Friday, October 29, 2010

Congo Says Talks With BHP Billiton on Inga 3 Are Very Advanced

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-10-27/congo-says-talks-with-bhp-on-building-inga-3-very-advanced-.html

Congo Says Talks With BHP Billiton on Inga 3 Power Plant Are Very
Advanced
By Michael J. Kavanagh and Jesse Riseborough - Oct 27, 2010 4:43 AM PT
Wed Oct 27 11:43:50 GMT 2010

The Democratic Republic of Congo�s government is in �very advanced�
talks with BHP Billiton Ltd. on the Inga 3 hydropower project, as the
world�s biggest mining company seeks electricity for a possible
aluminum smelter.
Congo formally invited offers to build the project on the Congo River
yesterday, Energy Minister Gilbert Tshiongo Tshibinkubula wa Tumba
said today in Kinshasa, the capital. BHP, studying development of a
smelter in the country, is continuing talks with the government on
both ventures, which are at an �early conceptual phase,� Rosheeka
Amarasekara, a London-based spokeswoman for the company, said by
telephone.

Inga 3 is part of the planned $22 billion Inga power complex,
estimated to generate about 40,000 megawatts, almost twice the
capacity of China�s Three Gorges dam. A previous proposal for the
5,000-megawatt Inga 3, estimated to cost $5.2 billion, was shelved
when Western Power Corridor, a venture between five African countries,
was dissolved.

�BHP could potentially support the development of Inga 3 by
constructing an aluminum smelter in the Bas Congo province which could
source power from the Inga 3 hydropower scheme,� Amarasekara said. The
company can�t provide estimates on output or costs, she said.

BHP Smelter

BHP said in 2007 its plant could use about 2,000 megawatts of power
from the proposed Inga 3 project and produce 800,000 metric tons of
the metal a year.

�While waiting for the construction of Inga 3, Congo will face a
deficit in 2015 in the order of 858 megawatts as demand rises, notably
the demand of miners,� the energy minister said today. The country
wants Inga 3 to be operational by 2020, he said, adding that 3,500
megawatts to 4,200 megawatts will be �prioritized� for BHP�s smelter.

The nation needs $6.4 billion over the next five years to rehabilitate
and build its electricity network. Congo is seeking $22 billion
between 2015 and 2025 for Inga 3 and the Grand Inga dam, which would
harness the power of the Congo River, the second-biggest by volume
after the Amazon.

Congo�s rivers could produce more than 100,000 megawatts at 341
different sites, the minister said. Only 2.5 percent of their energy
potential is currently being exploited. Congo has 2.463 megawatts of
hydropower installed and 1.382 is being used, he said.

To contact the reporters on this story: Michael J. Kavanagh in
Kinshasa at mkavanagh9@bloomberg.net; Jesse Riseborough in London at jriseborough@bloomberg.net
.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Amanda Jordan at ajordan11@bloomberg.net
.
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Rural communities pay price of China's boom

Rural communities pay price of China's boom

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/9132843.stm

by Peter Day
BBC News, Hubei province, China

China's economic progress is being powered by huge projects to supply the booming cities with water and power - but that comes at a price for rural communities displaced by the new infrastructure.

I was sitting under a sweet tomato tree in a tiny hamlet in the province of Hubei, in the middle of China, 800km (500 miles) due west of Shanghai.

I was eating the squishy bright orange sweet tomato flesh, on a comfortable low-back leaning chair, dragged out for my benefit by the welcoming farmer's wife. Let us call her Mrs Peng .
A farmer washes vegetables in a rural community in Huebi province (File photo)
Farming communities have been displaced by the new infrastructure

In some ways it was idyllic. It reminded me of the self-sufficient little farms along the river Dordogne in France 50 or 60 years ago, when they lived on what they grew, before they discovered tourism and the money economy.

Down below, at the bottom of a tiny valley, was a fishpond with ducks.

Little terraces with harvested rice ran into it. There were one or two goats, a bit of maize, a pig in a lean-to sty, and lots of chickens. Dogs barked erratically when we raised our voices.

Chinese country people are always friendly, but Mrs Peng and her neighbours were also alarmed, so they raised their voices.

This had been a family farm for at least 80 years, she told me. But not for much longer.

A few hundred metres away loomed a huge dam which would create a vast new reservoir, right where we were sitting.

The water level would eventually top the sweet tomato tree. The farm, the house, the pond, the little terraces; all would be drowned by the latest of the huge engineering projects that have been changing the face of China over the past decades.

It is only a few years since they finished the mighty Three Gorges dam that now blocks the river Yangtze not so far from here, forming a new lake 660km long (410 miles) behind it.

The project displaced two million people from their farms and villages, so that millions of townies could benefit from the electricity generated by the massive project.

Quenching thirst

Now, the Chinese authorities have embarked on another great plan to re-engineer the country, and again it is the Yangtze and the rivers that flow into it that are being worked on.
A farmer in northern China's Hebei province tends to her dry corn field.
It is hoped the water diversion project will ease dry conditions in the north

It is now almost 60 years since Chairman Mao Zedong, on a visit to the parched lands along the Yellow River, first put forward the audacious idea of transferring some of the Yangtze's abundant water nearly 1,400km (870 miles) north. The project finally started in 2002.

The new South-North Water Diversion project is still in its early stages. It may take another 40 or 50 years to complete.

Much of China is dry, dry, country and this is another version of the story of China modernising - an attempt to assuage the thirst of the ever growing cities of the north, swelled by the ceaseless migration of country people in search of work.

This growth engine is not a perpetual motion machine, but for the past 30 years it has seemed like it, and that is what the Chinese planners are still attempting to continue.

Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of farmers and families in the valleys close to the Danjangkou reservoir (which will hold southern water before it is taken north) are being moved into new settlements.
A map showing the South-to-North water diversion project

The Pengs do not want to move. It is not out of sentimentality but because they say the compensation is too low to rebuild what they have, and the new land they will be offered is less productive than the little farm that will be drowned.

I had a generous lunch with another family in the newly constructed village of Shuiyuan, very close to the big reservoir.

The Dongs, another made-up name, say their new home cost them the equivalent of $15,000 (�10,000) to build. They were given $1,500 in compensation for their old home nearby.

The Dongs can still see their old orange trees, all that remains of the now demolished property, pushed aside by the reservoir bank.

These people are not really angry but they feel badly treated.

"We're one family; China is a bigger family," they say philosophically, talking about the benefits the water will bring to the north of the country.

But they fear that much of the compensation money they should be getting has been misdirected to benefit local officials and party members.

Some of the villagers went all the way to Beijing to protest to the South-North Diversion Project officials, and they were told they were troublemakers.

Back home, the families in their new village get used to their new lives in new, larger, but more costly homes.

And under the sweet tomato tree, the Pengs wait for an order to move out and abandon the little valley farm that has been the family home for at least a generation.

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Rural communities pay price of China's boom

Rural communities pay price of China's boom

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/9132843.stm

by Peter Day
BBC News, Hubei province, China

China's economic progress is being powered by huge projects to supply
the booming cities with water and power - but that comes at a price
for rural communities displaced by the new infrastructure.

I was sitting under a sweet tomato tree in a tiny hamlet in the
province of Hubei, in the middle of China, 800km (500 miles) due west
of Shanghai.

I was eating the squishy bright orange sweet tomato flesh, on a
comfortable low-back leaning chair, dragged out for my benefit by the
welcoming farmer's wife. Let us call her Mrs Peng .
A farmer washes vegetables in a rural community in Huebi province
(File photo)
Farming communities have been displaced by the new infrastructure

In some ways it was idyllic. It reminded me of the self-sufficient
little farms along the river Dordogne in France 50 or 60 years ago,
when they lived on what they grew, before they discovered tourism and
the money economy.

Down below, at the bottom of a tiny valley, was a fishpond with ducks.

Little terraces with harvested rice ran into it. There were one or two
goats, a bit of maize, a pig in a lean-to sty, and lots of chickens.
Dogs barked erratically when we raised our voices.

Chinese country people are always friendly, but Mrs Peng and her
neighbours were also alarmed, so they raised their voices.

This had been a family farm for at least 80 years, she told me. But
not for much longer.

A few hundred metres away loomed a huge dam which would create a vast
new reservoir, right where we were sitting.

The water level would eventually top the sweet tomato tree. The farm,
the house, the pond, the little terraces; all would be drowned by the
latest of the huge engineering projects that have been changing the
face of China over the past decades.

It is only a few years since they finished the mighty Three Gorges dam
that now blocks the river Yangtze not so far from here, forming a new
lake 660km long (410 miles) behind it.

The project displaced two million people from their farms and
villages, so that millions of townies could benefit from the
electricity generated by the massive project.

