Monday, December 27, 2010

African huts far from the grid glow with renewable power

(Originally from the New York Times.)
http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=232874

December 26, 2010

African huts far from the grid glow with renewable power
By Elisabeth Rosenthal

KIPTUSURI, Kenya (The New York Times) � For Sara Ruto, the desperate
yearning for electricity began last year with the purchase of her first
cellphone, a lifeline for receiving small money transfers, contacting
relatives in the city or checking chicken prices at the nearest market.

Charging the phone was no simple matter in this farming village far from
Kenya�s electric grid.

Every week, Ms. Ruto walked two miles to hire a motorcycle taxi for the
three-hour ride to Mogotio, the nearest town with electricity. There, she
dropped off her cellphone at a store that recharges phones for 30 cents.
Yet the service was in such demand that she had to leave it behind for
three full days before returning.

That wearying routine ended in February when the family sold some animals
to buy a small Chinese-made solar power system for about $80. Now balanced
precariously atop their tin roof, a lone solar panel provides enough
electricity to charge the phone and run four bright overhead lights with
switches.

�My main motivation was the phone, but this has changed so many other
things,� Ms. Ruto said on a recent evening as she relaxed on a bench in
the mud-walled shack she shares with her husband and six children.

As small-scale renewable energy becomes cheaper, more reliable and more
efficient, it is providing the first drops of modern power to people who
live far from slow-growing electricity grids and fuel pipelines in
developing countries. Although dwarfed by the big renewable energy
projects that many industrialized countries are embracing to rein in
greenhouse gas emissions, these tiny systems are playing an epic,
transformative role.

Since Ms. Ruto hooked up the system, her teenagers� grades have improved
because they have light for studying. The toddlers no longer risk burns
from the smoky kerosene lamp. And each month, she saves $15 in kerosene
and battery costs � and the $20 she used to spend on travel.

In fact, neighbors now pay her 20 cents to charge their phones, although
that business may soon evaporate: 63 families in Kiptusuri have recently
installed their own solar power systems.

�You leapfrog over the need for fixed lines,� said Adam Kendall, head of
the sub-Saharan Africa power practice for McKinsey & Company, the global
consulting firm. �Renewable energy becomes more and more important in less
and less developed markets.�

The United Nations estimates that 1.5 billion people across the globe
still live without electricity, including 85 percent of Kenyans, and that
three billion still cook and heat with primitive fuels like wood or
charcoal.

There is no reliable data on the spread of off-grid renewable energy on a
small scale, in part because the projects are often installed by
individuals or tiny nongovernmental organizations.

But Dana Younger, senior renewable energy adviser at the International
Finance Corporation, the World Bank Group�s private lending arm, said
there was no question that the trend was accelerating. �It�s a phenomenon
that�s sweeping the world; a huge number of these systems are being
installed,� Mr. Younger said.

With the advent of cheap solar panels and high-efficiency LED lights,
which can light a room with just 4 watts of power instead of 60, these
small solar systems now deliver useful electricity at a price that even
the poor can afford, he noted. �You�re seeing herders in Inner Mongolia
with solar cells on top of their yurts,� Mr. Younger said.

In Africa, nascent markets for the systems have sprung up in Ethiopia,
Uganda, Malawi and Ghana as well as in Kenya, said Francis Hillman, an
energy entrepreneur who recently shifted his Eritrea-based business,
Phaesun Asmara, from large solar projects financed by nongovernmental
organizations to a greater emphasis on tiny rooftop systems.

In addition to these small solar projects, renewable energy technologies
designed for the poor include simple subterranean biogas chambers that
make fuel and electricity from the manure of a few cows, and �mini�
hydroelectric dams that can harness the power of a local river for an
entire village.

Yet while these off-grid systems have proved their worth, the lack of an
effective distribution network or a reliable way of financing the start-up
costs has prevented them from becoming more widespread.

�The big problem for us now is there is no business model yet,� said John
Maina, executive coordinator of Sustainable Community Development
Services, or Scode, a nongovernmental organization based in Nakuru, Kenya,
that is devoted to bringing power to rural areas.

Just a few years ago, Mr. Maina said, �solar lights� were merely basic
lanterns, dim and unreliable.

�Finally, these products exist, people are asking for them and are willing
to pay,� he said. �But we can�t get supply.� He said small African
organizations like his do not have the purchasing power or connections to
place bulk orders themselves from distant manufacturers, forcing them to
scramble for items each time a shipment happens to come into the country.

Part of the problem is that the new systems buck the traditional mold, in
which power is generated by a very small number of huge government-owned
companies that gradually extend the grid into rural areas. Investors are
reluctant to pour money into products that serve a dispersed market of
poor rural consumers because they see the risk as too high.

�There are many small islands of success, but they need to go to scale,�
said Minoru Takada, chief of the United Nations Development Program�s
sustainable energy program. �Off-grid is the answer for the poor. But
people who control funding need to see this as a viable option.�

Even United Nations programs and United States government funds that
promote climate-friendly energy in developing countries hew to large
projects like giant wind farms or industrial-scale solar plants that feed
into the grid. A $300 million solar project is much easier to finance and
monitor than 10 million home-scale solar systems in mud huts spread across
a continent.

As a result, money does not flow to the poorest areas. Of the $162 billion
invested in renewable energy last year, according to the United Nations,
experts estimate that $44 billion was spent in China, India and Brazil
collectively, and $7.5 billion in the many poorer countries.

Only 6 to 7 percent of solar panels are manufactured to produce
electricity that does not feed into the grid; that includes systems like
Ms. Ruto�s and solar panels that light American parking lots and football
stadiums.

