PLEASE CIRCULATE WIDELY!
SALWEEN WATCH HOTMAIL-OUT
Date:
November 1999. Issue # 3
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Note: This is the final version of
this document. Please use instead of any previous version |
1. STATUS OF THE SALWEEN
(THANLWIN) DAM PLANS
November 1999 – A Report by Images
Asia and TERRA
2. STATUS OF THE HYDRO POWER
PROJECTS TO BE IMPLEMENTED FOR POWER EXPORT TO THAILAND
EGAT 24TH December 1998
3. Open letter regarding the "Workshop on Transboundary
Waters: The Salween Basin" to be held in Chiang
Mai, Thailand, September 13-16, 1999
Salween Watch, 13th of September 1999
4. BACKGROUND TO SALWEEN WATCH OPEN LETTER
Office of the
Supreme Headquarters, Karen National Union, Kawthoolei. November 2, 1999.
6. MEETING WITH DAM BUILDERS
Salween Watch. 8th October 1999
7. "Thanlwin Basin Hydropower Development
Study in Myanmar and Thailand including Transmission Interconnection between
the two countries".
SUBREGIONAL ENERGY SECTOR STUDY FOR
ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK;
Draft Report, June 1994; Norconsult International
8. Letter Regarding EPDC From Japanese NGO
Date: Mon, 18 Jan 99
9. POWER BILL HIKE
Bangkok Post, 4th August
1999
10. The World Water Vision (of the World Bank, UNU, FAO, etc.)
From: "Cele,
Bongwie" <b.cele@unesco.org>; 12 Nov 1999
11. Junta Fortifying the Salween Dam Site
S.H.A.N.. October 1999, No: 10 - 6
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STATUS OF THE SALWEEN (THANLWIN)
DAM PLANS
[AS OF NOVEMBER 1999]
DRAFT REPORT, IMAGES ASIA -- TERRA; NOVEMBER 1999
The Proposed Tasang Dam
The status of the dam planning is far more advanced than was
previously thought. The dam developers have secretly and gradually proceeded
with their planning up to the point where they are now reportedly about to
start the "Definite Plan Study". Representatives of GMS Power Public
Co. Ltd., the contract holder for the Tasang
Hydropower Project, have told Shan resistance figures that the feasibility
study for the dam is now finished and that they want the Shan's cooperation to
carry out the definite plan. This is borne out by leaked government documents
and seminar papers prepared by senior staff from Panya
Consultants, a group involved in planning the water diversions.
The initiation of the definite plan study indicates that one
or other or both the Thai and Burmese governments must have given some level of
approval for the dam construction at that site. "Definite Plans" are
usually done only after a definite decision has been taken to do the project.
"Feasibility studies" are done with the aim of giving the decision
makers the information they require to decide whether the development project
is feasible or not. Definite plan studies are very expensive to prepare. To
carry out the studies for and design of a large dam costs millions of dollars.
Spending such large amounts of money indicates further strong high level
determination to carry on with the dam project.
The Tasang Hydropower Project
studies have been carried out by GMS Power Plc. Co. Ltd. and consultants
working for it. GMS Power is a subsidiary of the MDX Group of Companies, an
influential Thai group featuring former senior MP's and ex-directors of the
government electricity generating authority called EGAT. MDX is also involved
in dam projects in Laos, Cambodia and Yunnan.
According to leaked documents GMS signed a contract with the
Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC) The Union of Myanmar in September 1997. It
then subcontracted to Lahmeyer International, a
German consulting engineering firm to assist with the pre-feasibility study.
The GMS reps are quoted as saying the desk, reconnaissance and pre-feasibility
studies were done at the same time, starting from November 1997. This study was
completed and submitted in April 1998.
The Electric Power Development Corporation of Japan (EPDC)
was contracted to carry out (or assist with) the feasibility study. According
to the reported comments of the GMS representatives, the "second
stage" or feasibility study was done between October 1998 and March 1999. This is borne out by local and NGO
observers who reported that Thai, Japanese and other foreigners visited the Tasang site and carried out sampling activities during this
time, although they did not stay long.
Other Shan sources have sent information about another small
group comprising one German, one Englishman and one Burmese carrying out
geographic survey activities in villages deep inside the Shan State. The
foreigners identified themselves to a Shan cease-fire group that was ordered to
accompany them as land surveyors working on the Tasang
(Salween) Hydropower Project for a company named AAM
(Thailand) Co. Ltd. They started in March 1999 and said they would complete
their work by November 1999.
The GMS Power representatives in describing the roles of
these groups said that "EPDC were only consultants, AAM were doing
reconnaissance for GMS", and that another company called GMT were
"doing drilling for GMS"
They said the third and final phase was for the definite
plan, which with the cooperation of the Shans would
take 7 months.
It is noteworthy that the Shan resistance groups are under
heavy pressure from the Thais to refrain from obstructing the project. They are
especially vulnerable to this pressure at the present time as the Shan organisations currently active against the Burmese military
have been working hard to clear themselves of allegations of being involved in
the drug trade. They have been doing this by making numerous attacks on drug
trafficking organisations as well as the Burmese Army
units. Compared with other groups that have not renounced the trade they are
financially weak and occasionally in need of flexibility on the part of the
Thais. Although the armed groups are increasingly aware of the potential
negative impacts of the dam on their people and their movement, they are
severely constrained in how they can deal with the issue. There is some
evidence to support a view that those seen as being in a position to threaten
the dam are being subjected to a strategy aimed at dividing, trapping and
co-opting them.
Details of the Tasang Dam Plans
The Tasang Dam site is in the
southern part of the central Shan State, six kilometres
north of the new Tasang Bridge and around 40 kilometres north of where the river takes a distinct turn
to the west and flows towards Karenni (Kayah) State.
According to the pre-feasibility study the dam would produce
3,300 megawatts of power, although different documents variously state 3,500 or
3,600 megawatts. Annual production would be around 23,000 Gwh.
The plans call for a massive 188 metre
(617') high concrete faced rockfill dam. The studies
claim that the water level will rise from the existing river level at the site
of 196 metres (645') to a stated "full supply
level" of 350 metres (1149') above sea level.
The "head" of the dam is put at 142 metres
(466').