Quenching thirst

Now, the Chinese authorities have embarked on another great plan to re-
engineer the country, and again it is the Yangtze and the rivers that
flow into it that are being worked on.
A farmer in northern China's Hebei province tends to her dry corn field.
It is hoped the water diversion project will ease dry conditions in
the north

It is now almost 60 years since Chairman Mao Zedong, on a visit to the
parched lands along the Yellow River, first put forward the audacious
idea of transferring some of the Yangtze's abundant water nearly
1,400km (870 miles) north. The project finally started in 2002.

The new South-North Water Diversion project is still in its early
stages. It may take another 40 or 50 years to complete.

Much of China is dry, dry, country and this is another version of the
story of China modernising - an attempt to assuage the thirst of the
ever growing cities of the north, swelled by the ceaseless migration
of country people in search of work.

This growth engine is not a perpetual motion machine, but for the past
30 years it has seemed like it, and that is what the Chinese planners
are still attempting to continue.

Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of farmers and families in the
valleys close to the Danjangkou reservoir (which will hold southern
water before it is taken north) are being moved into new settlements.
A map showing the South-to-North water diversion project

The Pengs do not want to move. It is not out of sentimentality but
because they say the compensation is too low to rebuild what they
have, and the new land they will be offered is less productive than
the little farm that will be drowned.

I had a generous lunch with another family in the newly constructed
village of Shuiyuan, very close to the big reservoir.

The Dongs, another made-up name, say their new home cost them the
equivalent of $15,000 (�10,000) to build. They were given $1,500 in
compensation for their old home nearby.

The Dongs can still see their old orange trees, all that remains of
the now demolished property, pushed aside by the reservoir bank.

These people are not really angry but they feel badly treated.

"We're one family; China is a bigger family," they say
philosophically, talking about the benefits the water will bring to
the north of the country.

But they fear that much of the compensation money they should be
getting has been misdirected to benefit local officials and party
members.

Some of the villagers went all the way to Beijing to protest to the
South-North Diversion Project officials, and they were told they were
troublemakers.

Back home, the families in their new village get used to their new
lives in new, larger, but more costly homes.

And under the sweet tomato tree, the Pengs wait for an order to move
out and abandon the little valley farm that has been the family home
for at least a generation.

How to listen to: From Our Own Correspondent

Radio 4: Saturdays, 1130. Second weekly edition on Thursdays, 1100
(some weeks only)

World Service: See programme schedules

Download the podcast

Listen on iPlayer
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Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Fresh Push for Soubre Dam (Sinohydro/Ivory Coast)

Africa Intelligence N° 638, 10/27/2010
IVORY COAST

Fresh Push for Soubre Dam

Campaigning for re-election in Lower Sassandra province in south-west
Ivory Coast, president Laurent Gbago has ordered mines and energy
minister Augustin Komoe to speed up launching construction work on the
274 MW hydro power dam at Soubre. The Societe des Operations de
l'Electricite (SOPIE), which has give its green light to a feasibility
study conducted in 2005 by France's Coyne et Bellier, has sent the brief
along to the finance ministry. Ivory Coast is due to finance around 30%
of the dam out of its own pocket. The global cost of the dam and
adjoining power station has been estimated at CFA 300 billion, or EUR
458 million.

China's Sinohydro group was chosen on April 28, 2009 to build Soubre.
According to Africa Energy Intelligence sources in the Ivory Coast
finance ministry, a delegation of officials from the country will
shortly travel to China to finalize talks on financing the dam. Beijing
is awaiting proposals concerning Ivory Coast's share of the funding
package.

Ivory Coast already boasts six hydro power dams: Ayame 1 and 2 (50 MW),
Kossou (174 MW), Taabo (210 MW), Buyo (165 MW) and Grah (5 MW).
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SA Dev. bank funds Kariba North hydro expansion

DBSA provides $105m for Zambia hydropower expansion
http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/dbsa-provides-105m-for-zambia-hydropower-expansion-2010-10-26

DBSA provides $105m for Zambia hydropower expansion

By: Chanel de Bruyn
26th October 2010

The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) has provided the Zambia
Electricity Supply Corporation (Zesco) with a $105-million loan facility
to co-finance the expansion of its Kariba North Bank hydropower station.

The 360-MW hydropower station, which was being developed as an extension
to the existing 720-MW Kariba North Bank power station, on the Zambezi
river, would cost an overall $430-million.

China�s Sinohydro started the construction of the plant in November 2008.
The project was expected to be completed by December 2012.

�This signifies a major step change aimed to support the Southern African
Development Community energy supplies into a single integrated market and
facilitate regional integration upon which the economies of the region can
thrive,� said DBSA divisional executive Dr Bane Maleke.

The DBSA, along with other development finance institutions, has also
previously assisted in funding Zesco�s power rehabilitation programme
(PRP), which was aimed at replacing and upgrading ageing infrastructure at
the Kariba North, the Kafue Gorge and the Victoria Falls hydropower
stations.

At the existing Kariba North Bank hydropower station, the installed
capacity of three out of four turbines have been upgraded to 180 MW, up
from the previous 150 MW.

The fourth turbine, which would also be upgraded to 180 MW, was expected
to be on line by March next year.

Zambia�s hydroelectric potential stood at more than 6 000 MW, of which
less than 2 000 MW has yet been exploited.

Besides the Kariba North extension project, Zesco was also working on
implementing the $275-million 120-MW Itezhi Tezhi hydropower station,
which was expected to be completed by 2013.
Edited by: Mariaan Webb
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World Bank to Defer Financing for Mainstream Mekong River Dams

World Bank to Defer Financing for Mainstream Mekong River Dams

By Ivy Mungcal true, Devex Development Newswire 27 October 2010

The World Bank has affirmed
<http://www.worldbank.or.th/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/EASTASIAPACIFICEXT/THAILANDEXTN/0,,contentMDK:22740418%7EpagePK:1497618%7EpiPK:217854%7EtheSitePK:333296,00.html?cid=3001_3>that
it will not finance hydropower development along the mainstream Mekong
river in view of findings of an environmental impact study on proposed
projects in the region.

The bank said it will instead focus on helping countries in the Mekong
region, such as Thailand and Cambodia, identify and manage hydropower
projects along the river's tributaries.

The environmental impact study recommended a 10-year deferral of
proposed dam projects in the mainstream Mekong river, the World Bank
said in a news release. The team behind the assessment explained that a
deferral was necessary to "strengthen understanding of the natural
systems" and ensure effective implementation of management and
regulatory processes, the release added.

"For its part, the World Bank Group has no plan to invest in hydro
projects on the mainstream of the Mekong. We will continue to help
strengthen countries' capacity to identify and manage tributary projects
that can be developed in a responsible and sustainable manner," said
Annette Dixon, World Bank country director for Southeast Asia, as quoted
by the press release.
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Tuesday, October 26, 2010

New hydropower project in Nuwara Eliya (Sri-Lanka)

New hydropower project in Nuwara Eliya

http://www.hydroworld.com/index/display/news_display.1289322080.html

Daily News (Sri Lanka)
October 26, 2010

Sri Lanka, Oct. 26 The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) will soon commence
construction on the Broadland hydropower complex in the Nuwara Eliya
district with a total investment of US$ 82 million.

The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited (ICBC) funds 90
percent of the total investment while 10 percent will be funded by the
People's Bank.

The total capacity of the project is estimated 35 MW and it will also
contribute 126 GWH millions annually to the national grid. The Broadland
hydro power plant is expected to complete by 2014 as a foreign and local
partnership, a CEB spokesman told Daily News Business.

The complex will be built in an environmental friendly manner. This
project will be the fourth underground power plant.

The project dam is margined to the Central Province while the
underground plant will be in the Sabaragamuwa province. This is also the
last power project in the Lakshapana power complex.

There are around 20 families in the area of the project and the CEB has
already started a re-settlement program for these families.

Due to the rapid growth in several industries and the accelerated
efforts in electrification the growth in a particular year may increase.
The demand and supply gap needs to be filled accordingly. The CEB said
the growth of electricity demand would increase by 10 percent annually.

Through the Broadland hydropower plant the Government expects to enhance
economic growth, poverty reduction and ensure balanced regional development.
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New report highlights importance of inland fisheries resources

New report highlights importance of inland fisheries resources

http://www.fishnewseu.com/latest-news/world/4542-new-report-highlights-importance-of-inland-fisheries-resources.html

Monday, 25 October 2010 11:13
THE vital importance of inland fisheries to the diet, incomes and
livelihoods of people in developing economies is brought into sharp
focus in a new report launched on Friday.

Globally rivers and lakes are providing 13 million tonnes of fish
annually with the true figure perhaps as much as 30 million tonnes due
to under reporting of catches.

These inland fisheries are generating 60 million full and part time
jobs in fishing and other activities such as processing with over half
these jobs carried out by women.

Close to 70 per cent of the total inland catch is in Asia with 25 per
cent in Africa and around four per cent in Latin America. Much is
consumed domestically underlining the critical importance to the
people and economies of the developing world.