Still, some new models are emerging. Husk Power Systems, a young company
supported by a mix of private investment and nonprofit funds, has built 60
village power plants in rural India that make electricity from rice husks
for 250 hamlets since 2007.

In Nepal and Indonesia, the United Nations Development Program has helped
finance the construction of very small hydroelectric plants that have
brought electricity to remote mountain communities. Morocco provides
subsidized solar home systems at a cost of $100 each to remote rural areas
where expanding the national grid is not cost-effective.

What has most surprised some experts in the field is the recent emergence
of a true market in Africa for home-scale renewable energy and for
appliances that consume less energy. As the cost of reliable equipment
decreases, families have proved ever more willing to buy it by selling a
goat or borrowing money from a relative overseas, for example.

The explosion of cellphone use in rural Africa has been an enormous
motivating factor. Because rural regions of many African countries lack
banks, the cellphone has been embraced as a tool for commercial
transactions as well as personal communications, adding an incentive to
electrify for the sake of recharging.

M-Pesa, Kenya�s largest mobile phone money transfer service, handles an
annual cash flow equivalent to more than 10 percent of the country�s gross
domestic product, most in tiny transactions that rarely exceed $20.

The cheap renewable energy systems also allow the rural poor to save money
on candles, charcoal, batteries, wood and kerosene. �So there is an
ability to pay and a willingness to pay,� said Mr. Younger of the
International Finance Corporation.

In another Kenyan village, Lochorai, Alice Wangui, 45, and Agnes Mwaforo,
35, formerly subsistence farmers, now operate a booming business selling
and installing energy-efficient wood-burning cooking stoves made of clay
and metal for a cost of $5. Wearing matching bright orange tops and
skirts, they walk down rutted dirt paths with cellphones ever at their
ears, edging past goats and dogs to visit customers and to calm those on
the waiting list.

Hunched over her new stove as she stirred a stew of potatoes and beans,
Naomi Muriuki, 58, volunteered that the appliance had more than halved her
use of firewood. Wood has become harder to find and expensive to buy as
the government tries to limit deforestation, she added.

In Tumsifu, a slightly more prosperous village of dairy farmers, Virginia
Wairimu, 35, is benefiting from an underground tank in which the manure
from her three cows is converted to biogas, which is then pumped through a
rubber tube to a gas burner.

�I can just get up and make breakfast,"" Ms. Wairimu said. The system was
financed with a $400 loan from a demonstration project that has since
expired.

In Kiptusuri, the Firefly LED system purchased by Ms. Ruto is this year�s
must-have item. The smallest one, which costs $12, consists of a solar
panel that can be placed in a window or on a roof and is connected to a
desk lamp and a phone charger. Slightly larger units can run radios and
black-and-white television sets.

Of course, such systems cannot compare with a grid connection in the
industrialized world. A week of rain can mean no lights. And items like
refrigerators need more, and more consistent, power than a panel provides.

Still, in Kenya, even grid-based electricity is intermittent and
expensive: families must pay more than $350 just to have their homes
hooked up.

�With this system, you get a real light for what you spend on kerosene in
a few months,� said Mr. Maina, of Sustainable Community Development
Services. �When you can light your home and charge your phone, that is
very valuable.�

Photo: Thanks to this solar panel, Sara Ruto no longer takes a three-hour
taxi ride to a town with electricity to recharge her cellphone. (Ed Ou/The
New York Times)
________________________________________________

You received this message as a subscriber on the list: africa@list.internationalrivers.org

To be removed from the list, please visit:
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2486/unsubscribe.jsp

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Alstom to supply equipment to Guanyinyan hydroelectric dam in China

Alstom to supply equipment to Guanyinyan hydroelectric dam in China

http://www.elp.com/index/display/article-display/9840657585/articles/electric-light-power/renewable-energy/hydro/2010/12/Alstom_to_supply_equipment_to_Guanyinyan_hydroelectric_dam_in_China.html

Paris, December 16, 2010 — Alstom has won a contract worth about $92.6 million for the supply of equipment to a new hydroelectric dam in China.

The contract, awarded to Alstom by the Datang Guanyinyan Hydropower Development Co. Ltd, involves the supply of three 600 MW Francis turbine generator units to the new Guanyinyan hydropower station on the Jinsha River in Yunnan province. The first unit is due to enter commercial operation in 2014.

DaTang Guanyinyan Hydropower Development Co. Ltd is a member of the China Datang Corp., one of China's top five power generation groups.

This is Alstom's second contract with the company following the PengShui hydropower project in 2004, for which Alstom supplied five 350 MW Francis turbine generator units.

Hydropower accounts for 22 percent of China's electricity generation capacity and is expanding at a rate of 15 GW per year. Over 110 new hydro projects are currently in the planning stage, to be completed by 2020.

Key projects include Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest power plant, to which Alstom supplied 14 units of 700 MW each, XiaJiang (five 40 MW units), Li Yuan (four 600 MW units) and Xianjiaba (four 800 MW units). The 800 MW turbines designed, engineered and manufactured by Alstom for Xianjiaba are the world's largest hydro turbines ever manufactured to date.



________________________________________________ You received this message as a subscriber on the list: china@list.internationalrivers.org To be removed from the list, please visit: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2486/unsubscribe.jsp

Malaysia's Tenaga signs deals (with Sinohydro) worth over 1 bln rgt for hydro project

Malaysia's Tenaga signs deals worth over 1 bln rgt for hydro project
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL3E6NG0P120101216

* Signs three agreements worth 1.05 billion ringgit ($333.3 million)

* Two new hydroelectric dams generating 250 mw to be commissioned in 2015

* Construction to be handled by JV comprising Sinohydro and Loh & Loh

* India's Alstom involved in constructing generating plants

By Min Hun Fong

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Malaysia's national power producer Tenaga Nasional has signed three agreements worth over 1 billion Malaysian ringgit ($318.7 million)for its Hulu Terengganu hydroelectric project.

