 2014. According to the MRC’s Strategic Environmental Assessment, Mega First will also need to excavate approximately 1.9 million cubic meters of sediment from the riverbed of the Hou Sahong channel in order to build the dam, the equivalent of 95,000 truckloads. The excavation would require the use of dynamite or explosives, which would also have a devastating impact on fish habitats and the river’s ecosystem. Furthermore, the dam risks jeopardizing the last remaining population of Irrawaddy dolphins in Laos, as well as diverting water from the spectacular Khone Phapheng waterfall, undermining the area’s increasing popularity as a tourist destination.


The blasting by Mega First reportedly took place late last year on the Hou Xang Pheuak channel, in order to destroy a waterfall and build a 5 meter wide channel for fish to pass through year-round, as an attempt to create an alternative to the 50 to 100 meter wide Hou Sahong channel. Local villagers are forbidden from fishing in this new channel.




Laos Begins Work on a Second Mekong River Dam | International Rivers



Thanks to Mac's sharp eyes

 

[Just Bob]

Having AECOM do the environmental assessment is absurd. They make their money if the project goes through. Not impartial in the least. Just another mega corporation chasing big money. Their website on the project;
AECOM - Asia - Energy - Don Sahong Hydropower Scheme, Lao PDR

They're a US traded company with a market cap of 2.23 billion dollars. From Yahoo finance;
"

Business Summary

AECOM Technology Corporation provides professional technical and management support services for commercial and government clients worldwide. Its Professional Technical Services segment offers planning, consulting, architectural and engineering design, and program and construction management services for a range of projects, including highways, airports, bridges, mass transit systems, government and commercial buildings, water and wastewater facilities, and power transmission and distribution. This segment serves industrial, commercial, institutional, and government clients in end markets, such as transportation, facilities, environmental, energy, water, and government markets. The company’s Management Support Services segment provides program and facilities management and maintenance, training, logistics, consulting, technical assistance, and systems integration services primarily for agencies of the United States government. AECOM Technology Corporation was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California."

A quick search of SEC insider trading disclosures reveals this guy as the one to send a postcard to;
Anthony Shum: Executive Profile & Biography - Businessweek

Maybe a quick note saying, "hey, how ya doing. Could you shoot me a copy of that EIR on the Don Sahong Dam?"

 

[Lone Rider]

Some more info:

*Laos Denies Dam Construction*
Radio Free Asia, 2012-09-04
An official says that no work has begun on a second dam planned for the Mekong mainstream.
Laos dismissed claims Tuesday that it has launched construction of a second dam on the Mekong River but a conservation group insists that the government has already started preparatory work on the site.
The proposed Don Sahong hydropower project is located on the Mekong River's mainstream in the Khone Falls area of southern Laos and, like the first and controversial Xayaburi dam project, is subject to approval by a regional body which oversees development on the waterway.
An official from the Lao Ministry of Energy and Mines, who spoke to RFA's Lao service on condition of anonymity, denied a report by California-based International Rivers released over the weekend, which said workers had begun blasting a fish channel at a site near the planned Don Sahong dam location.
"The Ministry of Energy has not built anything yet," the official said.
"We still have to go through many processes [before it can be approved]."
Observers say that work on most major projects in Laos begins before receiving official approval.
Pianporn Deetes, International Rivers' Thailand coordinator, said that while there had been no construction "of the dam itself," other preparatory work is underway that should not have proceeded without approval from the four-nation Mekong River Commission (MRC).
"We found that there has been rapid blasting near the dam site in an area called Hou Xang Noi. Villagers say it is a new channel to act as a fish passage to bypass the Don Sahong," she told RFA.
"Most importantly, those preparatory works should not have been undertaken because, like in the case of the Xayaburi dam, the Don Sahong has not been given consent by the other lower Mekong countries yet."

Preparatory work
According to International Rivers, late last year, the dam's developer, Malaysian company Mega First Corporation Berhad, destroyed a waterfall and blasted a 5-meter (16.5-foot) wide channel for fish to pass through year-round.
The group said that the blasting was an attempt to create an alternative fish passage to the channel which will be used for the dam project, but villagers have said that they will be prohibited from their traditional style of fishing on the new channel beginning in 2014, eliminating a major source of income and food security.
Deetes went on to say that without consent from all of the nations in the MRC—which includes Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia—all work on the project should be stopped, including any preparatory construction.