The new report, compiled by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and
the WorldFish Center, also highlights the wide ranging importance of
inland fisheries in diet, and especially among children, above and
beyond the supply of protein.

"Even more important in many countries (than protein) is the role of
inland fisheries in supplying micronutrients, especially vitamin A,
calcium, iron and zinc," says the report Blue Harvest: Inland
Fisheries as an Ecosystem Service.

"Detailed studies in Bangladesh for example have shown that daily
consumption of small fish contributes 40 per cent of the total daily
household requirement of vitamin A and 31 per cent of calcium," adds
the study whose findings were launched at the 10th Meeting of the
Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity taking place in
Nagoya, Japan.

As well as providing nutritional benefits, fish also play a key role
in the functioning of aquatic ecosystems. Their consumption of
plankton, plants, insects, and other fish is critical to the stability
and resilience of river and lake habitats.

Fish also serve as important links between ecosystems. The nutrients
and organic matter from fish eggs, carcasses and excretion help to
support the production of algae, insect larvae and other fish species
in rivers and lakes.

When fish populations decline, there can be serious knock-on effects
for other organisms. Widespread mortality of the cisco fish from Lake
Mendota in the USA, for example, led to changes in the plankton
composition of the lake, decreased the level of nutrients in the water
column and caused a decline in the biomass of algae.

The report warns that despite over 40 years of steady production
globally, rapid environmental changes are occurring which challenge
the viability of future fish stocks and a range of internationally-
agreed development targets including the Millennium Development Goals.

It cites low flows, changes in seasonal flooding patterns and loss of
habitat and spawning grounds linked with dams, unsustainable
agriculture and over-abstraction of water.

Other impacts are coming from urbanization and road building,
pollution including wastewater discharges and climate change.

The report highlights a combination of overfishing and environmental
degradation as key triggers for declines in catches in Lake Malawi and
Lake Malombe while catches on the Niger River have fallen as a result
of dam building and drought related reductions in river flow.

Pollution is also taking its toll. Chongqing, Nanjing, Shanghai and
other major cites in China's Yangtze River valley are adding 25
billion tonnes of wastewater to the river annually, much of which is
untreated.

Along with other factors, such as dams and over-abstraction of water,
pollution is linked with a decline in Yangtze fish catches with the
Chinese sturgeon and the Chinese paddlefish classed as critically
endangered.

Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary and UNEP Executive Director, said:
"This fascinating report has brought to the fore the often neglected
subject of inland fisheries. While marine fisheries are under
increasing scrutiny, those based on river and lake systems rarely
engage the international community-an oversight of potentially
profound implications".

"Why? Because an estimated 100 million people in Africa alone get
important levels of daily protein from these inland sources alongside
essential vitamins and minerals. Meanwhile unofficial estimates put
the global inland catch at close to 30 million tonnes, comparable to
official marine catches, and employment at 60 million people-13
million more than in equivalent marine fisheries," he added.

The report urges countries to adopt an 'ecosystem approach' to
managing inland fisheries given the multiple impacts coming to bear on
their health and productivity.

Such an approach needs to address a wide range of factors from curbing
pollution and destructive fishing practises to sustaining river flows
and restoring habitats, including protecting wetlands and other
feeding and spawning grounds.

New dams should be located where they have least impact on river
ecosystems, and fish-friendly designs managed to allow fish migration
and delivery of seasonal flows. Where possible older dams need to be
altered to provide similar benefits.

Patrick Dugan, the lead author based at the WorldFish Center in
Penang, Malaysia, added: "Recent achievements in the United States and
the Vu Gia-Thu Ban River basin in Vietnam show that political will and
careful planning can provide win-win solutions. These have kept some
river corridors free from dams, while others are managed for both
environmental and hydropower objectives. We need urgently to replicate
these successes more widely and in larger rivers if we are to sustain
the world's inland fisheries."

Blue Harvest: Inland Fisheries as an Ecosystem Service (UNEP-
WorldFish Center) is available at:

www.worldfishcenter.org/resource_centre/Blue_Harvest.pdf
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Multi-billion dollar Canada hydropower project plan halted

Multi-billion dollar Canada hydropower project plan halted
CALGARY, Alberta, Canada 10/20/10 (PennWell)
www.hydroworld.com/index/display/article-display/1490246733/articles/hrhrw/News-2/2010/07/multi-billion-dollar.html

TransCanada Corp and Atco Ltd have shelved plans to build a C$5 billion
(US$4.85 billion) dam and hydro project on the Slave River in Alberta,
Canada, after a local native group refused to back the project, wire
services reported.

The planned run-of-river hydro project would have generated 1,200 to
1,300 MW of electricity, reports indicate.

The project, first proposed two years ago, was still being studied, but
the partners could not win the support of regional aboriginal groups,
according to wire reports.

Atco and TransCanada will not be advancing any further studies on the
Slave River, as Smith Landing First Nation determined that their vision
for the Slave River is not compatible with large-scale hydroelectric
power development, a spokesman for TransCanada reported.

TransCanada is the country's largest pipeline company, and owns
generating plants in Canada and the United States. It is a partner in
Bruce Power LP, which operates the Bruce nuclear facility in Ontario,
which supplies a fifth of the province's electricity.

Diversified energy and utilities company Atco owns generating plants in
Canada, Britain and Australia.
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Monday, October 25, 2010

Lake Kivu could generate 1 000 MW over 50 yrs

http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/lake-kivu-could-generate-1-000-mw-over-50-yrs-2010-10-22

ENERGY
Lake Kivu could generate 1 000 MW over 50 yrs

By: Chanel de Bruyn
22nd October 2010


About $50-billion a year worth of energy could potentially be
generated at Lake Kivu, on the border of the Democratic Republic of
Congo and Rwanda, if the resources there could be unlocked.

Lake Kivu project promoter Phillip Morkel told delegates at an Africa
investment summit in Johannesburg on Friday, that about 1 000 MW of
electricity could be generated from the lake's resources over the next
50 years.

Thereafter, power generation could continue at about 200 MW.

The Ruzizi river, into which Lake Kivu empties, could generate a
further 500 MW of hydropower.

While the lake was smaller than many other lakes in the Great Lakes
region of Central Africa, it was 500 m deep. It held around two-
trillion cubic feet of methane resources and ten-trillion feet of
carbon dioxide resources.

This was a significant gasfield that remained underdeveloped, said
Morkel.

He noted that it currently cost about $0,36/kWh to produce electricity
in Rwanda. If electricity generation projects along the lake came to
fruition, the costs would be significantly lower at $0,10/kWh.
Production costs could be reduced further to $0,07/kWh if carbon
credit funding was realised.

Such projects could potentially provide electricity to between 40% and
60% of the population in the surrounding communities.

However, in order to unlock the potential of this lake, an
infrastructure investment of about $3-billion would be required. A
further $2-billion would also need to be invested on developing the
lake.
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Friday, October 22, 2010

The Battle Over the Mekong

http://the-diplomat.com/2010/10/22/the-battle-over-the-mekong/

The Battle Over the Mekong
October 22, 2010


By Tom Fawthrop

Chinese dams threaten one of the world�s most biodiverse rivers,
critics say. It�s not just environmentalists who are worried.
---------------

The untamed, roaring currents of the mighty Mekong have long enchanted
travellers, inspired explorers and sustained some 65 million
inhabitants who live off the world�s largest freshwater fisheries.

From its source in the snow-capped mountains of Tibet, the Mekong
flows 1,880 kilometres through China, winding down through the heart
of South-east Asia before emptying into a fertile delta in Vietnam.

�For the people born on the Mekong, the river is like their blood�the
principle of life,� says Dorn Bouttasing, an environmental researcher
in Laos.

Nita Roykaew, a teacher and ecologist based in Chiang Khong in
northern Thailand, agrees. �The Mekong is very special for the
people,� he says. �The community understands what�s important for
life: water, forests, soil and culture.�

Nita, a community organiser with the �Save the Mekong� campaign, says
he sees the river as a precious part of the country�s cultural
heritage, something that should transcend simple financial
considerations. �Many governments only think about the economy,� he
says. �(They think) nothing about nature and culture.�

But the river, one of the most biodiverse in the world, is under
threat. Included in the river�s rich ecosystem is the giant catfish,
which can grow to up to 3 metres in length and weigh in excess of 300
kg, as well as a colony of the endangered Irrawaddy dolphin. It�s a
natural mecca for ecotourism, but rapid investment in the rapid
expansion of hydropower dams is starting to take its toll.

China has already built four dams on the Lancang (the Chinese stretch
of the Mekong), including the colossal Xiaowan Dam, the tallest high-
arch dam in the world at 292 metres high, which was completed in
August.

But plans for four more in China on top of 11 already approved by
government planners in Laos and Cambodia have raised serious concerns
about the river�s future.