The project, which will involve the construction of two dams and the installation of generating facilities on the east coast of the peninsular, is expected to have a maximum output of 250 megawatts.

An analyst with a local brokerage told Reuters the deal was anticipated by the research community and was largely priced in by the market.

"Tenaga has a cashflow of 3-4 billion ringgit a year and a net gearing of about 45 percent," said the analyst, who cannot be named as she is not authorised to speak to the media. "They can easily take on more debt for this project."

The three agreements comprise an 828.3 million ringgit ($264 million) venture with a unit of Loh & Loh Corp and China's Sinohydro , a 127.6 million ringgit ($40.7) deal with a consortium comprising Alstom Projects India and its Malaysian counterpart, and a third agreement with several engineering firms worth about 90 million ringgit ($28.7 million).

The Loh & Loh-Sinohydro collaboration will construct the two dams and the Alsom consortium would be building the two generating plants.

Tenaga Nasional is Malaysia's state-owned power producer, and solely responsible for the distribution of electricity in the country.

The power company is looking to expand its generating capacities as it is expected to breach the 20 percent reserve capacity by 2015, which is also when the Hulu Terengganu hydroelectric dams are due to be commissioned.

It is also looking at the construction of a second coal-fired plant in the state of Perak, which is located on the west coast of the peninsula.

Tenaga's shares closed down 1.4 percent on Thursday. The announcement was made after the local bourse closed for the day. ($1 = 3.138 Malaysian Ringgit) (Reporting by Min Hun Fong and Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)


________________________________________________ This is International Rivers' mailing list on China's global footprint, and particularly Chinese investment in international dam projects. You received this message as a subscriber on the list: chinaglobal@list.internationalrivers.org To be removed from the list, please visit: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2486/unsubscribe.jsp

Bujagali line cost may skyrocket

FYI

http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/220/741133

Bujagali line costs may skyrocket

Tuesday, 14th December, 2010    



By Ibrahim Kasita

THE cost of constructing the transmission link for the 250MW Bujagali hydropower project is likely to go up, a scenario that will keep electricity end-user tariffs high, the project engineers have indicated.

Jyoti Structures, an Indian firm construction the $76m interconnection project, attributed the rise in project costs to deviation from the original plan.

“We had to avoid the swampy areas at Lubigi,” Rajesh Pandey, the senior project manager, disclosed.

“We had to divert the transmission corridor two kilometres away from the original route. This has to affect the project costs.”

The revelation comes at a time when there were concerns that the cost of the Bujagali dam was crossing the$1b mark, making it the most expensive dam in the world.

The multi-donor sponsored project encountered “unfavourable ground conditions,” necessitating significant redesign and construction of a new major structure related to the special gates in order to safeguard the safety of the dam.

This, experts say, has pushed the project cost up, causing fears that this would be transmitted to the end-user tariffs.

When Bujagali project was conceived and appraised, it was expected that a unit of power would cost $6 cents, but engineers familiar with the project now estimate that a unit will cost $13 cents. The project was meant to increase power supply at lower costs.

The interconnection project is for the Uganda Electricity Transmission Company to supply power to the national electrical grid. It strengthens the evacuation of electricity.

It includes a 70km line to convey power generated to a new substation in Kawanda, on the outskirts of Kampala.

This is in addition to a 17km-line to connect the Kawanda substation to the Mutundwe substation located in the southwest section of Kampala, where minor upgrades are needed to accept the new line.

Two transmission lines stretching five kilometres are being established to interconnect Bujagali and Tororo substation in eastern Uganda and the Nalubaale substation in Jinja.

Similarly, vandalism and theft of electrical equipment has also the on-going construction works.

Angle nuts, stay earth wires and galvanised angle bars for the power pylons (towers) were cut and stolen by unknown thugs recently.

This, project engineers say, might delay and increase the project costs. The negative developments have emerged at a time when Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania had last year agreed to suspend trade in and export of scrap metals to fight vandalism of electrical and water equipment.

Utility companies have on many occasions complained that vandalising their equipment was costing them billions of shillings. The vice risks a regional blackout and threatens security of banks information systems.

http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/220/741133

Bujagali line costs may skyrocket

Tuesday, 14th December, 2010

By Ibrahim Kasita

THE cost of constructing the transmission link for the 250MW Bujagali
hydropower project is likely to go up, a scenario that will keep
electricity end-user tariffs high, the project engineers have indicated.

Jyoti Structures, an Indian firm construction the $76m interconnection
project, attributed the rise in project costs to deviation from the
original plan.

"We had to avoid the swampy areas at Lubigi," Rajesh Pandey, the senior
project manager, disclosed.

"We had to divert the transmission corridor two kilometres away from the
original route. This has to affect the project costs."

The revelation comes at a time when there were concerns that the cost of
the Bujagali dam was crossing the$1b mark, making it the most expensive
dam in the world.

The multi-donor sponsored project encountered "unfavourable ground
conditions," necessitating significant redesign and construction of a
new major structure related to the special gates in order to safeguard
the safety of the dam.

This, experts say, has pushed the project cost up, causing fears that
this would be transmitted to the end-user tariffs.