It is possible that the developers are not being fully
truthful about the height of the floodwaters, as there is a marked disparity in
the height of the top of the dam and the stated "full supply level".
At 188 metres high the crest of the dam would be 384 metres (1,260') above sea level, which would leave a
difference of fully 34 metres (111') between the full
supply level and the crest of the dam. A more normal distance between the top
of the dam and the waters in full flood is unlikely to be more than 4 metres. It is therefore possible that the flood waters
could rise considerably higher than stated.
The GMS engineers claim the area to be flooded by the Tasang Dam would be 640 square kilometres,
although they admit that the waters would reach back to Tayang
Township. From analysis of 1 inch to 1 mile maps it is evident that the
reservoir at the 350 metre elevation would stretch
back over 230 linear kilometres (145 miles) from the
dam wall, as well as flooding back to inundate the lower parts of 3 significant
tributaries. If the actual flood level is up to 30 metres
higher the surface area of the reservoir would be very significantly larger
than claimed.
The pre-feasibility study cites the dam as provisionally
having 6 turbines rated at 550 MW each. It would hold 36,100,000,000 cubic metres of water when full, approximately a third of the
rivers annual flow of 119,037 million cubic metres
per year.
The GMS representatives have denied that the Tasang Dam has anything to do with the diversion of water
to Thailand. Despite the denials, there remains the possibility that some form
of the old plans drawn up in 1981 by the Japanese consulting firm Nippon Koei
Co. Ltd. may be revived at some point in the future. If built, the Tasang Dam would conveniently raise the water level to a
point from where the water could be pumped up into a holding dam from where it
could be sent down a tunnel that would deliver it into the Hkok
River. Further downstream the Nam Hkok is itself the
subject of advanced water diversion plans that would send a large measure of
its waters into the Sirikit Dam on the Chaophraya River. That project is called the Kok-Ing-Nan Water Diversion Project.
Power Transmission
The project would require high voltage power lines to be
built that would connect with the Thai and Burmese national grids. Power to
Thailand would be delivered through a 500 kVA
transmission line to the substation at Chiang Mai in Thailand, 130 kilometers
to the south. Power supply to Burma may be either through power lines running
directly west into Burma or south into Thailand to connect to a regional power
grid that would then join back into Burma.
Due to the high cost and great vulnerability of a high
voltage transmission system connecting the dam to the Burmese grid it is
possible that the lines bringing power into Thailand may be connected back to
the Burmese national grid through a more secure route. The Burmese government
faces serious cash and security problems as well as power supply shortages.
Even if the dam is financed it will be hard for them to both raise the money
for the additional high voltage power line and to secure the areas through
which it passes. A 230 or 500kVA transmission cable to Taunggyi,
or to the even more distant electricity substation at Pyinmana,
would be expensive and very difficult to guard. It would pass through areas
accessible to some of the most durable resistance groups in the world. One of
these groups, the Karenni National Progressive Party
(KNPP), has frequently demonstrated the vulnerability of power lines in Burma
by cutting them many times, and have even launched rocket attacks that have
damaged the heavily guarded Baluchaung Power station
itself.
To get around the problem of securely delivering electric
power from the dam the electricity may first be taken directly into Thailand
before being sent into Burma by another more secure route. Such a development
has already been discussed at high level, and is the subject of a plan drawn up
by the Department of Electric Power of the Thai government to join Burma and
Thailand with a 230kVA power line through Mae Sot – Myawaddy
– Paan – Pegu.
Thailand currently faces a massive surplus of electric
power, while Burma has long been faced with a deep energy crisis that features
daily blackouts throughout the country. It is possible that the power
transmission line may actually be built well before the completion of the Tasang Dam to bail out the SPDC with some of Thailand's
surplus. Political agreement on this might take place within a
"constructive engagement" context as part of the healing of current
rocky relations between Thailand and Burma. Despite a presumable unwillingness
of the Burmese military to become dependent on power from Thailand, the SPDC is
may be receptive to this as it has reportedly taken the step of increasing the
price of domestic power by a remarkable 1,000 percent. The SPDC appears to have
serious intention to have the Salween dammed, so
having such a power line in place may be seen as furthering the approval
processes of the Thai government.
The Proposed Hutgyi Dam
A pre-feasibility study for a smaller dam on the Salween River near the former Karen resistance headquarters
of Manerplaw is the second most advanced study. The
study is called the "Preliminary Feasibility Study of Hutgyi
Hydropower Project in the Union of Myanmar". The Hutgyi
Dam site is 33 kilometres downstream from the
confluence of the Salween and Moei
Rivers, and is upstream from the Karen State capital of Pa-an.
The study is the result of an agreement between the Myanmar
Electric Power Enterprise (MEPE) and a group of developers including Marubeni
Corporation of Japan and Italian Thai Development Plc. Co., Ltd..
The study was done with the involvement of NEWJEC Inc., a
Japanese consultant group that is a subsidiary of the giant Kansai Electric
Power Company. The completed study was handed over to the MEPE and SPDC in
August 1998. It is not known if there has been any further action on this plan.
If built, the Hutgyi dam would be
a concrete gravity dam 37 metres (121') high from
base to top. The dam would be a so-called "run-of-river dam" that
would not have a large reservoir and would be designed so as not to flood much
Thai soil. According to a paper prepared by senior staff of Panya
Consultants Co. Ltd., the "normal high water level" of the dam would
be 48 metres (157'). The elevation of the river at
the border of Thailand and Burma is 46 metres (149').
The dam would have an installed capacity of a mere 300
megawatts of electricity, and would supposedly produce 2,150 gigawatt hours of electricity per year. It would have 8
turbines producing 37.5 megawatts each.
A 230 kVA power transmission line would
reportedly connect the dam to the Burmese power distribution point at Thaton (or Pa-an). Another 230kVA line would possibly be
installed to connect it to a Thai electricity substation in Tak,
although the cost of covering the 230 kilometer distance would be a strong
disincentive, as would be the small amount of electricity available.
From newspaper articles it is understood that the Burmese
military government is interested in this project but the Thai government is
cool to it.