�The two dams, Xiaowan and Nuozhadu (the next Chinese dam to be
built), will impact the flow regime of the entire system�all the way
down to the delta in Vietnam,� saysPhilip Hirsch, director of the
Mekong Research Centre at the University of Sydney.

But it�s not just the Chinese government that supports the dam
building. Officials in Laos are also keen to exploit the promise of
hydropower, seeing it as one way to lift the country out of chronic
poverty through electricity sales to energy-hungry neighbours Thailand
and Vietnam.
Indeed, Laos has just become the first of the Lower Mekong nations to
push ahead with a dam project on the river�at Xayaburi�aimed at
generating electricity to sell to Thailand.

Last month, in accordance with a Mekong River Commission agreement
between the four Mekong countries, the Laotian government formally
notified the Commission of its intentions, setting in motion a six-
month consultation process with Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam that
allows the others to voice any objections.

The problem for countries further down the Mekong is that dams reduce
the levels of sediment and silt that carry nutrients essential for
fish to survive. Taming the river�s waters will, Hirsch predicts,
reduce the river to little more than �a series of still reservoirs and
stagnant pools.�

�This cascade of dams will transform the Mekong� he says.

But there�s also concern closer to home. While foreign investors and
Lao officials insist that their plans will help develop this poor,
landlocked nation, many villagers remain sceptical. Scientists, NGOs
and Mekong communities, meanwhile have all expressed concern about
rushing into a dam building spree before the likely environmental
impact is fully understood.

�There�s a very fast pace of hydropower development,� says Juha
Sarkkala, a Mekong specialist with the Helsinki Institute of the
Environment. �We need a timeout. We need a moratorium on dams to
consider a different strategy of development.�

The Thai NGO forum, representing 24,000 people living in river
communities inNorthern Thailand, has called on the government to
cancel commitments by the Thai Electricity Company to purchase
electricity from the Xayaburi dam.

A Thai parliamentary committee chaired by Kraisak Choonhavan MP is
studying the impact of dams on the Mekong, but Kraisak has already
indicated he has significant concerns. �The effect of the Xayaburi Dam
will be devastating on all the countries�Laos, Thailand Cambodia and
Vietnam,� says Kraisak, a former senator and now deputy leader of the
ruling Democrat Party.

The World Wildlife Fund has also waded into the issue, stating that if
the Xayaburi dam is built, it will almost certainly wipe out the
endangered giant catfish, adding that the colony of Irrawaddy dolphins
would also stand little chance of survival.

The controversy means that Xayaburi has become a test case for Mekong
dam projects as an international issue. If Thailand and Vietnam both
express serious objections, then the dam is likely preventable�Laos
will only go ahead if it�s sure Thailand will buy the electricity
produced.

Many NGOs and scientists in Vietnam, meanwhile, have already spoken
out against the building of more dams. Trinh Le Nguyen, executive
director of the NGO People and Nature Reconciliation, argues: �For
Vietnam, the existing and proposed dams on the mainstream and
tributaries of the Mekong River pose tremendous threats to 20 million
people living in the delta.�

Cambodia for its part might also raise objections, as the dam risks
disrupting a significant food source for the country.
Many of the planned downstream dams will block fish migration,
especially the Don Sahong near the spectacular Khone Waterfall, which
sits astride the only passable channel for fish swimming up from
Cambodia and Vietnam. For Cambodians who depend on freshwater
fisheries for an estimated 80 percent of their protein intake, dams
that block fish migration spell disaster for food security.

Gordon Congdon, WWF�s representative in Kratie, Cambodia, argues that
to replace the main protein diet of fish for the about 65 million
people that would be affected could involve �fantastic� costs if
governments were forced to import additional meat to compensate for
the loss of fish.

So Nam, a professor at the Institute of Fisheries in Phnom Penh, agrees.

�People there totally depend on fish�we have one of the highest rates
of fish consumption in world,� So says. �Every year, Cambodian people
catch about half a million tons of fish, and it provides more than six
million people with employment.�

The final Strategic Environmental Assessment report by independent
consultants to the MRC has also made clear the enormity of the risks
involved in going ahead with more dams. SEA consultants have
investigated four possible options for MRC member states, but have
recommended that decisions on mainstream dams should be deferred for a
period of up to 10 years, with a review every three years.

Hirsch insists that on an issue as important as this, that this should
be the absolute minimum. �It should only be decided on the best
possible evidence. Let�s hold off for at least ten years. Atleast ten
years,� he says.

It�s clear that the decision on Xayaburi is about more than just one
dam�it could set the course of the Mekong�s fate for generations to
come.

If the Xayaburi proposal is approved and implemented,Nguyensays he
worries that it will effectively give the green light for more such
projects. �That�s a dangerous movement,� he says. �At the end of the
day, no dam is the best option for all countries�not only for Vietnam�.
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Hard to Put a Price-tag on Healthy Rivers

Hard to Put a Price-tag on Healthy Rivers
By Stephen Leahy

NAGOYA, Japan, Oct 22, 2010 (IPS) - Damming a river may bring electric
power, but it often comes at the price of high-quality food fisheries,
experts say. When dams are proposed for power, flood control or
irrigation, the often devastating impacts on fisheries in rivers and
lakes are ignored or discounted.

"It is very difficult to put a dollar value on what inland fisheries
represent because it is much more than the landed value of the fish at
the dock," says Yumiko Kura of the WorldFish Center office in Phnom
Penh, Cambodia.

Kura is co-author of a new report, "Blue Harvest: Inland Fisheries as
an Ecosystem Service", which highlights the wide-ranging importance of
inland fisheries in diets, especially among children, and not just in
terms of protein but in supplying micronutrients, notably vitamin A,
calcium, iron and zinc.

"Detailed studies in Bangladesh for example have shown that daily
consumption of small fish contributes 40 percent of the total daily
household requirement of vitamin A and 31 percent of calcium,"
according the report released Friday at a side event at the 10th
Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

In addition, it notes there are more than 60 million full- and part-
time jobs in fishing and other activities such as processing, with
over half these jobs carried out by women.

A river system like the Mekong is amongst the most productive
fisheries in the world largely because there are few dams, and it
retains most of its wetlands, Kura told IPS. Fishers in the Mekong
catch more than 500 species of fish - its very diversity sustains the
health of the river, and some 22 million people in Cambodia and Laos
who depend on the Mekong's bounty.

By contrast river systems in developed countries are near biological
deserts with few species, according to a landmark study published in
the journal Nature earlier this month. Paradoxically, rich countries
employ vast quantities of concrete for energy and flood control,
decimating rivers' natural abilities to control and clean water and
provide food, according to the first ever study of the world's river
systems.

"What made our jaws drop is that some of the highest threat levels in
the world are in the United States and Europe," Peter McIntyre, a co-
author of the Nature report and zoologist at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison in the U.S., told IPS in a previous story.

Fish also serve as important links between ecosystems. The nutrients
and organic matter from fish eggs, carcasses and excretion help to
support the production of algae, insect larvae and other fish species
in rivers and lakes, says the "Blue Harvest" report compiled by the
U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Fish Centre.

When fish populations decline, there can be serious knock-on effects
for other organisms, said Jacqueline Alder, head of marine and coastal
ecosystems at UNEP. Widespread mortality of the cisco fish from Lake
Mendota in the U.S., for example, led to changes in the plankton
composition of the lake, decreased the level of nutrients in the water
column and caused a decline in the biomass of algae.

"Unlike oceans, inland waters are highly vulnerable and changes can
come very quickly," Adler told IPS.

The report warns that despite over 40 years of steady production
globally, rapid environmental changes are occurring which challenge
the viability of future fish stocks and a range of internationally-
agreed development targets including the Millennium Development Goals.

Dams, unsustainable agriculture and large removals of water for
industry, along with pollution and wastewater discharges, have
significant impacts on river systems, the report found.

Japan used to have productive inland fisheries but there are very few
left, almost entirely due to development, says Kura, who is from
Japan. Many of the country's rivers were lined with concrete in the
past two decades in a short- sighted attempt to control flooding and
maintain transport channels. Rivers need to be able to flow to the
sea, with shoreline vegetation and wetlands to keep them healthy and
productive, she said.

Major cities in China's Yangtze River valley such as Chongqing,
Nanjing, Shanghai are adding 25 billion tonnes of wastewater to the
river annually, much of it untreated. Along with other factors, such
as dams and over-abstraction of water, pollution is linked with a
decline in Yangtze fish catches. The Chinese sturgeon and the Chinese
paddlefish are now classed as critically endangered.

Fish catches in Africa's Lake Malawi and Lake Malombe and in the Niger
River have fallen as a result of dam building and environmental
degradation. Between 40 and 50 percent of rivers in Asia, Africa and
Latin America are undammed, but less than 12 percent of large European
rivers have water flow unaffected by dams, the report shows.

The Pak Mun dam, built on a tributary of the Mekong River in Thailand
in the early 1990s, triggered a 60 to 80 percent fall in fish catches.
Proponents said the new reservoir created by the dam would produce
220kg/hectare of fish, but this only reached 10kg/hectare.