When Bujagali project was conceived and appraised, it was expected that
a unit of power would cost $6 cents, but engineers familiar with the
project now estimate that a unit will cost $13 cents. The project was
meant to increase power supply at lower costs.

The interconnection project is for the Uganda Electricity Transmission
Company to supply power to the national electrical grid. It strengthens
the evacuation of electricity.

It includes a 70km line to convey power generated to a new substation in
Kawanda, on the outskirts of Kampala.

This is in addition to a 17km-line to connect the Kawanda substation to
the Mutundwe substation located in the southwest section of Kampala,
where minor upgrades are needed to accept the new line.

Two transmission lines stretching five kilometres are being established
to interconnect Bujagali and Tororo substation in eastern Uganda and the
Nalubaale substation in Jinja.

Similarly, vandalism and theft of electrical equipment has also the
on-going construction works.

Angle nuts, stay earth wires and galvanised angle bars for the power
pylons (towers) were cut and stolen by unknown thugs recently.

This, project engineers say, might delay and increase the project costs.
The negative developments have emerged at a time when Uganda, Kenya and
Tanzania had last year agreed to suspend trade in and export of scrap
metals to fight vandalism of electrical and water equipment.

Utility companies have on many occasions complained that vandalising
their equipment was costing them billions of shillings. The vice risks a
regional blackout and threatens security of banks information systems.

________________________________________________

You received this message as a subscriber on the list: africa@list.internationalrivers.org

To be removed from the list, please visit:
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2486/unsubscribe.jsp

Is China greening Africa?

Is China greening Africa?
Stephen Marks
Pambazuka News, 2010-12-16, Issue 510
http://pambazuka.org/en/category/features/69639

Is China smartening up its environmental and social act in Africa? It
certainly wants to be seen as doing just that. One telling example was
the recent Chinese government-sponsored 'top Chinese enterprises in
Africa' competition, won by China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC).

The aim of the award was officially stated as being 'to commend the
contributions by Chinese enterprises in Africa' and 'reply to Western
criticisms of Chinese enterprises with facts.' The competition, which
was jointly sponsored by the Chinese-African People's Friendship
Association, China Radio International and Africa magazine, kicked off
on 22 October with the launch of a website for online voting. According
to the website, the winning enterprises should 'devote significant
resources for African countries' local economy and social development,
fulfil corporate social responsibility and make a positive return to the
local people of Africa.'

Another Chinese award winner is China Merchants Bank, which in September
was declared the winner of the third annual Green Banking Innovation
Award. Fifteen leading Chinese commercial banks were judged on their
overseas investments as well as corporate governance issues, such as
information disclosure, environmental policies and implementation
measures. Nine Chinese environmental NGOs came together to conduct the
competition - Green Watershed, Friends of Nature, Institute of Public &
Environmental Affairs, Green Earth Volunteers, Global Environment
Institute, Civil Society Watch, China Development Brief, Green Volunteer
League of Chongqing and Hengduan Mountains Research Society.

This trend is not new. In July 2009, in what the international NGO
International Rivers called 'the most significant step yet' China's
ministries of commerce and environmental protection published draft
'Guidelines on the Environmental Behavior of Chinese Foreign Investors'.
The guidelines emphasise the social and environmental responsibility of
Chinese companies and banks abroad, and foresee the creation of appeal
mechanisms for 'local controversial projects.'

But how far does this indicate a likely real shift in the behaviour of
Chinese companies on the ground, and how far is it simply a Chinese
version of the 'greenwash' for which Western companies and governments
have themselves long been notorious?

The 15 October incident at a Zambian coal mine, where Chinese
supervisors shot and wounded 11 workers in a labour conflict brought
back memories of the blast at Zambia's Chambishi copper mines which
killed 49 workers in 2005, followed by the killing of five workers by
security guards at the same location a year later.

Of course Chinese companies are often used as a whipping boy for the
failure of African governments to apply their own regulations. A report
by the South African Institute for International Affairs (SAIIA) in
July, three months before the shooting incident, stressed the failure of
regulation by the Zambian government, especially its reliance on
self-reporting and the influence of close relations between foreign
investors and local leaders.

There have been signs that African governments have been taking such
criticisms on board. In October alone there were reports that Nigeria
had closed the Abuja branch of China Civil Engineering Construction
Company (CCECC) over its poor health and safety record (as well as
another non-Chinese company) and that Mozambique had withdrawn the
labour permits of three Chinese found guilty of assaults on workers and
other violations of labour and company law in the construction industry.

One common response to the record of some Chinese companies in these
areas is to point out that conditions within China are often no better,
especially in the mining sector. But here too things seem to be
changing. China Daily has reported that - in a pilot programme -
underground mine-accident shelters, escape capsules and other emergency
facilities are being installed in seven coal mines in Shanxi province.
Citing China Youth Daily, the report said a Lu'an Group mine in Changzhi
city was the first to install the facilities. The report follows the 16
October deaths of 37 miners trapped by a gas leak at a Pingyu Coal &
Electric Company mine in Henan.

International Rivers has pulled no punches in its criticism of Chinese
companies and the Chinese government over such issues as the coal mine
shootings. Policy director Peter Bosshard described conditions at the
Collum mine as 'scandalous' and pointed out that in China's overseas
investment, unlike conditions within China, 'muzzling public opinion is
not usually possible'.

'If the Chinese government is serious about cleaning up the safety,
labor and environmental record of its overseas investors,
recommendations and appeals will no longer do the trick' he concluded.
Pointing out that the Chinese government still owns the major companies,
he concluded that it should 'quickly adopt the environmental guidelines
for foreign investors, which have lingered in draft stage for too long.
It should closely supervise Chinese companies which invest abroad, and
crack down on investors which violate Chinese guidelines and local law'.