Although not evidently a part of the current pre-feasibility
planning, it is possible that the 500kVA power cable supplying electricity to
Burma from the Tasang Dam and the regional energy
grid will be made to pass through this way instead of making a separate 230kVA
power line. If the 500 kVA Interconnection
Transmission line that is currently being discussed at the ministerial level is
implemented and routed in this direction it would serve the Hutgyi
hydropower project. If not already approved it may also increase the likelihood
of the Hutgyi dam being built.
Routing of a transmission line through this area would also
increase the likelihood of other hydropower and water diversion dams eventually
being built on the Salween or its tributaries the Moei, Yuam or Mae Ngao rivers.
Two other sites for large dams on the Salween
have also been identified which could be served by the transmission line if
they are eventually built. These are the 792 megawatt Dagwin
hydropower and water diversion dam and the 4540 megawatt Weigyi
hydropower dam, respectively 30 km and 60 km north of the Salween
- Moei confluence.
In February 1999 the Thai government approved 185 million
baht in funding for studies into the feasibility of diverting water from the Salween River Basin into the Chaophraya
River Basin. The Dagwin site is one of these. However most of the studies done focus on the Moei
and its tributaries.
Possibly the most likely of these are
the stepped pair comprising the Mae Lama Luang and
Mae Ngao dams, close to the confluence of the Moei and Salween. They would be
directly in the path of any power line going to the Hutgyi
site. Mae Lama Luang is currently the location of a
large refugee camp called Mae Ramu Klo which would be flooded out by dam construction at the
site, further displacing the refugees and flooding rich teak forests.
Other Energy Projects in Burma
The Burmese military government has given high priority to
dam building activities, and has also concentrated efforts on gas fired
projects. Most of the 100 dams the SPDC Generals claim to have developed since
1988 are however solely for irrigation purposes. Some of the dams though are
multipurpose projects that will produce a small amount of hydropower, while one
major project, the 280 MW Paunglaung Dam and a number
of small projects that will produce less than 4 megawatts each are for hydro
electric power production alone.
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MAJOR HYDROELECTRIC AND THERMAL POWER
PROJECTS COMPLETED OR UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN BURMA (1999) |
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Note: This list is not
comprehensive. There are several older thermal and gas plants not listed,
also numerous mini- hydro and diesel generators throughout the country, most
not connected to the national grid |
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Name of Project, Location and Notes
|
Generating Capacity |
Project
Status Started - finished |
|
Ywama
Thermal Power Plant --steam units 30MW
. - Gas
units 37 MW |
67 MW |
finished. '58 finished '75 |
|
Baluchaung #1
Power Station-- water from Mawbye Dam and Lawpita Falls, Baluchaung/ Pawn
River, Karenni State |
28 MW |
finished 1960 |
|
Kyunchaung Gas
Power Plant |
54 MW |
finished '74 |
|
Myanaung Gas
Power Plant |
68 MW |
finished '75 & upgraded '84 |
|
Mawlamyine
Thermal Power plant |
12 MW |
finished 1980 |
|
Mann
Gas Power Plant |
37 MW |
finished 1980 |
|
Shwedaung Gas
Power Plant |
55 MW |
finished 1982 |
|
South Nawin Hydro Electric Power Project --Paukhaung
Township, Pegu Division Note: OECF Japan. Dam
finished 1995 – but power plant still
only 30% complete in '98 |
(2.2) MW |
1985 -- unfinished |
|
Kinda Dam --
Thazi Township, Mandalay Division(UNDP) |
56 MW |
finished 1985 |
|
Thaton
Thermal Power Plant - steam units . - gas
units |
17 MW + 18MW |
finished 1985 finished 1986 |
|
Sedawgyi Dam |
25 MW |
finished 1987 |
|
Thaketa Thermal Gas Power Plant -- central Burma Renovate
& upgrade(?) to Combined Cycle |
52 MW ? up to 57 MW? |
finished 1989 '95 – when? |
|
Baluchaung #2 -- Lawpita/Baluchaung/Pawn River, water also from Mawbye Dam (Mitsubishi) |
168 MW |
finished '94 - '95 |
|
Ahlon Combined Cycle Gas Power Plant -- Rangoon Division |
93 MW |
1993 -- 1998? |
|
Hlawgar
Combined Cycle Gas Power Plant -- Mingaladon,
Rangoon |
93 MW |
1996 -- 1998? |
|
Zawgyi
Multipurpose Dam Project -- Yatsauk, Shan State |
12 MW |
finished 1998? |
|
Zaungtu
Multipurpose Dam Project -- Pegu River, Pegu Division (with Chinese financial assistance) |
20 MW |
'92 - poss. 12/99 |
|
Kanbauk gas
fired power plant -- Tavoy, Tenasserim Division (Genting
Sanyen Co, Malaysia) |
20 MW |
'97 - poss. 2001? |
|
Thapanseik
Multipurpose Dam (Hydro & Irrigation) --
Mu River, Kyunhla
Township, Sagaing Division (Chinese finance) |
30MW |
'96 -- 12/01? |
|
Mon Chaung Dam Multipurpose Project -- Setoktara
Township, Minbu, Magway
Division (Chinese finance) |
75MW |
'95 --12/2001 |
|
Paunglaung Hydro
Electric Power Project -- Pyinmana, Mandalay
Division, Shan, Karenni boundary (Chinese &
Japanese finance) |
280MW |
'95-- 6/2002 |
|
Other
gas or steam power plants include: Kanma; Kyungyaung; Yenangyaung; and Kyangin. |
|
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PLANNED HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANTS IN
BURMA & ON THE THAI-BURMA BORDER |
|||
|
Project Name, Location, Notes |
Installed
Capacity |
Status
/ Level of Study Completed |
Study by: |
|
Baluchaung #3
Hydropower Project- Baluchaung River near Lawpita falls, tributary of Pawn River, Karenni State |
48 MW |
Feasibility
Study |
N/A (1985) |
|
Tasang
Hydropower Project - Salween River, Murng Ton
Township, Shan State |
3,300
MW |
Feasibility
Study Prefeasibility study |
EPDC
'99 Lahmeyer '98 |
|
Nam Hkok Hydropower Project - Nam Hkok
/ Kok River, Mong Hsat Township, Shan State |
42 MW |
Abandoned?