Since 2001, a seasonal flooding policy involving opening the dam gates
has been adopted, helping to bring back close to 130 species to the
Mun River and reducing the impact of the dam on fisheries.

However, other dams are being proposed on the Mekong, says Kura. The
full value of the river's fisheries is difficult to assess and the
value of the landed catch is all that's being considered. The impacts
on jobs, food security, culture, healthy and the region's biodiversity
aren't properly considered in regional development plans focused on
energy and irrigation, she said.

"We need to value all the components in the river's watershed, the
landscape and the water work together as one system," Kura said.

(END)
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Thursday, October 21, 2010

S. Africa's Green revolution starts to take root

http://www.mg.co.za/article/2010-10-20-green-revolution-starts-to-take-root

Green revolution starts to take root


LIONEL FAULL | JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - Oct 20 2010 10:02


A massive green rush is under way in South Africa, with major energy,
construction and finance companies setting up specialised renewable
energy units in anticipation of the government finalising the rules of
engagement at the end of the year.

The government has set a target of 4%, or 1 025MW, of renewable energy
installed from private sector suppliers by 20 13, up from less than
0,1% at present.

Although the renewable target is dwarfed by government's planned 48
000MW Medupi coal-fired power station, it represents the first stage
in the country's long-term drive to increase its energy production
while reducing its carbon emissions.

"A lot of companies are positioning themselves, but don't want to
overplay their hand," said Richard Worthington, the climate change
programme manager at the World Wide Fund for Nature South Africa (WWF
SA).

For example, Sasol, the liquid fuels and chemical producing giant, has
set up a new energy unit, allocating R200-million to solar energy
projects, such as a co-investment in a solar module thin-film plant in
Paarl and the development of solar tower technology.

The Aveng construction group has allocated R20-million this year to
facilitate future wind and solar power projects and plans to set aside
more money in the future.

Similarly, Exxaro, the diversified mining company, announced last
month that it would set up a dedicated renewable energy division in
the next six months. It, too, is eyeing solar and wind to diversify
its coal-fired and waste gas co-generation projects.

Banks are eager to get in on the act by financing renewable energy
projects, nearly three-quarters of which will be debt-funded, says an
industry insider at the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC).

The IDC has set aside R11,5-billion for the green economy in the next
five years and most banks have also identified this sector as a major
future growth area.

CONTINUES BELOW


Wind
The South African Wind Energy Association (Sawea) said it has
conducted research to identify all projects its members have undertaken.

"Some 5 000MW-worth of projects from the Northern Cape, Western Cape
and Eastern Cape have started with wind measurement and environmental
impact studies and should be ready for construction between now and,
say, mid-20 12," said Nicolas Rolland, a Sawea board member.

"Taking into account that construction would take anything between
four months and two years depending on the size of the respective
projects, this means that before 20 15 the industry will be in a
position to commission 5 000MW of wind power generation," he said.

"On the conservative assumption that these projects will have on
average a capacity factor of approximately 30%," Rolland estimated
that "by the end of 20 15 the wind energy industry could produce 13
140GWh of energy annually".

Based on Rolland's figures, wind energy could supply about 5% of
anticipated national energy consumption by 20 15, or roughly a quarter
of residential (domestic) power consumption -- enough to light up at
least a million high-income households, or more than five times as
many low-income households.

Individual wind energy developers were keeping their projects close to
their chests for now, said Worthington, because they wanted to secure
land at favourable rates first before advertising their intentions.

But some companies had been "very bullish" about wind energy,
Worthington said, including Mainstream Renewable Power, whose local
subsidiary is developing a 30MW wind farm in Jeffreys Bay, which could
be increased to 160MW in further phases.

Vestas, a Dutch wind turbine manufacturer, set up a sales office in
Johannesburg in June and hopes to increase its profile in the country
as demand for wind turbines grow.

Worthington hoped that the wind turbine manufacturing industry would
localise its component production, but this depended on how many wind
farms were going to be built.

Solar
South Africa has one of the highest levels of solar radiation in the
world. The solar energy sector, while currently lagging behind wind in
terms of the maturity of its technology and its immediate capacity,
could eventually become South Africa's biggest generator of renewable
energy.

According to Ryan Hammond, Solairedirect Southern Africa managing
director, between 500MW and 800MW of solar technology projects are
under development, although this includes projects at the very early
feasibility stage.

Eskom is leading the way in developing solar power and plans to invest
part of its R3,75-billion World Bank renewable energy loan in a 100MW
concentrated solar pilot project in Upington. Construction is
scheduled to begin in mid to late 20 12.

Upington could become the epicentre of South African solar energy.
According to a report published in the Engineering News last month,
Upington has a potential renewable energy generating capacity of 5
000MW.

The Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) has conducted a joint feasibility
study, with the department of energy, into a proposed 1 000MW solar
park in Upington. The project could cost about R50-billion more than
the R125-billion Medupi coal-fired power station. A conference to
gauge investor appetite for such a project will be held later this
month.

Mainly foreign manufacturers of solar technology are considering
setting up manufacturing facilities locally in anticipation of a solar
boom. Technology vendor eSolar would do so if it could get at least
500MW of business, said Stuart Fredman, the company's South African
managing director.

Meanwhile, the South African National Energy Research Institute
(Saneri) is lobbying for the creation of a solar hub in South Africa
that would set up local manufacturing capacity and boost skills and
research.

Kadri Nassiep, the Saneri chief executive, said that the hub should be
in Gauteng, or another metro area, where infrastructure,
manufacturing capacity and postgraduate research institutions already
exist.

Biogas
Biogas is gas produced by wet organic waste decomposing under
anaerobic conditions. South Africa's landfill sites have been
identified as potential biogas producers, but Nassiep believes that
biogas is a "limited resource with a very short window period" for
exploitation in South Africa.

"There are a finite number of landfill sites in the country and we
won't continue to landfill for ever. So once we've tapped into these
sites, that's it," Nassiep said.

Natural gas
Advasol, a hydrocarbon exploration company, is applying for licences
to explore for natural gas at nine sites off the southern Cape coast
using non-invasive, environmentally friendly satellite technology. The
company says natural gas is 60% more efficient than coal when
converted into power.

Given the relatively high start-up costs of wind and solar energy,
natural gas could provide a short- to medium-term solution to bridging
South Africa's energy supply gap while reducing carbon emissions,
Advasol says.

Hydro
There are limited opportunities for large-scale hydro-generated power
projects in South Africa, but some sites on the Orange and Jukskei
rivers could be developed further.
At present, the bulk of the country's hydro power is produced at the
mini and micro levels (below 5MW) by small developers.
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Shaft hydropower – small is beautiful, and good for environment

http://portal.mytum.de/pressestelle/pressemitteilungen/news_article.2010-10-19.2049821025

Shaft power plant design � small is beautiful, and good for the
environment

Invention enables hydroelectric power generation at thousands of
unused locations

20.10.2010, Press releases

Hydroelectric power is the oldest and the �greenest" source of
renewable energy. In Germany, the potential would appear to be
completely exploited, while large-scale projects in developing
countries are eliciting strong criticism due to their major impact on
the environment. Researchers at Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM)
have developed a small-scale hydroelectric power plant that solves a
number of problems at the same time: The construction is so simple,
and thereby cost-efficient, that the power generation system is
capable of operating profitably in connection with even modest dam
heights. Moreover, the system is concealed in a shaft, minimizing the
impact on the landscape and waterways. There are thousands of
locations in Europe where such power plants would be viable, in
addition to regions throughout the world where hydroelectric power
remains an untapped resource.

In Germany, hydroelectric power accounts for some three percent of the
electricity consumed � a long-standing figure that was not expected to
change in any significant way. After all, the good locations for
hydroelectric power plants have long since been developed. In a number
of newly industrialized nations, huge dams are being discussed that
would flood settled landscapes and destroy ecosystems. In many
underdeveloped countries, the funds and engineering know-how that
would be necessary to bring hydroelectric power on line are not
available.

Smaller power stations entail considerable financial input and are
also not without negative environmental impact. Until now, the use of
hydroelectric power in connection with a relatively low dam height
meant that part of the water had to be guided past the dam by way of a
so-called bay-type power plant � a design with inherent disadvantages:

* The large size of the plant, which includes concrete
construction for the diversion of water and a power house, involves
high construction costs and destruction of natural riverside landscapes.

* Each plant is a custom-designed, one-off project. In order to
achieve the optimal flow conditions at the power plant, the
construction must be planned individually according to the dam height
and the surrounding topography. How can an even flow of water to the
turbines be achieved? How will the water be guided away from the
turbines in its further course?

* Fish-passage facilities need to be provided to help fish bypass
the power station. In many instances, their downstream passage does
not succeed as the current forces them in the direction of the power
plant. Larger fish are pressed against the rakes protecting the intake
of the power plant, while smaller fish can be injured by the turbine.