Laos maintains that mutual consent is not required for "preparatory work" on a Mekong project, but the MRC has not reached an agreement regarding the definition of the term.
As the first dam on the mainstream Lower Mekong, the Xayaburi is also the first to undergo a regional review process through the MRC, which has expressed reservations over the project.
Through the MRC, established in 1995, member countries have agreed to a protocol for consulting with and notifying each other about use of the river's resources, but the organization has no binding jurisdiction on what Laos does about the two dams.
One study commissioned by the group recommended a 10-year moratorium on all mainstream Mekong dams due to a need for further research on their potentially catastrophic environmental and socioeconomic impact.
Project criticism
The 260-380 megawatt Don Sahong dam is being built with the expectation that the electricity it generates will be exported to Thailand or Cambodia, according to International Rivers.
Mega First had announced that the dam's environmental assessment was approved by the Lao government in April and that it was close to signing a power purchasing agreement with the government for a 30-year concession.
The environmental impact assessment has not been publicly disclosed.

The MRC has already voiced opposition to the Don Sahong, saying in a 2010 Strategic Environmental Assessment that the dam would block the only section of the Mekong where fish can pass during the dry season migration.
That assessment also noted that according to fishery experts, no technology exists to effectively mitigate the threat that mainstream dams pose to the Mekong's fish population.
Ame Trandem, Southeast Asia program director for International Rivers, said the Don Sahong dam would "spell disaster for the Mekong's fisheries."
"The dam would block vital fish migrations and decimate the livelihoods of local people who depend on fish for their food security. Like the Xayaburi dam, the impacts would be transboundary."
International Rivers' Deetes said that the Lao government is "repeating the same tricks that it has used with the Xayaburi dam" and called on the MRC to "take action" against the project.
"Before time runs out, it's crucial that the MRC governments, secretariat, and donors call for an immediate stop to activities at both dam sites," she said.
In addition to the potential effect on the river's fisheries, International Rivers said, the Don Sahong risks jeopardizing the last remaining population of Irrawaddy freshwater dolphins in Laos, as well as diverting water from the Khone Falls, undermining the area's increasing popularity as a tourist destination.

Reported by Bounchanh Mouangkham and Nontarat for RFA's Lao service. Translated by Somnet Inthapannha. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.Laos Denies Dam Construction

 

[KTMphil]

Mekong river dam will kill us : protesters tell PM
PHATSURANG DECHABUDDHARUNGSI
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- A conservation group submitted a petition with more than 9,000 signatures from people opposed to a controversial dam on the Mekong River to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday, demanding the Thai government cease support for the Xayaburi Dam.

Representatives of the Thai People's Network gathered at Government House with posters that said "We, people from the Northeast, will not support PM Yingluck anymore", and the "Dam is killing us".

They called for Yingluck to come out to receive their petition and hear their demands, but she did not appear.

The group, together with a coalition of Towards Ecological Recovery and Regional Alliance (TERRA) and Save the Mekong, held an exhibition at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre last week called 'Disaster on the Mekong: The Push for Xayaburi Dam', which pictures by top photographer Suthep Kritsanavarin.

Each photo shows aspects of life along the Mekong would be lost forever because of the dam.

Laos proposed building the dam on the Mekong at Thahouy district in Xayaburi province, to generate more than 1,000 MW of power to sell to Thailand. Thai construction firm Ch Karnchang is building the dam - the first on the mainstream of the river below China.

According to the International Rivers conservation group, the Xayaburi dam will, if completed, block critical fish migration routes for dozens of species to upper stretches of the Mekong as far as Chiang Saen in northern Thailand - an important spawning ground for the critically endangered Mekong giant catfish.

They said the dam would destroy the river's complex ecosystem, which serves as a significant fish habitat for local and migratory species. The dam would also block sediment flows, affecting agriculture, especially Thai eight provinces and far down to the Mekong Delta in Vietnam.

Cambodia and Vietnam have called on Vientiane to reconsider the project, saying it is a major threat to millions who depend on the river for food and livelihoods. The Mekong River Commission, which Thailand and Laos are also members of, agrees the dam should be delayed for proper studies of environmental impacts. But ministers in Laos say studies have already been done, and consultants they hired said there were no major negative impacts for the river.