- Draft Feasibility study submitted - |
NEWJEC
('99) |
|
Khlong Kra Hydropower project |
40 MW |
Abandoned? Feasibility
study |
EPDC
('92) |
|
Nam Mae
Sai Hydropower project |
12 MW |
Abandoned? Feasibility
study |
EPDC
('92) |
|
Yeywa Hydro
Electric Power Project Namtu River,
50km from Mandalay in Shan State |
600MW |
Feasibility
Study underway |
Nippon
Koei ('99) |
|
Bilin Hydro
Electric Dam - Bilin River Bilin
Township, Mon State |
240MW |
Feasibility
Study Prefeasibility Study |
MEPE Norconsult ('81) |
|
Hutgyi
Hydropower Project - Kamamaung
Township, Karen State |
300 Mw |
Prefeasibility Study |
NEWJEC (1998) |
|
Htamanthi
Hydropower Dam - Chindwin River, Sagaing
Division (note: High cost & isolation make this project unlikely) |
1,200
MW |
Prefeasibility Study |
MEPE?
(1974) |
|
Kun Chaung Hydropower project tributary
of Sittaung River, Pegu
Division |
84 MW |
Preliminary
Study |
N/A (1961) |
|
Thanlwin Upper
(Weigyi) - |
4,540
MW |
Preliminary
Study |
EPDC
('92) |
|
Thanlwin Lower
(Dagwin) |
792 MW |
Preliminary
Study |
EPDC
('92) |
|
Moei #1
Hydropower Project Moei / Thaungyin River, Thai Burma border |
110 MW
(70 MW) |
Preliminary
Study |
EPDC
('92) |
|
Moei #2
Hydropower Project Moei / Thaungyin River, Thai Burma border |
230 MW (120
MW) |
Preliminary
Study |
EPDC
('92) |
|
Moei #3
Hydropower Project Moei / Thaungyin River, Thai Burma border |
288 MW (250
MW) |
Preliminary
Study |
EPDC
('92) |
|
Yunzalin
Hydropower Project -- Yunzalin River, Papun Township, Karen State |
530 MW |
Desk
Study |
N/A |
|
Teng Falls
Hydropower Project -- Teng River, Salween tributary, Shan State |
123 MW |
Desk
Study |
N/A |
|
Thanlwin (Ywathit) Hydropower Project |
3,500
MW |
N/A |
MEPE
('90) |
|
Shwezaye
Hydropower Project -- Chindwin River, Sagaing Division |
600 MW |
N/A |
MEPE? |
|
Mawlaik
Hydropower Project -- Chindwin River, Sagaing Division |
400 MW |
N/A |
MEPE? |
|
Homelin
Hydropower Project -- Chindwin River, Sagaing Division |
150 MW |
N/A |
MEPE? |
|
Pyu Hydropower Project
-- River, Pegu Division |
65 MW |
N/A |
MEPE? |
|
Kabaung
Hydropower Project -- River, Pegu Division |
30 MW |
N/A |
MEPE? |
|
Yenwe
Hydropower Project -- Pegu Division |
16 MW |
N/A |
MEPE? |
|
Kabaung
Hydropower Project -- Pegu Division |
30 MW |
N/A |
MEPE? |
|
Bawgata
Hydropower Project -- Nyaunglebin District, Karen
State |
160 MW |
N/A |
MEPE? |
|
Tanintharyi
Hydropower Project |
600 MW |
N/A |
MEPE? |
References:
1. Norconsult International A.S., Draft Final Report, June 1994: Subregional Energy Sector Study for the Asian Development
Bank: Promoting Subregional
Cooperation Among Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar,
Thailand, Vietnam and the Yunnan Province of the
People's Republic of China.
2. World Bank, March 1992: Myanmar: Energy Sector Investment
and Policy Review Study; Report # 10394-BA, Pg vii 19 Generation Options
3. Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development,
1998: Review of the Financial, Economic and Social Conditions for 1997 / 98.
4. Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development,
1997: Review of the Financial, Economic and Social Conditions for 1996 / 97.
5. Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development,
1996: Review of the Financial, Economic and Social Conditions for 1995 / 96.
6. Vatcharasinthu and Babel, Panya Consultants,
September 1999: Hydropower Potential and Water Diversion from the Salween Basin, paper presented at Workshop on Transboundary Waters: The Salween
Basin
7. New Light of Myanmar, 1995 - 1997, various articles
8. Ing Barings, October 1996: Myanmar Review, Indochina Research,
Pgs 30 31.
9. Myanmar Electric Power Enterprise; (Map entitled) Major
Hydroelectric Projects Under Implementation & Planning (Thai language page
footers)
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2. STATUS OF THE
HYDRO POWER PROJECTS TO BE IMPLEMENTED FOR POWER EXPORT TO THAILAND
A document titled as above was leaked earlier this year and
was passed to Salween Watch. The document discussed 3
projects that were being investigated by 3 companies: the MDX Group of
Companies (Thailand), Marubeni Corporation (Japan) and Italian-Thai Development
Public Company Limited. The 3 groups were working together on an initial
project, the medium Nam Kok hydropower project. It
appears that they have subsequently split up to focus on 2 other larger
projects. This however could be simply appearances – the close links may still
remain.
Location: About 64 km south of Mong Hsat in Eastern Shan State,
and about 5 km north of
the Thai-Burma border.
River System: Nam Kok River, right side
tributary of the Mekong River
Project Status: 1. In September 1996, agreement between Myanma
Electric Power Enterprise [MEPE] and a group of
developers consisting of Marubeni Corporation of Japan,
Italian-Thai Development Public Co. Ltd. And MDX
Group of Companies was signed for the feasibility of the
Nam Kok
Hydropower Project.
2. At present, Developer’s
Consultant, NEWJEC
Inc. of Japan is finishing the feasibility study. The final
report will be available by the end of December 1998
3. According to the Draft Feasibility Report, the installed
capacity of the
project is 42 megawatts, capable of
producing 230 Gwh annually. The financial feasibility of
the project is marginal
due to the unfavourable
topographical and
geological condition of the selected dam
site.