A solution to all of these problems has now been demonstrated, in the
small-scale hydroelectric power plant developed as a model by a team
headed by Prof. Peter Rutschmann and Dipl.-Ing. Albert Sepp at the
Oskar von Miller-Institut, the TUM research institution for hydraulic
and water resources engineering. Their approach incurs very little
impact on the landscape. Only a small transformer station is visible
on the banks of the river. In place of a large power station building
on the riverside, a shaft dug into the riverbed in front of the dam
conceals most of the power generation system. The water flows into a
box-shaped construction, drives the turbine, and is guided back into
the river underneath the dam. This solution has become practical due
to the fact that several manufacturers have developed generators that
are capable of underwater operation � thereby dispensing with the need
for a riverbank power house.

The TUM researchers still had additional problems to solve: how to
prevent undesirable vortex formation where water suddenly flows
downward; and how to best protect the fish. Rutschmann and Sepp solved
two problems with a single solution � by providing a gate in the dam
above the power plant shaft. In this way, enough water flows through
to enable fish to pass. At the same time, the flow inhibits vortex
formation that would reduce the plant's efficiency and increase wear
and tear on the turbine.

The core of the concept is not optimizing efficiency, however, but
optimizing cost: Standardized pre-fabricated modules should make it
possible to order a �power plant kit" just like ordering from a
catalog. �We assume that the costs are between 30 and 50 percent lower
by comparison with a bay-type hydropower plant," Peter Rutschmann
says. The shaft power plant is capable of operating economically given
a low "head" of water of only one to two meters, while a bay-type
power plant requires at least twice this head of water. Series
production could offer an additional advantage: In the case of wider
bodies of water, several shafts could be dug next to each other � also
at different points in time, as determined by demand and available
financing.

Investors can now consider locations for the utilization of hydropower
that had hardly been interesting before. This potential has gained
special significance in light of the EU Water Framework Directive. The
directive stipulates that fish obstacles are to be removed even in
smaller rivers. In Bavaria alone, there are several thousand existing
transverse structures, such as weirs, that will have to be converted,
many of which also meet the prerequisites for shaft power plants.
Construction of thousands of fish ladders would not only cost billions
but would also load the atmosphere with tons of climate-altering
greenhouse gas emissions. If in the process shaft power plants with
fish gates and additional upstream fish ladders were installed,
investors could shoulder the costs and ensure the generation of
climate-friendly energy over the long term � providing enough power
for smaller communities from small, neighborhood hydroelectric plants.

Shaft power plants could also play a significant role in developing
countries. �Major portions of the world�s population have no access to
electricity at all," Rutschmann notes. �Distributed, local power
generation by lower-cost, easy-to-operate, low-maintenance power
plants is the only solution. For cases in which turbines are not
financially feasible, Rutschmann has already come up with an
alternative: �It would be possible to use a cheap submersible pump and
run it in reverse � something that also works in our power plant."

Contact:

Prof. Peter Rutschmann

Technische Universitaet Muenchen

Department of Hydraulic and Water Resources Engineering

Tel.: +49 89 289 23161
E-Mail: rutschmann@tum.de
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Sinohydro Group boosts African stakes

*Sinohydro Group boosts African stakes*

People's Daily Online, October 21, 2010

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90778/90860/7172393.html#

Sinohydro Group, a leading State-owned group in hydropower construction,
will increase its investments in Africa, said a senior company official.

"We are conducting a series of projects in some African countries,
including a copper and cobalt mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo,
and two hydropower stations, one in Mozambique, and the other in Zambia.
We are also looking closely at investment opportunities in Liberia,"
said Ding Zhengguo, assistant president in charge of overseas projects
for Sinohydro Group, on Tuesday.

The actual amount of investment involved is still uncertain and will
depend on specific stages of negotiation, because some African countries
have yet to establish a sound legal framework to support investments, he
added.

More Chinese investments are flowing into Africa as the continent
emerges as one of the most important outbound direct investment (ODI)
destinations.

In 2009 alone, China's ODI in Africa shot up to $1.44 billion, a rise of
55.4 percent year-on-year, official figures showed.

On Thursday, the Ministry of Commerce released an annual report on
China-Africa trade and economic relationships, saying Chinese companies
are expected to tap into many new sectors, including mining, financing,
aviation and tourism.

The number of Chinese companies operating in Africa exceeds 2,000 and is
expected to increase, said the ministry.

On the other hand, poor infrastructure and a lack of adequate market
mechanisms in some African countries have prompted concerns among
Chinese businesses about the continent's investment environment,
according to Cao Zhongming, deputy director-general of the African
affairs department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

However, he was optimistic about the future for Chinese businesses in
African markets.

"China and Africa are highly complementary in investment. In the long
term, the African market will have a bright future," he said.

The return on investments by Chinese companies in Africa is between 24
and 30 percent, compared to a rate of between 16 and 18 percent in
developing countries as a whole, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Foreign direct investment volume in Africa has registered rapid growth
over the last six years, jumping from $18 billion in 2004 to $36 billion
in 2006.

It peaked at $88 billion in 2008, before falling back to $59 billion in
2009 as the international financial crisis worsened, according to
official figures.

The World Bank estimates that African countries will need to invest a
total of $93 billion per annum on infrastructure, but says they can
currently only manage $45 billion.

/Source: //China// Daily/
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Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Dam a threat to river fishing [Bangkok Post 20.10.10]

Dam a threat to river fishing
Cambodian relations at risk, Kraisak says
Bangkok Post : 20/10/2010
 
The construction of the controversial Xayaboury dam on the Mekong River could hurt recently improving relations between Thailand and Cambodia as it would damage the latter's fisheries, Democrat deputy leader Kraisak Choonhavan says.

The 1,260-megawatt dam is located about 150km downstream of Luang Prabang in Laos. A majority of the power produced from the project by Thai firm CH Karnchang would be exported to Thailand.

Mr Kraisak, chairman of a panel on political development and public participation, said at a seminar on Monday the dam's construction would cause grave harm to the ecosystem and way of life of millions of people who live along the river.

Tonle Sap, the largest fresh water lake in Cambodia and a river system that is a major source of food and income for Cambodians, is likely to bear the brunt of the impact from the Xayaboury dam.

"This environmental issue can develop into a conflict between the two countries," Mr Kraisak said.

Environmentalists have voiced concern that the dam - the first hydropower one to be built on the downstream Mekong - would block the flow of water into Tonle Sap.

This would prevent fish and other aquatic animals from migrating between the Mekong and Tonle Sap.

Terra, a Bangkok-based environmental group, released a report saying the dam could lead to the extinction of at least 41 freshwater fish species. At least 2,000 people would be displaced and 200,000 others would be affected by its construction.

Mr Kraisak urged the government to deal carefully with this "very sensitive" matter.

Although the dam belongs to Laos, Thailand is a key player in the project, he said.

"As a neighbouring country, we should support Cambodia to achieve food security and sustainable development," he said.

Environmentalist Montri Chantawong of the Project for Ecological Recovery said Loei's Chiang Khan district would also suffer from the dam, which would be built about 200km away.

Mr Montri said once the dam was operational, the water level in the Mekong would change in accordance with the operation of the sluice gates rather than naturally.

This would have a negative effect on fisheries and agriculture along the river's banks.

Writer: Apinya Wipatayotin

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/202225/dam-a-threat-to-river-fishing

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Why China should keep off Gibe III Dam

Why China should keep off Gibe III
Written by Samuel Maina, Friends of Lake Turkana
19 October 2010
www.friendsoflaketurkana.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=149&catid=24&Itemid=36

It is quite alarming that a couple of Chinese businesses have already
dipped their fingers into the controversial Gilgel Gibe III dam project.
It is normally not good news when the Chinese get involved in anything in
Africa. The reputation that precedes the Chinese in Africa is that they do
not care much for the consequences of their projects - as long as they get
what they came for. Their entry into the Gibe III fray should awaken all
of us who care about Lake Turkana, its environment, and its people as well
as the entire Lower Omo basin.

Terry Hathaway of International Rivers first broke the news of the Chinese
companies involvement on September 17 saying:

"NGOs are outraged after confirmation that the world's largest bank will
finance the destructive Gibe 3 hydropower dam. The Industrial and
Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) is underwriting a $500 million contract
awarded May 13 to Dongfang Electric Corporation for the dam's turbines and
electro-mechanical works. Although ICBC has not publicly announced the
loan, an official confirmed September 8 by email that the financial
agreement between ICBC and the Ethiopian government was signed in July.
The funding undermines ICBC's efforts to build a global reputation as a
socially and environmentally responsible lending institution."