These claims are disputed by representatives from Cambodia and Vietnam, plus fishing communities and the conservationists who rallied in Bangkok yesterday.


-- The Nation 2012-09-18

 

[KTMphil]

 

[KTMphil]

Bangkok post today


[h=2]Court urged to speed dam protest case[/h]

• Published: 16/11/2012 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: News

Xayaburi dam opponents have asked the Central Administrative Court to conduct an emergency hearing in a bid to block the sale of electricity from the controversial Lao dam to Thailand.

Kraisak: Food security is key regional concern

Villagers from eight Mekong provinces petitioned the court in August to suspend the power purchasing agreement (PPA) signed by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) and the Xayaburi Power Company.
But the court has not yet decided whether to accept the case for consideration, said Sor Rattanamanee Polkla, a lawyer from the Community Resources Centre representing the plaintiffs.
The villagers are now asking the court to conduct an emergency hearing into the case after the Lao government began construction of the dam earlier this month.
"Since Laos has announced the dam construction has started, we are worried about the court's delayed decision," Ms Sor Rattanamanee said.
Under the PPA, Egat will begin purchasing electricity from the Xayaburi dam on Jan 1, 2019. The contract will expire on Dec 3, 2047.
Egat will pay a total of 370.58 billion baht for the electricity over the course of the 28-year contract.
Niwat Roikaew, a village representative, blasted the government for supporting the dam's construction without considering the negative effects it would have on people living downstream.
Mr Niwat was referring to some remarks made by Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul earlier this month, when he said the dam would have no impact on Mekong fisheries and that Bangkok was satisfied with the Lao government's efforts to mitigate the dam's impacts on the environment.



more below:


Court urged to speed dam protest case | Bangkok Post: news

 

[Hoghead]

It will be built no matter what, and more will follow

 

[Lone Rider]

It will be built no matter what, and more will follow

Unfortunately I have to agree as it 99.9999999999% sure that these and the other dams will be built at Pak Beng, Luang Prabang, Pak Lay. Xanakham and further to the south ( see Save the Mekong for an overview of all the dams to be built on the Mekong). So are the dams on the Nam Ou river - a major tributary to the Mekong. As far as I know work has started on the Nam Ou Dam No.2 (north of Luang Prabang) and the Nam Ou Dam No. 6 (northeast of Phongsaly) and another 5 dams still to follow.

 

[2wheels]

Bangkok Post today

Xayaburi dam stirs debate on Mekong River Commission

• Published: 13/01/2013 at 01:38 PM
• Online news: Asia

"BANGKOK - When ministers from the four member countries of the Mekong River Commission and donors meet in Luang Prabang, Laos this week, the future role of the agency will be on the table.

Questions about the effectiveness of the Mekong River Commission, set up in 1995 to jointly manage sustainable development, have been raised by Laos' decision in November to go ahead with the US$3.5-billion (105 billion baht) Xayaburi dam project.

The decision came despite concerns among member governments, environmental groups and donors about the dam's downstream impact on fish migration and sedimentation flows, which could affect about two million people dependent on the river for their livelihoods.

At the commission's last ministerial meeting in December 2011, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam called for a delay to allow further studies on the environmental impact of the dam, the first to be built on the Lower Mekong. China has built four dams on the upper portions of the river already.

Ten more dams are planned on the Lower Mekong, mostly in Laos.

Laos insists that it has fulfilled the commission's consultation requirements.

"We agreed to do a comprehensive study on the project which may take 10 years, because it is related to many things. It was never just related to Xayaburi," said Viraphonh Viravong, vice minister of energy and mines.
The joint venture between the Lao government and Thai companies also redesigned the dam's fish ladder and sluice gates for sediment flows, completing its perceived obligations to the commission.

Laos has always argued the 40-metre high dam is a run-of-river design, which will have minimum impact on water flow.
Cambodia and Vietnam, two downstream countries that stand to suffer the most from the dam, have tempered their reaction to Xayaburi.