You might think with this record that International Rivers was the sort
of 'Western NGO' that China loves to hate. But as Peter Bosshard told a
recent workshop on environmental aspects of China's engagement in
low-income countries the Chinese government wants Chinese firms overseas
to be responsible actors and is interested in learning from Western
experts on the use of environmental guidelines.

International Rivers has been invited to advise Eximbank and Sinohydro
on their environmental policies, and Sinohydro has adopted the
recommended guidelines for complaints policy. The Gabonese environmental
NGO Brainforest scored a victory when in response to its concerns,
Eximbank suspended its support for a massive iron ore development
project complete with hydropower dam, railway line and port, which would
have violated environmental guidelines and devastated a national park.

On the other hand Sinohydro is going ahead with the much-criticised Gibe
3 dam in Ethiopia which, critics say, violates local laws, and the
world's biggest bank Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, is
underwriting a US$500m loan to Chinese companies to buy equipment for
the project. [Note: the Chinese company in this project is Dongfang
Electric Corporation, not Sinohydro.]

The pessimists would see this as evidence for the 'greenwash' theory.
But it might be more realistic, and more constructive, to see it as an
aspect of a global contestation between elements in government and civil
society which see the need to enforce environmental standards, and
profit-driven firms, whatever their ownership, who will cut corners when
allowed to.

As Peter Bosshard pointed out to the IDS workshop, at least the Chinese
government supports moves by Chinese environmental NGOs to encourage
Chinese firms to apply Chinese laws and standards in their overseas
operations: 'You would not get far in Switzerland trying to get Swiss
firms to apply Swiss law overseas, or in the US either'.


* Stephen Marks is co-ordinator of the Fahamu China in Africa project. A
researcher and writer specialising in economic development and
environmental issues as they impact on civil society, he has worked as a
consultant for a number of international projects.
* Please send comments to editor@pambazuka.org or comment online at
Pambazuka News.
________________________________________________

This is International Rivers' mailing list on China's global footprint, and particularly Chinese investment in
international dam projects.

You received this message as a subscriber on the list: chinaglobal@list.internationalrivers.org

To be removed from the list, please visit:
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2486/unsubscribe.jsp

Big hydro not affordable to Ugandans

http://allafrica.com/stories/201012160097.html

Uganda: Renewable Energy to Deepen Rural Penetration

David Ssempijja

15 December 2010


COMMUNITIES are increasingly getting more attracted into using solar as an
alternative source of energy.

Joseph Mukasa is a fisherman operating on Kiyindi landing site. He has
benefited from using solar power for mobile phone charging and lighting
for the last one year.

"Charging a mobile phone on this landing site used to cost me between
sh1,000 and sh1,500 every two days. The 5watt Firefly Power pack I bought
at sh250,000 in November last year enables me charge my phone while
fishing, at the same time light system I use on the lake at night plus
those that light my home," he says.

There are also other renewable energy sources like wind, rain , tides and
geothermal heat that can be naturally replenished.

Willian Bullu has dealt in selling electronics for seven years and owns a
shop in Seeta, in Mukono district.

He says the increasing costs of hydro electric power makes the solar power
shift from being considered a reserve for the only rural population.

According to State Minister for Energy, Simon D'ujanga, Uganda needs more
innovative private investors into renewable energy.

Boldewijn Sloet, General manager of Base Technologies says that the
problems associate with lack of affordable hydro power and the money spent
on Kerosene calls for more advanced technology to create electricity from
natural renewable sources.

According to company research, an average Ugandan spends between sh5,000
to sh10,000 on kerosene for lighting per month. He said that investing
this money in a solar lamp would be more economical as it pays itself back
in 4-5 months. In addition, the lamps decrease on the health and fire
hazards.

The recent report by the International Finance Cooperation of the World
Bank indicates that over $17b is spent annually for buying kerosene in
Africa , whereas $38b is by the two billion people without access to
electricity world over.


Finca, a local microfinance institution conducted a survey of 56 of its
micro-energy clients and found that 98% would recommend switching to solar
while 57% solar users had improved respiratory health and 50% had improved
eye health.

The survey indicated that lighting also allowed children to study at night
and 84% of clients highlighted this as a benefit of the system. 91% of
clients said they saved on kerosene costs while 82% saved on phone
charging.

Sloet calls for quality controls and enforcement of standards to keep the
market from being flooded by fake products.

The additional challenge is that controlling bodies have not defined clear
and transparent quality standards and measuring methods.
________________________________________________

You received this message as a subscriber on the list: africa@list.internationalrivers.org

To be removed from the list, please visit:
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2486/unsubscribe.jsp

Press Release: NGOs Call for a Moratorium on BHP Billiton’s Congo Smelter

International Rivers
For Immediate Release
December 16, 2010

Contact:
Terri Hathaway, Africa Program Director
(cell in Cameroon) +237 70 49 14 06

NGOs Call for a Moratorium on BHP Billiton's Congo Smelter

International civil society groups have called on BHP Billiton to halt
its plans for a US$5 billion aluminum smelter and the associated $3.5
billion Inga 3 hydropower scheme in Democratic Republic of Congo, one of
the world's most corrupt and under-developed countries. The proposed
smelter would consume 2,500 MW of electricity, more than DR Congo's
entire current power supply.

In a letter to the chairman of BHP Billiton, 14 African and
international organizations urged the corporation to impose a moratorium
on the project until the Congolese government first fulfills its
commitments to bring electricity to its citizens.