[NOTE: The Feasibility Study has since been submitted – but
is said to have been rejected on the basis of the project being financially
unfeasible. One source also alleges that the developers have had difficulties
with local businesses and the Tourism authority. This may or may not be true,
depending on the long term strategy of the governments, which may involve
making the project seem dead until such time as the increased perception of
need for water makes it appear viable again.]
Location: About 65 km North of Pa-an in the Karen State, and
about 25km from the Burma
- Thai border
River System: Thanlwin River (Salween)
Project Status: 1. In June 1997, agreement between
Myanmar Electric Power Enterprise and a group of
developers led
by Marubeni Corporation of Japan and
Italian-Thai Development Public Co. Ltd was signed for the
Pre-feasibility study of Hutgyi
Hydropower Project.
2.
According to the Draft Pre-feasibility Report submitted
by Developer’s
Consultant, the installed capacity of the
project is 300
MW, capable of producing constant energy
as a
base load of 2,148 Gwh annually.
3. The project is designed as a run-of-river type power
plant with a pondage that will utilize
a huge amount of
discharge (firm discharge 1,420 m3/s) with the help of a
low height dam, in order not to submerge the international
boundary between two countries.
Location: About 30 km northwest of Mong Ton in Eastern
Shan
State, and about 80km from the Myanmar - Thai border
River System: The Thanlwin River
Project Status: 1. In September 1997, agreement between Myanma
Economic Corporation and MDX Group of Companies
(GMS Power Public Company Ltd) was signed for the
feasibility study of the Tasang Hydropower
Project.
2. Developers Consultant Lahmeyer
International has
submitted the Pre-feasibility Study Report in April 1998.
3.According to the Pre-feasibility Study, the installed
capacity of the project is about 3,300 MW, capable of
producing 23,000 Gwh annually.
4. At present Developer has assigned Electric Power
Development Co. Ltd. [EPDC] to perform feasibility study
for the project with a target for completion of the study
by
August 1999.
|
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3. Open letter regarding the
"Workshop on Transboundary Waters: The Salween Basin" to be held in Chiang Mai, Thailand,
September 13-16, 1999
Salween Watch, 13th of September 1999
A grouping of academics, government officials, business
consultancy groups and multilateral banks are to hold a workshop to discuss transboundary water resource issues focussing
on the development of the Salween River Basin. The
meeting is to be a closed door, confidential gathering ostensibly to
"promote dialogue among representatives of the various interests of the Salween Basin."
However, conspicuously lacking from the participant list are
the indigenous peoples who would inevitably bear the costs of such development
of the Salween River. Instead the listed participants
of the meeting are members of an elite that in no way
represent the interests of local communities. The participants include the
Director General of the "Myanmar Department of Electricity" and
several other Burmese government officials; Directors from the Thai Royal
Irrigation Department and the Department of Energy Development and Promotion;
specialists from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank; water engineers
and academics from China, Japan, Canada, the USA, Mexico and Thailand; as well
as dam construction consultants and developers, namely Panya
Consultants and Italian-Thai.
The workshop seems closely linked to plans to dam the Salween to produce hydroelectricity and to divert water to
Thailand. Thai and Burmese governments, with the assistance of Japanese, Thai
and Norwegian consultants, have been preparing these plans for the past decade,
carefully concealing them from the people, particularly those living within the
river basin. These ethnic peoples have been suffering from years of warfare and
gross human rights violations inflicted by the Burmese military regime. Many
hundreds of thousands have already been displaced from their lands. Some of the
largest recent displacements have been taking place precisely in the same areas
and at the same time that surveyors began studies at the site of a potential
dam on the river in the Shan State.
At least five sites have now been studied for dams in the Salween River Basin, a process which closely follows the
recommendations of consultants working for the Asian Development Bank under the
Greater Mekong Sub-regional Development Program. These plans have advanced well
beyond the point where environmental and social impact assessments should have
been carried out. In the meantime there has been absolutely no consultation
with the real stakeholders in the projects: the indigenous people who stand to
lose their lands forever.
The damming of the Salween River
would lead to the flooding of large tracts of forest and farmland. It would
drown villages, and disrupt agriculture and fisheries above and below the dam.
A giant dam would also be a grave hazard in an area that frequently experiences
earthquakes. In addition, any dam on the Salween would
be enormously expensive, contributing to the already massive national debts of
Thailand and Burma. Thailand already has more than sufficient electricity
supplies, and can find more appropriate and equitable ways to address water
resource issues.
We are gravely concerned that the planned workshop excludes
participation by genuine representatives of the affected groups and will simply
be used to legitimize a deeply flawed development process.
We the undersigned therefore demand that any planning for
such large scale developments be done in a way that:
* Is fully open, transparent and
honest;
* Is genuinely ecologically sound and sustainable over the
long term;
* Fully recognizes and respects the human, civil and
political rights of all the development affected peoples, ensuring their
informed participation and fully compensating them for any losses incurred.
We further demand that any such plans or projects that
cannot be proven to meet the above conditions be abandoned without delay
U Teddy Buri, MP, Loikaw 2 Constituency, National League for Democracy, Karenni State
Khun Marko Ban, MP, Pekone
Constituency, Democratic Organisation for Kayan National Unity, Shan State
Sai Win Pay, MP, Mong Su
Constituency, Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, Shan State
U Daniel Aung, MP, Mong Peng Constituency, Lahu National
Development Party, Shan State
Salween Watch
South East Asia Rivers Network
Assembly of the Poor
Shan Human Rights Foundation
Karenni Evergreen
Karen Youth Organisation
Lahu Youth Organisation
National League for Democracy (Liberated Area)
Legal Aid for Marginalised People
Karenni National Youth Agency
All Burma Students' Democratic Front
Lahu Women’s Organisation
South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People
APEC Monitor NGO Network, Japan
Citizens Alliance in Reforms for Efficient and Equitable
Development, Pakistan
Shan Democratic Union
Lahu National Development Organisation
Karenni Farmers' Network
Democratic Party for a New Society
Karen Nature Conservation Group
Lahu Democratic Front
The Buddhist Sangha of Shan State
Friends of the People
Shan Women's Action Network
Green November 32
Ethnic Studies Centre, Chiang Mai
Karenni National Women's Organisation
Pa-O People's Liberation Organisation
Wildlife Fund Thailand
Shan State Organisation
The Students and Youth Congress of Burma
Karenni Human Rights and Law Education Team
Migrant Assistance Program
People's Liberation Front of Burma
Palaung Youth Network Group
Karenni Teachers' Union
Karen Student Network Group
Political Defiance Committee of the National Council of the
Union of Burma
Karenni Human Rights and News Agency
4. BACKGROUND TO SALWEEN WATCH OPEN
LETTER
Dear friends and fellow activists:
We would like to request you for your organisation’s
endorsement of the attached letter.