"We wish Laos would continue its study on environmental impacts and to work up the final design of Xayaburi dam, and work with Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand on the comprehensive, in-depth study on accumulative environmental and socio-economic impacts of all the hydropower projects in the Mekong River mainstream," the Vietnamese government said.
Cambodia has been similarly diplomatic.

"Laos decided to go forward with Xayaburi and has committed to continue carrying out additional studies," said Te Navuth, secretary general of the Cambodia National Mekong Committee.

Neither country has requested that the Xayaburi issue be raised at the Mekong River Commission meeting scheduled this week. :RE
Thailand, whose Ch Karnchang Public Co Ltd is the dam's major contractor and will be the major buyer of the electricity generated, has endorsed the project, to the dismay of some Thai activists.

"The post-war Lao alliances to Cambodia and Vietnam have been taken over by Thai and Chinese corporate interests," said Kraisak Choonhavan, a former senator who has taken a lead in organising Thai opposition to the dam.
The governments now ruling Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam were allies in the Indochina wars against the US military.

It is bad timing for Laos that the Luang Prabang meeting comes when the communist government is under international scrutiny for the disappearance of activist Sombath Somphone, last seen being detained at a police checkpoint on Dec 15, 2012.

Sombath had spoken out at several public forums against the dam.
"The cost of this Xayaburi project to Laos's image is tremendous," Mr Kraisak said. "And the disappearance of Sombath has further eroded its credibility as a country that respects basic human rights."

Member countries may be reluctant to question the Xayaburi dam, but donors whose contributions account for the lion's share of the commission's budget are expected to raise objections.
"The main goal of the donor community is to reconfirm that the Mekong River Commission is the platform, the only multilateral architecture, responsible for managing the Mekong and we want to see a central role for it," said one Western diplomat. "We don't want to see it sidelined."

They are hoping that future decisions on hydropower projects will take into account the concerns of all parties.

"If decision-making continues to occur outside of the MRC, the institution will soon lose its legitimacy and 300 million dollars of international donor support to the commission will be wasted," said Jian-hua Meng, sustainable hydropower specialist at the World Wildlfie Fund."

 

[Lone Rider]

Quote Originally Posted by Hoghead View Post
It will be built no matter what, and more will follow

Unfortunately I have to agree as it 99.9999999999% sure that these and the other dams will be built at Pak Beng, Luang Prabang, Pak Lay. Xanakham and further to the south ( see Save the Mekong for an overview of all the dams to be built on the Mekong). So are the dams on the Nam Ou river - a major tributary to the Mekong. As far as I know work has started on the Nam Ou Dam No.2 (north of Luang Prabang) and the Nam Ou Dam No. 6 (northeast of Phongsaly) and another 5 dams still to follow.

Work has started on the Don Sahong Dam and this week there was some news in the Thai Newspapers and other news websites that Laos has agreed to submit the proposed Don Sahong dam on the Mekong River for "prior consultation" within a regional mechanism see the Bangkok Post at: Laos presses on with Don Sahong dam | Bangkok Post: news

Infrastructure work for the Don Sahong dam in Laos is in full swing with the construction of a bridge to connect the mainland to Don Sadam island. - Photo Copyright "International Rivers"

However Radio Free Asia (Laos Agrees to Consult With Neighbors on Don Sahong Dam Project) indicated that even-though Laos has agreed to further consultations that work would continue: In the same breath, though, he told the other MRC nations that work on the project would continue. "With your support and constructive input, the Lao Government will continue to develop the project in a responsible and sustainable manner,” he said.

This is also a hot topic on other forums and I quote:
There seems to be contradictory messages about project progress and status coming out of this meeting from different news sources. Is the project construction going to be "delayed" until after PNPCA is complete, presumably raising the possibility of neighbouring countries requesting a further delay or cancellation of the project or is the project going to continue on regardless no matter what anyone else's concerns are, as suggested by RFA? And does this latest twist change anything materially regarding the Don Sahong plans? With the experience of Xayaburi process fresh in one's mind, it seems the latter possibility is more likely and Viraphonh's words are all that matters......the hydraulic high priest of Laos has spoken again......these mainstream dams produce "zero carbon energy", are "transparent", are "responsible and sustainable" and naturally, "produce no significant impact on the environment". Got that?