An estimated 62 million Congolese people – 94% of the population – do
not have access to electricity. The Congolese government has set an
aggressive goal to increase electrification rates ten-fold within 15
years (to 60% by 2025), but has yet to explain how it intends to achieve
this target. By focusing the Congolese energy sector's attention on
developing Inga 3, BHP Billiton could derail the country's efforts
toward achieving its electrification goals – and thus damage its poverty
eradication efforts.

Daily power outages plague those few who are connected to the state's
dilapidated power grid. Despite available funding, an urgent
rehabilitation of the grid has languished since 2003 with little
explanation.

The letter warns about the project's misleading economic benefits. The
proposed smelter would create very few jobs relative to the electricity
it would consume. Undisclosed power and investment contracts are
expected to cost the Congolese people by giving undue preference to BHP
Billiton. Examples from elsewhere in Africa are revealing: terms of BHP
Billiton's long-standing smelter deals in southern Africa sent
shockwaves through the region in April when they were publicly disclosed.

Says Terri Hathaway of International Rivers: "One of the world's richest
corporations is jumping the development queue ahead of some of the
world's poorest people. BHP Billiton's flagrant disregard for the
consequences of this venture is alarming."

The NGOs' proposed moratorium would halt BHP Billiton's involvement in
the Inga 3 hydropower scheme until the rehabilitation of the poorly
performing Inga 1 and Inga 2 dams has been successfully completed and
the government has prepared an action plan to achieve its electricity
access target. It would also call on BHP Billiton to refrain from any
financial agreements for Inga 3 or the proposed aluminum smelter until
the Congolese power sector has demonstrated at least two years of
successful, post-rehabilitation financial and technical operation.

Read the NGO letter to BHP Billiton:
http://www.internationalrivers.org/en/node/6058

International Rivers is an environmental and human rights organization
with staff in four continents. For over two decades, International
Rivers has been at the heart of the global struggle to protect rivers
and the rights of communities that depend on them.

International Rivers www.internationalrivers.org
--30--
________________________________________________

You received this message as a subscriber on the list: africa@list.internationalrivers.org

To be removed from the list, please visit:
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2486/unsubscribe.jsp

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Sierra Leone's Bumbuna Dam

Sierra Leone's Hydro Dam Coming under Fire
Monday, December 13, 2010

Sierra Leone has a history of violence when it comes to its natural
resources, but the potential discovery of the world's largest iron ore
supply has others fearful that chaos will soon erupt.

London-based firm African Minerals has claimed to have found an
11.7-billion-ton deposit of iron ore about 140 miles east of the capital
city Freetown. The company said that over 10,000 jobs could be created
if the discovery holds true, but locals are already up in arms about the
project. The iron ore is also near the 50-MW Bumbuna hydroelectric dam,
valued at over $200 million and it, too, could possibly suffer backlash
as locals are calling it sacred ground.

African Minerals could be the single largest employer in the country,
but it needs land. And with some claiming that the company is already
falling short on its promises for aid, many locals are refusing to
evacuate the area in which African Minerals so desperately needs. On
November 25, disappointment grew into riots as residents staged
protests. Police were forced to use tear gas and shot live rounds in the
air in order to disperse the crowd. However, reports surfaced that
several people were badly beaten.

That night, younger residents went to the mining site and destroyed a
$400,000 drilling rig owned by African Minerals. Although the company
plans to continue its mining, tensions are mounting.
________________________________________________

You received this message as a subscriber on the list: africa@list.internationalrivers.org

To be removed from the list, please visit:
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2486/unsubscribe.jsp

Africa: Continent's Future Lies in a Green Energy Grid

Africa: Continent's Future Lies in a Green Energy Grid

Stephen Leahy

14 December 2010

http://allafrica.com/stories/201012141252.html

Uxbridge, Canada � Development in Africa could falter as climate change
grips the continent, increasing the length and severity of droughts and
floods by altering precipitation patterns, among other impacts.

The region needs a major shift in its economic development policies and
thinking towards decentralised, green economic development, experts now
say.

"The world's big economies are largely living off financial transactions
which are unconnected to development," warns Supachai Panitchpakdi,
secretary-general of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.

"Export growth does not automatically result in green economic growth, we
must look at trade for development," said Panitchpakdi.

In a rejection of failed neoliberal economic policies, Panitchpakdi said
strong national policies on investments, taxation, protection of local
industries, including subsidies, and changes to less restrictive
intellectual property regimes are what is needed to green economies in
Africa and elsewhere.

"Green economic development underpins environmental protection, economic
growth and development," he said.

The tentative global economic recovery this year is largely a jobless
recovery because the current economic growth model is designed to make
"people redundant", said Achim Steiner, executive director of the U.N.
Environment Programme (UNEP).

Tim McKulka

Green economic development ...

"It favours large concentrated power grids, for example, which require
very few people," Steiner told IPS.

A low-carbon economy is not for the rich countries, it is for the poorest
because it is more resource-efficient, employs more people and brings
development at a lower cost, he said, adding, "We have to grow the
economies of Africa but only through green sustainable development,
delinked from increasing resource use."

"After 50 years of development, 80 percent of Kenya's population had no
access to electricity. Now, after a 2008 shift to renewable energy, more
Kenyans have access to electricity than ever before," he noted.

Kenya's feed-in tariff, similar to Germany's, is expected to produce about
1300 MW of electricity generation capacity from biomass, geothermal,
biogas, solar energy, wind, and small hydro this year. A feed-in tariff
offers long-term contracts at a set price based on the cost for renewable
energy generation.