Earlier on, Peter Bosshard, writing in Huffington Post had indicated, in
August, that China's biggest bank was in discussion with other parties on
whether to fund "Africa's most destructive project." Bosshard says:

"In May, Ethiopia's government announced that the Industrial and
Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) would fund a Chinese equipment contract
for Gibe 3 with a loan of approximately $450 million. ICBC is China's and
the world's biggest commercial bank. Kenya's Friends of Lake Turkana,
BankTrack and International Rivers immediately called on ICBC to stay out
of the project. 'Funding the Gibe 3 Project would seriously damage ICBC's
reputation as a diligent, environmentally responsible bank,' the three
organizations warned in a letter to the bank's CEO."

The Chinese Embassy in Kenya is aware of the opposition by groups led by
FoLT. The Kenya foreign affairs ministry is also aware that the Chinese
bank is intending to fund this catastrophe and FoLT has asked for
intervention. FoLT has prepared a petition that they will deliver to the
Chinese Ambassador in Kenya stating the dangers that this project poses
for the people of Lake Turkana, the Lake's ecosystem and by extension the
people of the Lower Omo basin in Ethiopia, and urging the Chinese
government to advice against this funding.

How China as a nation and the Chinese government reacts to the concerns
raised by a group that represents some of the most marginalised
communities in the world is really a question of whether China cares for
the environment and marginalised communities or cares more about economic
gain - and world domination. Recalling China's entry into the African
elephant ivory trade and the consequent rise in incidences of elephant
poaching and illegal ivory seizures - with very little action from the
Chinese Government - sends chills down my spine. With this bad reputation
among elephant people, China has an opportunity to redeem its image a
little by saying no to the Bank's and Dongfang's involvement in the
killing of hundreds of thousands of livelihoods - and pilaging of a World
Heritage Site.

Will China show more concern when not only the ecology, but also people
(after all, it is the Peoples Republic of China) are involved? Personally
I hope the Chinese government prevails over the two businesses to abandon
the project, just like others have done before them. Come on China, show
that you care.
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Monday, October 18, 2010

World Bank funds Egypt's Kom Ombo concentrating solar power plant

World Bank funds Egypt's Kom Ombo concentrating solar power plant

October 18, 2010

www.enelgreenpower.com

The 100 MW plant, with concentrating solar power technology, will be
built near Assuan. The World Bank has allocated $270 million and further
funding is expected to be granted by other international agencies.

After having launched the new renewable development policy, with the
construction of the Zafarana and Hurghada wind energy projects (545 MW
when completed), Egypt's government is now also intensely focusing on
solar energy technologies.

The aim is to generate 20% of the electricity output from renewables by
2020, also considering the electricity deficit scenario, which has led
the government in Cairo to plan investments for 100 to 120 billion
dollars in order to triple the capacity currently installed in this
country (25,000 MW) by 2027.

A first 20 MW solar thermal project is almost completed in Koraymat,
south of Cairo. This is a concentrating solar power plant that is
integrated into the 120 MW gas combined cycle facility, so that the
plant's total capacity amounts to 140 MW.

The next plant that will be built is the 100 MW Kom Ombo facility (in a
southern region near the Assuan dam). This project, which also employs
concentrating solar power technology, has now been granted a loan by the
World Bank amounting to 70 million dollars (195 million euros).

Of this loan, 170 million are directly provided by the World Bank, while
the remaining 100 million will be issued by the Clean Technology Fund,
its affiliate. Further funds are expected to be granted by other
international agencies, one of which is the African Development Fund.

Construction is scheduled to start in 2012. The plant should be put
fully into service 4 years later, with an investment of 4 billion of
Egyptian lire (approximately 506 million euros).

There are also plans to construct four 250 MW wind farm plants on the
Red Sea coast at Gabal el-Zeit. Tendering takes place in September 2010,
open to ten companies shortlisted from earlier applications, and the
wind turbines project is expected to start operations in 2014 or 2015.
Over 7 GW of wind power could potentially be developed by 2020 in this
area of Egypt alone.
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Saturday, October 16, 2010

Indus Indictment submitted to the World Bank

The Indus Indictment

October 14, 2010

Submitted by Sindhu Bachao Tarla to the World Bank, Islamabad

This is not the first time that we, the Taunsa Barrage
victims, are observing peaceful hunger strike in front of the World Bank
Office. The first such hunger strike was held in February 2007. At that
time, our main demand was the establishment of an independent
investigation commission on the World Bank financed Taunsa Barrage
Emergency Rehabilitation and Modernization Project (TBERM). The project
loan was approved on an emergency basis, the justification that
catastrophic barrage failure could occur in the near future. We asked
the Bank to mandate the proposed investigation commission to ascertain
the necessity and appropriateness of engineering interventions in the
name of rehabilitating and remodelling Taunsa Barrage. Further we
informed the Bank that the project had displaced hundreds of families,
destroyed river environment, but also warned that the flooding problems
would be exacerbated in the future owing to flawed engineering
interventions. However, our concerns were dismissed by the World Bank.
Years of watching and living with the river and the barrage deemed
insufficient knowledge by your technicians.

Today we are again holding a hunger strike to inform the
Bank that the rehabilitation and remodelling works financed under its
project failed to avert the risk of barrage failure. Rather, the
evidence on the ground shows that the numerous 'faulty' engineering
interventions directly contributed to barrage failure and thus caused
the unprecedented flood disaster in Muzaffargarh District. The flooding
in Muzaffargarh District began with the breach in Abbasswala Bund. As a
result, with an unknown number of lives lost, 2 million people were
displaced, their crops, animals, houses and other sources of livelihoods
washed away.

The breach at the left bank marginal bund was not the
natural one. Rather, the breach was caused by a number of factors linked
to the rehabilitation and remodelling project. The peak flood flows were
obstructed by the coffer dams largely left in place upon project
completion. These coffer dams were constructed to manage flood flows
temporarily to carry out repair and remodelling works in the active bed
channel. It was assumed the gigantic quantities of soil would be washed
away naturally or through barrage de-silting functions. However, the
existence of coffer dams turned out to be the main structural obstacle
to disrupt river flows, diverting them towards the east bank of the
Indus River.

Further, the operational rules of the barrage were to be
revised after the installation of the computerized gates and
remodelling. It was an intrinsic part of the project objectives to
provide the relevant barrage staff with the necessary training on the
revised operational rules of the barrage. With the failure to open eight
barrage gates one wonders as to effectiveness of the training that the
irrigation staff received.

Under the project, the WB was supposed to improve the river
training works. The height of the flood protection embankments was to be
raised in correspondence with the raised crust level of the barrage
floor. However, raising the height of flood protection embankments never
materialized.

The hill-torrents from Suleiman Range discharging into the
Indus River cause heavy amounts of silt deposition in the upstream of
the barrage. It adversely impacts drainage through the barrage. We have
consistently pointed out this factor with the World Bank. Once again
ignoring local knowledge, in its technical arrogance, the Bank failed to
consider the silt deposition factor in its project design.

To put it simply the remodelled and modernized barrage, its
associated works, was a significant, in fact, the major, cause of the
flooding of Muzaffargarh district.

Our claims

We are observing this hunger strike to claim the following:

1. The establishment of an independent investigation commission to
ascertain the specific causes of the structural failure of Taunsa Barrage.

2. We believe the judicial enquiry currently undertaken at the Lahore
High Court , on embankment breaches and other aspects of the Indus
floods in Punjab, should be an open, public hearing and official reports
and data submitted should be accessible by all. Its current secretive
modality is unacceptable.

3. The World Bank should cancel the payment of the project loan in
order to allocate it entirely for flood recovery and reconstruction in
Muzaffargarh District. The urgent demand in this regard is the
commitment to prepare the second resettlement plan for two hundred
families displaced during the project. They are now once again displaced
due to the barrage failure.

4. Both the World Bank and Asian Development Bank are steering the
Flood Damages and Needs Assessment (FDNA). We protest against the sheer
lack of consultation with the flood affected groups and their
participation in this process.

5. In damages and needs assessment process, the World Bank should
recommend the Punjab Government to impose flood tax on urban property
and other sources of wealth. If the Bank fails to do so, it will be
understood that the Bank is only concerned in increasing its own
disbursements.
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Thursday, October 14, 2010

China Yangtze Power to Invest in Siberian Hydropower Projects

http://www.china-briefing.com/news/2010/10/13/china-yangtze-power-to-invest-in-siberian-hydropower-projects.html

China Yangtze Power to Invest in Siberian Hydropower Projects

Oct. 13 � Russia�s second-largest electricity producer, EuroSibEnergo
PLC, and hydropower producer China Yangtze Power Co. (CYPC),
headquartered in Beijing, have signed a framework agreement of
cooperation for the development of hydropower projects in Russia.

EuroSibEnergo, formerly called En+Power, is a subsidiary of EN+Group
owned by Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska.

The company possesses 14 power stations in Siberia and is Russia's
largest privately controlled power operator. With a total capacity of
19.5 gigawatts, EuroSibEnergo generated almost 9 percent of the
country�s electricity and produced 82.8 billion kilowatt hours of
electricity last year.