 

[Lone Rider]

Xayabury discusses the possibility of a Mekong hydropower dam

Representatives of local authorities and contractors met in Xayabury Province to discuss the feasibility study into the Mekong hydropower dam in Parklay District, Xayabury last Friday. The Mekong hydropower dam is expected to be built 30 km to the north of Parklay District, on the border between Xayabury and Vientiane provinces. The USD 1.8 billion-dam will be built as a run-of-river dam with a height of 51 m. it will be 240 m above sea level. The installed generation capacity is 770 MW.

The possible social and environment impacts of the dam were noted at the meeting including the diversion of water flow of the Mekong, fisheries and ecosystem impacts, and resettlement of local people. Seven villages are expected to be resettled to new areas to pave the way for the development of the hydropower project including Phalieb, Huaykhay, and Parktoung villages in Parklay of Xayabury Province, and four villages - namely Parkpen, Donexay-ngam, Na-Oudom Tai, Parkyan - in Med District of Vientiane Province. Four hundred and nine families in Parklay and 380 families in Med District are expected to be resettled. Other public facilities including schools, temples, roads in the two districts along with 10,000 ha of farmland, including 7,650 ha of farmland in Parklay and 2,920 ha of farmland in Med district are also expected to be affected from the project.

Source: :: KPL :: Lao News Agency - 31 July 2014

Note LR: THis will be the 3rd Dam on the Mekong - another 6 dams are in the planning stages in Laos (source: Save the Mekong)

 

[Lone Rider]

Work has started on the Don Sahong Dam and this week there was some news in the Thai Newspapers and other news websites that Laos has agreed to submit the proposed Don Sahong dam on the Mekong River for "prior consultation" within a regional mechanism see the Bangkok Post at: Laos presses on with Don Sahong dam | Bangkok Post: news

Infrastructure work for the Don Sahong dam in Laos is in full swing with the construction of a bridge to connect the mainland to Don Sadam island. - Photo Copyright "International Rivers"

However Radio Free Asia (Laos Agrees to Consult With Neighbors on Don Sahong Dam Project) indicated that even-though Laos has agreed to further consultations that work would continue: In the same breath, though, he told the other MRC nations that work on the project would continue. "With your support and constructive input, the Lao Government will continue to develop the project in a responsible and sustainable manner,” he said.

This is also a hot topic on other forums and I quote:
There seems to be contradictory messages about project progress and status coming out of this meeting from different news sources. Is the project construction going to be "delayed" until after PNPCA is complete, presumably raising the possibility of neighbouring countries requesting a further delay or cancellation of the project or is the project going to continue on regardless no matter what anyone else's concerns are, as suggested by RFA? And does this latest twist change anything materially regarding the Don Sahong plans? With the experience of Xayaburi process fresh in one's mind, it seems the latter possibility is more likely and Viraphonh's words are all that matters......the hydraulic high priest of Laos has spoken again......these mainstream dams produce "zero carbon energy", are "transparent", are "responsible and sustainable" and naturally, "produce no significant impact on the environment". Got that?

From the Phnom Phen Post Newspaper of 30 June 2015 - Work picking up at Don Sahong dam site

Despite protests from its neighbours and the international community, construction is ramping up at the proposed Don Sahong dam site in southern Laos, according to Cambodians living near the border. “I saw at least 10 excavators, bulldozers and trucks there, and there are about 20 workers, most of whom are Chinese and some are Vietnamese,” Samrith Vanna, an activist with environmental group Khmer Moha Norkor, said yesterday. Vanna, 34, said activity spiked last Thursday at the site, less than 2 kilometres north of the Cambodia’s Preah Rokel community in Stung Treng province, with heavy trucks and machinery brought down the Mekong on ferries. He said construction materials such as sand and stones had arrived together with a stone mill, while workers had begun filling the river to expand the site and build a warehouse.

Vanna’s observations followed a statement by environmental group International Rivers last week that demanded the Laos government stop Malaysian company Mega First Corporation from working at the site to allow more time to study the ecological and economic impact of the proposed 260-megawatt plant. Lower Mekong River countries Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand have also demanded the project be halted, but the company, supported by Laos, has continued undeterred, constructing an access bridge and roads. Mega First is also continuing negotiations with China’s Sino Hydro over the construction contract.