Germany now employs more than 380,000 people in its renewable energy
sector and 1.8 million in its environmental sector - far more than its
vaunted automobile sector, Steiner said.

"More than half a billion people in rural Africa have little or no access
to electricity," noted Nebojsa Nakicenovic of the International Institute
for Applied Systems Analysis in Austria.

"They pay a large part of their incomes for some kerosene lighting or
diesel electric at a cost that is twice that of what the average European
pays," Nakicenovic, a leading energy economist, told IPS. "Or worst of all
they are forced to rely on flashlights, which is the most expensive form
of lighting available."

Universal access to modern energy services globally has been estimated to
cost between $80 and $100 billion a year in a number of recent studies,
including those by the International Energy Agency and the United Nations
Industrial Development Organisation in Vienna.

"That seems like a lot of money but it is significantly less than the $300
to $600 billion being spent annually to subsidise the fossil fuel sector,"
Nakicenovic pointed out.

Technically, it is doable, representing roughly 20 gigawatts of energy
generation - less than what countries like Brazil and South Africa have
been able to add in recent years.
Relevant Links

Increasing energy access in Africa has a huge range of benefits, he says.
It would drive economic development, improve the health of millions by
reducing indoor air pollution from kerosene and biomass burning, reduce
emissions of greenhouse gases like black carbon and reduce deforestation.

Local technology and local energy distribution in the form of small-scale
hydro, biomass, biogas, solar, wind and other forms of production are best
suited to Africa. The challenge is mobilising the investments needed, he
said. These should be national programmes with long-term financial
commitments from the international community.

"We don't need international climate treaties to do this," said
Nakicenovic. "Doing things right will bring green growth and prosperity."

This IPS story is part of a series supported by the Climate and
Development Knowledge Network - http://www.cdkn.org.
________________________________________________

You received this message as a subscriber on the list: africa@list.internationalrivers.org

To be removed from the list, please visit:
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2486/unsubscribe.jsp

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

New dam in China disrupts river trade at major Burma border crossing

New dam in China disrupts river trade at major Burma border crossing
Tuesday, 14 December 2010 10:37 Shan Sapawa/SWAN

http://www.shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3364:-new-dam-in-china-disrupts-river-trade-at-major-burma-border-crossing&catid=102:mailbox&Itemid=279

Press release

A recently built hydropower dam on the Longjiang River in China's Yunnan
Province is causing severe disruption to thousands of villagers relying
on cross-border trade in Burma's northern Shan State, according to a new
report by local Shan researchers.

The report "High and Dry" by the Shan Sapawa Environmental Organisation
and the Shan Women's Action Network (SWAN), exposes how local trade and
transport across the Shweli River (the Burmese name for the Longjiang)
near Muse and Namkham has been crippled by unpredictable daily
fluctuations in the water level since the completion of the 110-meter
tall Longjiang Dam about 30 kilometers upstream in mid-2010.

An estimated 16,000 villagers relying on ferrying of goods near Muse,
the main China-Burma border trade crossing, have seen their income cut
drastically by the continual drops and surges in the water level, which
have caused both grounding and flooding of the ferry boats.

"The people of our village live, eat and work with the river. People
cannot work when the water suddenly rises and falls like this," said an
impacted villager.

The villagers are calling urgently for the Chinese authorities to
investigate and mitigate the disruptive impacts of the dam, while the
authors of the report are requesting that trans-boundary impact
assessments are carried out for any future dams built in China.

"Impact assessments for dams should be carried out for the entire length
of the river, regardless of national boundaries. Whether for the
Longjiang, Mekong or Salween, China should consider the health of our
shared rivers and all the communities that rely on them," said Sapawa
spokesperson Sai Sai.

There has been increasing international debate about the downstream
impacts of China's dams on the Mekong River. There are also 13 dams
planned on the Salween River in China.

The full report can be viewed on www.shanwomen.org

Contact persons: Sai Sai (+66) 83 152 4415
Nang Moan Kaein (+66) 81 992 1121
________________________________________________

This is International Rivers' mailing list on China's global footprint, and particularly Chinese investment in
international dam projects.

You received this message as a subscriber on the list: chinaglobal@list.internationalrivers.org

To be removed from the list, please visit:
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2486/unsubscribe.jsp

Tanzania: Brazil to build Stiegler's Gorge

Yet another mega dam that will "transform" an African economy...

Tanzania plans $2 bln hydro plant with Brazil

http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE6B006I20101201

* Power station to produce 2,100 MW
* Brazil to provide construction expertise
* Project could be up and running by 2015