We would also like to inform you of some of the recent
developments in regard to the plans to dam the Salween
River. It has recently come to light that these plans are far more advanced
than was anticipated, which makes it all the more urgent to take a stand on the
issue.
Please be informed of the following information:
In 1994, the Asian Development Bank commissioned and energy
sector study that was done by Norconsult, a
consultancy group that has prepared plans for many dams in the region. It
recommended that studies be done for dams on the whole Salween
River Basin to choose the best places to make dams, and in what order.
Up till now, serious studies have been done for five
different sites on the Salween. These sites are:
1. Hutgyi, in Northern Karen State
next to the strongest rapid on the Salween River not
far from Hti Pah Wi Cho Mountain. The current
plans are for a 300 megawatt dam. A pre-feasibility study has so far been done
(the 3rd of 5 levels of study).
2. Ta Sarng,
in Southern Shan State. The plans are for a
3,300 MW dam, which will be 190 m high, and will flood back along two-thirds of
the length of the Shan State, and the water will cover at least 600 sq. km. The
plan is to sell พ of the electricity produced to Thailand. Although not
mentioned, there is serious cause to think that the real reason for building
the dam is to divert water to Thailand. So far, a pre-feasibility study,
started in 1996, has been completed. The Japanese semi-government consultancy
group called Electric Power Development Corporation (EPDC) is involved in the
studies. The plans for the Ta Sarng Dam seem to be
much more advanced than for any of the sites.
3. Salween Dam at Weigyi, in northern Karen State close to the Karenni-Karen border. The second level or preliminary study
has been completed by EPDC since 1992 and calls for a 4,540 MW dam. These plans
have not been mentioned in newspaper articles or official documents since
mid-1994.
4. Lower Salween Dam at Dagwin, in northern Karen State, not far below the Weigyi site. The dam was designed to work together with the
Weigyi Dam, and to have the capacity to produce 792
MW of electricity. A preliminary study for this dam was done at the same time
as the Weigyi dam.
5. Upper Salween - Mae Taeng Dam at a site north east of Ho Mong,
in southern Shan State. A feasibility study (4th stage) was started
by Panya Consultants and Team Consultants of
Thailand, and aimed to finish in 1994. However there is no information that the
study was ever completed. The information available says the dam would produce
4,000 MW of electricity, but the main reason for the dam would be to divert up
to 10% of the water from the river (up to 12 billion cubic metres
per year) to Thailand through long tunnels.
Except for a small amount of information about the Weigyi and Dagwin dam plans, no
details of the plans have been made publicly available by the governments. The
studies have been done in secret, or in ways that appear designed to mislead.
After years of disagreement between the Burmese and Thai
governments over developing the Salween River, an MoU agreement was finally
signed between these governments under General Chavalit's
administration in July 1997 for Thailand to buy 1,500 MW of electricity from
the Burmese regime by 2010. An agreement for Thailand to take water from the Salween was not made at the time, but was said to be close.
The Thai government has been actively trying to persuade the Burmese government
to let them do this.
In February '99 the Thai government approved plans to spend
185 million baht for water diversion from the Salween
Basin to Thailand. This is a significantly high budget, indicating highly
detailed studies will be done.
The Thai government has not made clear whether the water is
to be diverted from tributaries of the Salween in
Thailand (eg. Mae Nam Yuam / Ra Mu Klo)
or from the main body of the river itself. Pre-feasibility or
feasibility studies have been completed for a number of medium size dams on
these tributaries. These plans have however, met strong resistance from Thai
villagers and NGO's.
The dam builders are said to be currently approaching Thai
academics to conduct environmental impact assessments for the Salween dams.
These and the other factors indicate that the dam plans are
well advanced and the workshop that will be held is simply aiming to gain more
support for the projects. We therefore appeal to you to join us in voicing our
concerns about the dam-planning and approval processes that are underway, which
we consider to be fundamentally unsound, undemocratic, and against the
interests of the peoples of Burma.
Salween Watch
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OFFICE
OF THE SUPREME HEADQUARTERS
KAREN
NATIONAL UNION
KAWTHOOLEI
November 2, 1999.
Regarding the projects for building
dams on the Salween River for generation of
electrical power, we the KNU maintain our position as follows.
(1) Projects for building super-dams,
for generation of electrical power, must be undertaken, in accordance with the
will of the people, by a legitimate government elected by the people, only
after a exhaustive study, in relation to the benefit
they would bring to the people, in terms of raising the living standard, and
economic development of a country. Since the present SPDC military dictatorship
government is not a government
elected by the people, it has absolutely no right to undertake or
give sanction for the building of such dams.
(2) As the sites of Hud-je
Dam Project, Weh-je dam Project, Dar-gwin Dam Project
etc, are in the Karen State, and are directly related to the
interest of the Karen people, they must not be implemented without the approval
of the Karen people. It is our view that the consequences of building these
dams, such as the destruction of the habitat and environment of the indigenous
Karen people, including their farms, pastures and plantations for livelihood,
would pose a serious danger to them.
(3) The SPDC military dictatorship is
totalitarian regime that has seized state power by force. Currently, it is
conducting a genocidal military offensive known as "Operation Moe
Hein" against the Karen people. In
this operation, the SPDC troops are perpetrating
inhuman and criminal acts of forced
relocation, forced labor, wholesale destruction of food stocks, harvests and
livestock, looting of valuables, rape of women etc. against the Karen people.
If the dam projects were to be started, there would be a more violent war of
wholesale destruction and genocide.
(4) For these reasons, we the KNU
totally object to these dam projects. Accordingly, countries intending to
invest in these projects should reconsider their options, in consideration of
the plight of the Karen people, the struggle for establishment of a democratic
system and establishment of a genuine federal union.