The ongoing construction is causing concern among the many people whose livelihoods depend on the river. Near the construction site, residents of the Preah Romkel community rely heavily on tourism centred on the critically endangered Irrawaddy dolphin, which environmentalists say will be threatened by the dam. “Our community of thousands of people depends greatly on the river and providing the boat service for tourists to see the Irrawaddy dolphin,” Sok Laing, 62, a boat operator, said yesterday. “We therefore will lose everything if the dam is built, because we live downstream and our village might be flooded.”

Duong Pov, Stung Treng provincial deputy governor, also fears for the future as he hopelessly watches the construction upstream. “It is near the border and it will affect the Irrawaddy dolphins the most as well as other fish, the water current and the living conditions of people in Preah Romkil,” Pov said. “This is an international affair and we can do nothing since it is in their territory.” In its position statement to the Mekong River Commission, Laos has argued alternative river channels would allow for fish migration. However, WWF-Cambodia country director Chhit Sam Ath said there are “no means to evacuate those Irrawaddy dolphins, therefore, we will totally lose them”.

 

[Lone Rider]

From the Phnom Phen Post Newspaper of 30 June 2015 - Work picking up at Don Sahong dam site

Despite protests from its neighbours and the international community, construction is ramping up at the proposed Don Sahong dam site in southern Laos, according to Cambodians living near the border. "I saw at least 10 excavators, bulldozers and trucks there, and there are about 20 workers, most of whom are Chinese and some are Vietnamese," Samrith Vanna, an activist with environmental group Khmer Moha Norkor, said yesterday. Vanna, 34, said activity spiked last Thursday at the site, less than 2 kilometres north of the Cambodia's Preah Rokel community in Stung Treng province, with heavy trucks and machinery brought down the Mekong on ferries. He said construction materials such as sand and stones had arrived together with a stone mill, while workers had begun filling the river to expand the site and build a warehouse.

Vanna's observations followed a statement by environmental group International Rivers last week that demanded the Laos government stop Malaysian company Mega First Corporation from working at the site to allow more time to study the ecological and economic impact of the proposed 260-megawatt plant. Lower Mekong River countries Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand have also demanded the project be halted, but the company, supported by Laos, has continued undeterred, constructing an access bridge and roads. Mega First is also continuing negotiations with China's Sino Hydro over the construction contract.

The ongoing construction is causing concern among the many people whose livelihoods depend on the river. Near the construction site, residents of the Preah Romkel community rely heavily on tourism centred on the critically endangered Irrawaddy dolphin, which environmentalists say will be threatened by the dam. "Our community of thousands of people depends greatly on the river and providing the boat service for tourists to see the Irrawaddy dolphin," Sok Laing, 62, a boat operator, said yesterday. "We therefore will lose everything if the dam is built, because we live downstream and our village might be flooded."

Duong Pov, Stung Treng provincial deputy governor, also fears for the future as he hopelessly watches the construction upstream. "It is near the border and it will affect the Irrawaddy dolphins the most as well as other fish, the water current and the living conditions of people in Preah Romkil," Pov said. "This is an international affair and we can do nothing since it is in their territory." In its position statement to the Mekong River Commission, Laos has argued alternative river channels would allow for fish migration. However, WWF-Cambodia country director Chhit Sam Ath said there are "no means to evacuate those Irrawaddy dolphins, therefore, we will totally lose them".

Don Sahong dam gets official approval

The Lao parliament has approved the concession agreement for the controversial Don Sahong hydropower dam and expects to begin construction before the end of the year, according to an official in Vientiane. In a statement via email, Daovong Phonekeo, director general of the Energy Policy and Planning Department at the Lao Ministry of Energy and Mines, confirmed the country's National Assembly had given the green light to the agreement with Malaysian developer MegaFirst. He said a power purchase agreement between state-owned Electricite du Laos and the company was awaiting a signature and construction was expected to begin before the year's end. The 260-megawatt dam is about 2 kilometres upstream from Cambodia's border. Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand oppose its construction without further studies, citing the potential ecological impacts. Laos says it's put in place the necessary mitigation measures. Environmental group International Rivers said it was concerned about the contract negotiations proceeding while regional discussions were still under way.

Source: The Phnom Penh Post, 1 September 2015