CYPC is China's largest listed state-run hydropower corporation
operating hydropower plants on the Yangtze River, including the world's
largest hydropower plant the Three Gorges Dam. The actual capacity under
the company�s operation and management has reached 12.58 megawatts. The
company sells its electricity mainly to central and eastern China.

The signed agreement of cooperation upgrades EuroSibEnergo's power
assets and the provides for the construction of new hydro power plants
in Russia, with specific focus on Siberia, according to a company press
release. These projects aim to feed the growing domestic demand for
electricity anticipated in the region and to create additional capacity
for power exports from Siberia to the northeastern regions of China.

"Russia, the Siberian region in particular, has significant undeveloped
hydroelectric resources. This agreement strengthens energy cooperation
between Russia and China," said Andrey Likhachev, chairman of EuroSibEnergo.

"Russia has an abundant supply of hydro power resources and China has
enormous demand for power. Our joint development of hydro power resource
is strategically important for the business development of companies
involved and also for Sino-Russian cooperation," Cao Guangjing, CYPC
chairman, said in a statement.

Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska is valuing his electricity producer
EuroSibEnergo at around US$ 8 billion ahead of a planned Hong Kong
initial public offer this autumn. EuroSibEnergo has hired China's BOC
International and Deutsche Bank AG as joint consultants to support its
US$2 billion Hong Kong IPO, sources close to the deal told reporters
earlier this year.
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Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Sarawak NGO condemns water impoundment for Bakun dam

Sarawak Conservation Alliance for Natural Environment (SCANE)
Date: 13 October 2010

*SCANE condemns governments for allowing water impoundment for Bakun dam*

*Miri *(13 October 2010): Sarawak Conservation Alliance for Natural
Environment (SCANE) condemns both the Federal government of Malaysia and
the Sarawak State government action for permitting the Sarawak Hidro Sdn
Bhd to proceed with its water impoundment for Bakun Hydroelectric dam
without having any Emergency Rescue Plan (ERP) to encounter any
eventualities of environmental disasters due to dam failure.

SCANE has been informed that Sarawak Hidro will start with the water
impoundment for the dam as early as from today onward. On Monday, a
tragedy happened at the dam site where a long boat was capsized and a
man has been reported still missing.

Once again, SCANE warns the Sarawak Hidro Sdn Bhd not to start but stop
immediately the act of impounding water for Bakun dam by having failure
of coming up with any Emergency Rescue Plan (ERP) that guarantees the
safety of the communities living downstream of the dam. The government
(s) and the Sarawak Hidro should not too hastily to close the river
diversion tunnels to impound water for the dam until the ERP have been
drawn and the public at large are well informed of the plan and that all
precautionary measures are ready in place and operational.

Prior to the water impoundment for the dam, the communities downstream
and public at large should be adequately and extensive informed of the
adverse impacts of the dam as erecting of monstrous project like Bakun
dam could entail consequences, some of which might not have been
foreseen. SCANE fears that the impoundment of the dam may cause
environmental disorders that would eventually trigger earthquakes,
landslides and floods.

SCANE condemns the hasty act of dam impoundment and calls upon the
Government and Sarawak Hidro to put in place the security and emergency
plan prior to the water impoundment process for Bakun dam rather than
just totally overlooked these matters and simply gambles with nature,
human safety and security aspects of the dam.

Raymond Abin,

The National Coordinator

Sarawak Conservation Alliance for Natural Environment (SCANE)
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Monday, October 11, 2010

Jairam Ramesh asks for moratorium on hydro projects in Arunachal Pradesh

www.financialexpress.com/news/in-note-to-pm-jairam-takes-on-govt-puts-question-mark-on-ne-projects/694160/1
<http://www.financialexpress.com/news/in-note-to-pm-jairam-takes-on-govt-puts-question-mark-on-ne-projects/694160/1>

In note to PM, Jairam takes on govt, puts question mark on N-E projects
Ravish Tiwari, Financial Express
Posted: Friday, Oct 08, 2010 at 2356 hrs IST

New Delhi: In unprecedented distancing from the government by a key
minister and questioning its development works in the strategic
North-East and Bhutan, environment minister Jairam Ramesh has taken up
with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh demands for a review of all hydel
projects in the region and a "moratorium on any further clearances for
hydel projects in Arunachal Pradesh" since "these are bound to be the
subject of agitation" in Assam.

In a letter to the PM on September 16 after attending a meeting in
Guwahati of "civil society organisations" opposed to big dams, Ramesh
has highlighted the views of 'some NGOs' that "we should not make
Arunachal Pradesh a pawn in the race between India and China".

This, Ramesh states, was the response to his explanation on the
'strategic significance' of projects in Arunachal Pradesh. But in his
letter, he only names one NGO called Adi Students Union which made a
representation to him on this issue.

At least ten times in the three-page letter to the PM, he refers to
'sentiments', 'dominant view', 'great concern', 'concerns of the
people', 'opposition building up'.

The letter ends with the warning that the "feeling in vocal sections
of Assam's society particularly appears to be that 'mainland India' is
exploiting the North-East hydel resources for its benefits".

What's worrying for the government is that Ramesh has already made
some assurances that could impact the pace of progress. "What I could
assure the audience, of course, is that for projects not yet started,
we will carry out cumulative environmental impact assessment studies
as well as comprehensive biodiversity studies."

This flies in the face of his own commitment to fast-track projects on
the Siang river in Arunachal Pradesh. It is recorded in the minutes of
a recent meeting of the task force on hydro power development: "MoS
for environment and forests emphasised the need for time-bound
development of hydro potential in Siang river and he offered, on his
part, to consider forest and environment clearance on a fast track
basis for hydro electric projects in Siang river."

Ramesh has taken up with the PM concerns over mega projects in Bhutan
like the Kurichu dam and Mangdechhu hydel project. These are bound to
have diplomatic ramifications as these projects are being built with
Indian help, and power produced from them would be purchased by India.
There are strong strategic underpinnings to these projects as they
symbolise the cooperation hastened by Bhutan's unflinching support to
not let its territory be used by N-E insurgent groups. Confirming that
he had written to the PM after his trip to the N-E, Ramesh refused to
go into details. He, however, said the PM is slated to take an
inter-ministerial meeting on the subject on October 13.

In his letter, Ramesh has pointed to concerns over projects mostly
being built on tributaries of the Brahmaputra which even China is
looking to harness on its side. He is careful enough to front these as
views distilled from a "public consultation" organised at the "request
of a large number of civil society organizations in Assam" on
September 10 where he claims "over a thousand people participated in
an interaction which extended over six hours". At the same time, he
ends up lending weight to some of these concerns while pointing out
that elections in Assam are due in next six months. "Even leaving
aside polls, these issues are important in themselves and merit our
serious consideration. I believe that some of the concerns that were
expressed cannot be dismissed lightly." The key concerns and
"sentiments" to which Ramesh has sought to draw the PM's attention
are:

* There should be a "moratorium on any further clearances for hydel
projects in Arunachal Pradesh" until downstream impact assessment
studies, cumulative environment impact assessment studies and
biodiversity impact studies are completed.

* The 135 dams of different capacities being planned in Arunachal
Pradesh "are being given green signal" without carrying out these
studies.

* These MoUs signed "with the knowledge of the Central government"
have not taken on board the concerns of the people of Assam. "The
Government of Assam should be a party to these MoUs, especially where
downstream impacts are significant". Incidentally, most of these MoUs
were signed during the first UPA government.

* There is "great concern" on the downstream impact in certain
districts of Assam from "existing hydel projects of NEEPCO like
Ranganadi and Kopili". Incidentally, these projects have been declared
fully operational more than five years ago. "There is also concern on
the Kurichu hydel project executed by India in Bhutan and its
downstream impacts in districts like Barpeta, Baska, Nalbari and
Kamrup."

* "There is opposition building up in Assam to the 2000-mw Lower
Subansiri hydel project being implemented by NHPC in Arunachal
Pradesh... the demand being made, on the basis of an expert committee
report prepared by a team from IIT Guwahati, Guwahati University and
Dibrugarh University is for the project to be scrapped". Ramesh,
however, has also clarified in his letter that he told the audience he
was "in no position to make any commitment on the existing Lower
Subansiri".

* Award of projects in Arunachal Pradesh to different companies in the
same river basin is making the "task of environment impact assessment
very difficult". The examples given are of three different companies
involved in projects on Subansiri and also on Siang.

* The 1750-mw Lower Demwe hydel project on the Lohit river "should not
be given forest clearance, although environmental clearance has
already been given for the project" because of the downstream impact
of this project on Assam.

* The 1500-mw Tipaimukh hydro-electric project in Manipur "should not
be proceeded till a comprehensive downstream impact assessment study
has been undertaken".

* Impact of hydel projects in Bhutan need to be "studied better". The
entire approach to dams in the N-E "needs to be looked afresh"....
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