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6. MEETING WITH DAM BUILDERS
Salween Watch, 8 October 1999
On the 7th of October a small group of Shan leaders
met with representatives of one of the development companies actively seeking
to build the dams on the Salween. [Names are to be
withheld for security reasons]. The company was wooing the Shans
to gain their cooperation in implementing the studies they want to do.
Representatives of the company told the Shans
that they would be happy to answer all the questions they might have. It turned
out that they evaded answering most of the key questions, although they
promised to forwarded a list of questions the Shans had prepared to their boss.
The Shans related that they had
"learned a few things" from the developers. Among these were the
following points as told to the Shans:
"GMS Power (Greater Mekhong Subregion Power) is an offspring of MDX, and specializes in
producing electric power. It is currently working in Jinghong,
in Sibsongbanna and in Cambodia. They used to work
with Ital-Thai at Thaton, Mae-ai,
but abandoned the project because it wasn't feasible. Reasons: Kok River is under the Irrigation Department and both the
sand sellers and Tourist Organization are opposing it."
"They started work at Tasang
in November 1997 for the first phase (which included Desk, Reconnaissance and
Pre-Feasibility)."
"Second Phase (Feasibility) was done from Oct 1998 until
March 1999."
"The Third and Final Phase is for the Definite Plan,
which, with the Shans' cooperation, could begin in
December and would last for 7 months."
"EPDC - only
consultants
AAM - doing
reconnaissance for GMS
GMT - doing drilling
for GMS"
"They didn't choose the projects along the Thai border.
Because it was sure to make a big flood area and cause a never-ending
territorial dispute. In fact, the firm's standing policy is to build dams only
inside territories of a country."
"They chose Tasang because it
is where the river flows through deep and steep gorges and therefore would make
a small flood area."
"According to their British map given by the Burmese,
the river would back-flood to Tangyan, Lashio District."
"They assured us that the project had nothing to do
with diversion of water into Thailand."
"As for the SIA and EIA, they shall be doing it in the
third phase, although they have already done the IEE (Initial Environmental
Examinations)."
"They promised to send a copy of their plans for the
third phase, and also to meet when the Shans needed
them."
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7. Damming the Salween:
The ADB Recommendations
It is significant that the planning process on the Salween seems very much to be following the prescription of
the 1994 Asian Development Bank energy sector project profile. It has however
progressed a lot beyond this project profile, which calls for "desk
studies", the first level of study out of five. The five are: Desk study;
Preliminary or Reconnaissance study; Pre-feasibility study; Feasibility study;
and Definite Plan.
According to both published and leaked documents it appears
that on the main body of the river, pre-feasibility studies have been completed
on at least 2 sites. One of these is in Karen State [Hutgyi]
studied recently by NEWJEC Inc. of Japan, the other in Shan State [Tasang] studied by Lahmeyer
International. EPDC, the Electric Power Development Corporation, 66% owned by
the Japanese Ministry of Finance and controlled by the Agency of Natural
Resources and Energy (an MITI affiliate) has – it seems – been commissioned to
do the feasibility study for the Tasang dam. It’s
understood that funds are being sought in Japan to do this at the present time,
although there are a lot of misleading rumours about
this.
Preliminary studies by Japan’s EPDC were completed for two
other sites [WeiGyi and Dagwin]
in 1992. Some other studies, reportedly part of a feasibility study, were
talked about and said to have started in the Shan State north east of Homong around 1993 –94. However nothing seems to have come
of this (never can really tell though...) There are also a few other sites that
show up on one map or another, two farther up into the Shan State, and one just
north of the confluence of the Pai River with the Salween.
The studies that have been done to date do seem to fit into
the plans of the ADB Project Profile A.5. The details are given below, taken
from the report by Norconsult International
which was commissioned by the ADB and called:
"PROMOTING
SUBREGIONAL COOPERATION AMONG CAMBODIA, LAO PDR, MYANMAR, THAILAND, VIETNAM AND
YUNNAN POVINCE OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA;
Subregional Energy Sector Study for Asian Development Bank;
Draft
Report, June 1994)
1. Project Name:
"Thanlwin Basin Hydropower Development Study in Myanmar and
Thailand including Transmission Interconnection between the two
countries".
2. Sector /Location:
Energy / Myanmar and Thailand
3. Rationale and Objectives:
To identify and study the hydropower resources of the
mainstream and tributaries of the middle and lower reaches of the Thanlwin Basin suitable for for
supply of energy to Thailand and Myanmar.
The Thanlwin River with it's tributaries has a hydropower potentional
estimated to be more than 65 TWh (terawatt hours)
within Thailand and Myanmar and is favourably located
for the supply of energy to the power markets within Thailand and Myanmar.
4. Scope:
The main objective is to prepare a basin study at desk level
to identify the hydropower potential and identify the most promising sites for
hydropower projects. The study shall make recommendations on the priority of
further planning and propose a sequence for the development of the Thanlwin's hydropower resources and related transmission
interconnections. The environmental impact from the hydropower project should
be integrated in the study.
5. Expected Impact / Benefit:
The project will identify and rank the most promising
hydropower projects in the basin and study the interrelation among the projects
and their suitability for serving the power markets in Thailand and Myanmar.
6. Estimated Project Costs:
To be clarified when formulating the
T.O.R. (terms of reference) for the study.
7. Financing Arrangements:
Not arranged
(refer to the later documents
entitled "A $15 Billion Wake-Up Call to Financiers", from ADB
Review; and "ADB Identifies 76
projects worth $15 Billion in Greater Mekong Subregion;
Asian Development Bank; News Release No.6/95, 19 January 1995")
8. Implementation Arrangements:
The study is suitable to be carried out by an international
consultant in cooperation with national agencies
9. Status:
T.O.R. to be worked out
10. Critical Success Factor:
Basic information on hydrology, topography and geology is
scarce and the access to the potential dam sites may be difficult.
Environmental and cultural impacts are uncertain. Coordination with subregional system studies must be ensured.
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Subject: Re:Burmese
project (EPDC)
Date: Mon, 18 Jan 99 09:32:09 +0900
From:
XXXXX@iea.att.ne.jp>
Dear XXXX,
Looks like another extremely bad project is underway...
slave labor type.. Check the URL
http://www.epdc.co.jp/home_.htm The Electric Power Development Co. is one of
the primary power plan builders. It's a public corporation and the top
shareholder is the Ministry of Finance (66%). The activity is rather under
rigid control of the Agency of Natural Resources
and Energy (MITI affiliate). Very active on building hydro and
nuke as well. Let me know if you want further info.
Best,
XXXX
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Bangkok Post; 4th
August 1999
Rangoon—Burma is reeling under a 1,000
percent power price rise imposed in recent months which has forced people back
to coal stoves even as the ruling junta tries to modernise
the country, residents said yesterday.
Residents are expressing horror at the
soaring price of electricity, which has jumped from 2.5 Kyats
(18 Baht) per unit to 25 Kyats (180 Baht) in the past
two months. The price hike aims to encourage thrifty use of the crumbling
electricity grid, which is plagued by daily blackouts affecting thousands of
homes. The price rise has hit low-paid public servants the hardest. One public
employee was presented with an electricity bill worth his entire annual salary
of 12,000 Kyats (108,000 Baht). --AP
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Please note: Salween Watch does
NOT endorse greenwashing by the World Bank, the
United Nations University, the UNDP and other organisations
that are involved in large dam and involuntary resettlement projects. The following document appears very good -
but conceals the reality that the concerns and interests of displaced and
otherwise affected peoples are almost never honored in such project planning. A
"radical break from the failures of the past" would be most welcome,
but we must remain deeply suspicious of attempts to consume our energies in
futile dialogue that will ultimately end in the undesirable and unsound
projects going ahead anyway and causing great suffering for the people.
10. The World Water Vision
Date: Fri, 12 Nov 1999 15:45:22 +0100
From: "Cele, Bongwie"
<b.cele@unesco.org>
Dear Colleagues;
Water is one of the most precious substances on Earth, however, it is often not treated that way. We know
that the future will not look like the past with changes in growing
populations, urbanization, income growth, and the associated demand for more
food and water to grow it will put more pressure on our limited water supplies.
The need for action is critical.
I work for the World Water Council on a project titled
"A Long Term Vision for Water, Life and the Environment" or World
Water Vision. The project is sponsored by the World Water Council, the World
Bank and all the principal UN agencies involved with water including FAO,
UNDP, UNEP, UNESCO, UNU, WMO, WHO, UNICEF and is guided by the World
Commission on Water for the 21st Century, composed of many outstanding thinkers
and opinion leaders and is chaired by Ismail Serageldin, Vice President of the World Bank.
It was set up to influence decision-makers to put water on
the agenda as a key political issue at global as well as regional levels
through a significant increase in public awareness of water issues.
The World Water Vision seeks to involve all stakeholders
through extensive consultations.
Therefore, participation is the force driving the Vision exercise. The
consultations are intended to give the largest possible number of individuals
at the "grass-roots" level a chance to decide on the kind of future
that they want for themselves and for future generations.
The overall project objectives are to develop a widely
shared vision on the actions required to achieve a common set of water-related
goals and to commit stakeholders to carry out these actions by
1) increasing awareness of water issues among the general
population and decision-makers so as to foster the political will necessary to
tackle water issues seriously;
2) develop
a water management vision for 2025 that is shared by water professionals,
policy makers and civil society; and
3) provide suggestions for
investment priorities, with concrete steps to turn a vision into action.
The World Water Vision will be presented in March 2000 at
the 2nd World Water Forum and Ministerial Conference in The Hague, Netherlands.
A Vision is the future, as we want it to be, with the
strategies of how to get there. It is a dream that we think is achievable and
generally desirable. We believe that awareness starts at the grass-roots and
most solutions will only be successful if all stakeholders have contributed to
them. Therefore, your contribution to the establishment of the Vision for water
will help to make it a Vision that reflects the views of all stakeholders.
I would like to request if you have a website that you
provide a link to our website and send me an email so that we add yours, and if
you also have a newsletter, we would appreciate if you run an article about
this project.
This will help us reach and involve as many people as
possible. Our website can be accessed at: http://watervision.org. The World
Water Vision is giving you an opportunity to decide on the future that you
want.
Let us join together to think boldly about solutions that
will allow us to make a radical break from the failures of the past, to create
a new Vision for Water, Life and the Environment in the 21st century and to act
on that Vision for the sake of our children and Mother Earth herself. The
stakes could not be higher.
You can contact me if you would like more information on how
you and your organization might work with us towards our shared objectives.
Sincerely,
Ms Bongiwe Cele
Network Officer
World Water Vision
c/o
UNESCO
1 rue Miollis
Paris, 75015
+33 (0) 1 45 68 40
47 (tel)
+33 (0) 1 45 68 58
11 (fax)
b.cele@unesco.org
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11. Junta Fortifying the Salween Dam Site
S.H.A.N., October 1999, No: 10 - 6
According to sources close to the Shan States Army of Yawdserk, the Burma Army has been, for the past two months,
building up their positions along the Salween River
near the site which had undergone a five-month long feasibility study until the
end of March.
Saengjuen Sarawin, S.H.A.N.'s
principal reporter, who recently returned from his visit to the SSA Base,
reports: "Units from 4 Infantry Battalions, 330, 332, 518 and 520, numbering
4-500, came from Mongpan (on the western bank) to
keep vigilance on both sides of the river from Ta-sang? to
Tasang".
Tasang is the ferry crossing between Mongpan
Township on the western bank and Mongton Township on
the eastern. A few kilometers north is the projected
dam site where feasibility studies took place in late October last year by a
Thai company.
In addition, there are 8 motorboats that patrols along the
river, said the sources. "The aim looks to be two-fold", said one.
"First, to prevent the Shan fighters from crossing back and forth along
that stretch, and, second, to insure security for the
dam site".
///END\\\
For further information, please contact S.H.A.N. at:
Shan Herald Agency for News.
P.O. Box. 15, Nonghoi P.O., 50007, Chiangmai, Thailand
Ph/Fax: (053) 807 121
e-mail: <shan@cm.ksc.co.th>
S.H.A.N. is a non-profit making, independent Shan media
group. It is not
affiliated to any political or armed organization.