By Fumbuka Ng'wanakilala

DAR ES SALAAM, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Tanzania is planning with Brazil to
build a power plant estimated to cost $2 billion that could transform
east Africa's second largest economy into a net exporter of
electricity, a senior official said on Wednesday.
Foreign Affairs Minister Bernard Membe and other officials held talks
with their Brazilian counterparts in Sao Paolo in September on the
construction of the proposed 2,100 megawatt (MW) Stiegler's Gorge
hydro-power station.
"The power plant to be constructed using Brazilian technology would
generate excess power that could be exported to the east African and
southern African power pools," Aloyce Masanja, director general of
Tanzania's state-run Rufiji Basin Development Authority, told Reutes.
Masanja said the plant would be a source of cheap, abundant energy at
a cost of around 2 U..S cents per kilowatt hour. It would help control
flooding in the Rufiji area and create a reservoir with a total
capacity of 34 billion cubic metres to supply the commercial capital
Dar es Salaam and other regions.
Tanzania's chronic energy shortages have resulted in rolling power
outages, undermining economic growth in the country.
The government is considering funding options for the project,
including concessional loans, private investment or state financing,
Brazil will provide the technology to build the plant, and a
government delegation from Brazil is expected in Dar es Salaam next
month for further discussions on the project.
"The project would involve the installation of three giant underground
turbines, each with the capacity of producing 700 megawatts of
electricity," Masanja said in an interview.
Masanja said energy companies from Canada, the United States and
Russia had also expressed interest to invest in a power plant at
Stiegler's Gorge, located some 200 km southwest of Tanzania's
commercial capital, Dar es Salaam.
The proposed site of the power plant is located inside The Selous,
Africa's largest game reserve. An environmental impact assessment
showed the project would not affect the wildlife at the area, he said.
A detailed feasibility on the project funded by the Norwegian
government was carried out in the early 1980s, but the project has
been on the back-burner since then due to government bureaucracy and
lack of funds.
"If we start implementing it immediately, the feasibility study can be
updated in 2011 and we can start installing the first turbine in 2012.
By 2015, the project should be fully completed and we can start
enjoying 2,100 megawatts of electricity," said Masanja.
Tanzania has energy demand close to 900 MW capacity, but produces less
than 800 MW.
Only 14 percent of its 40 million people are hooked to the grid, while
demand grows by 10 to 15 percent annually.
The state-run Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO) has for the
past 10 days been carrying out emergency power rationing countrywide
following a drought and breakdowns at gas turbines that have eroded
electricity supplies.
________________________________________________

You received this message as a subscriber on the list: africa@list.internationalrivers.org

To be removed from the list, please visit:
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2486/unsubscribe.jsp

Fwd: [ANEW] RWSN Newsletter - December 2010

*Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN)
NEWSLETTER *
*December 2010*
*http://www.rwsn.ch*

*Greetings*

As 2010 draws to a close, and many of you wind down before the New Year
we once again share the latest news from RWSN with you. In this edition
we bring you the latest field note on the *Siting of Drilled Water
Wells: A guide for Managers <#news1>*, as well as study findings on
*Cost-Effective Boreholes <#news2>* from Uganda, Ghana, Burkina Faso and
Zambia. Self Supply through hand dug wells in urban areas is in the
spotlight, through a *new study just published <#news3>* by the
International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED). We have
compiled a list of practical publications on *hand dug well construction
<#news4>*, which will be useful to many of you. *EMAS <#news5>* will
host a course on low cost technology options in Bolivia (March – April
2011). We are also able to share with you the insights from *a
south-south exchange <#news6>* on Self Supply experiences between
Government Officials and UNICEF in Uganda with their counterparts in
Zambia. In addition, Skat has just put its series of *manuals on
drinking water supply <#news7>* onto the website for you to download
free of charge!

For those of you who speak *Portuguese*, SDC *Mozambique* has just
translated the Myths of the Rural Water Supply Sector into Portuguese.
*Mitos no Sector de Abastecimento de Água Rural* can be downloaded from
http://www.rwsn.ch/documentation/skatdocumentation.2010-12-10.7993650602

Pour *les francophones* - Si vous souhaitez recevoir le bulletin
trimestriel en français, veuillez nous écrire un e-mail à rwsn@skat.ch
<mailto:rwsn@skat.ch> intitulé *Bulletin Trimestriel en français*. Nous
sommes graduellement en phase d'introduire un réseau bilingue (français
et anglais). Comme deuxième étape de ce processus nous avons groupé
toute la littérature en français actuellement disponible sur notre site
Web en une seule place. Merci de visiter le lien http://tinyurl.com/ot42to

*
Cost-Effective Boreholes*

*Siting of Drilled Water Wells - A Guide for Project Managers*has just
been published by RWSN. This concise document, written particularly for
managers of water supply programmes and projects provides a step by step
guide on the siting of drilled water wells. As a first step, the
essential requirements for a simple groundwater model are set out,
including some basic explanations to help the reader establish an
understanding of hydrogeology. It subsequently explains what needs to be
taken into consideration when selecting a suitable site for drilling.
This includes the requirements of the water well, and a comprehensive
set of instructions on how the most suitable site should be determined.
Key considerations with respect to the tender and contract documents are
also set out, as well as some basic information regarding field work and
contract management. The field note takes the reader through the process
from consideration of the user needs right up to the process of engaging
a drilling contractor to construct a drilled water well. It can be
downloaded from
http://www.rwsn.ch/documentation/skatdocumentation.2010-12-03.0768183939

In order to understand the challenges faced by groundwater consultants
and borehole drilling companies so as to support them better, a study
funded by UNICEF: *Assessment of Groundwater Investigations and Borehole
Drilling and Supervision Capacity in Uganda* has just been published.
The study reveals that the borehole drilling and groundwater
investigation capacity in the country is reasonable but needs to be
strengthened to ensure that good quality services are provided by the
licensed companies. An improved regulatory framework for borehole
drilling and groundwater abstraction and the development of a licensing
system for hydrogeologists and shallow well contractors is recommended
for Uganda. You can download the full report from
http://www.rwsn.ch/documentation/skatdocumentation.2010-12-03.4843672134

The *Code of Practice for Cost Effective Boreholes*, has just been
endorsed by the USA National Ground Water Association (USA):
http://www.rwsn.ch/news/documentation/skatdocumentation.2010-08-23.4523209156

As part of our work to understand and improve drilled water well
cost-effectiveness, we have just published a short *synthesis report* of
the findings from studies in *Burkina Faso, Ghana and Zambia*. The
report tries to compare countries performance against the principles set
out in the cost of practice for cost-effective boreholes. It thus takes
a first step towards benchmarking countries against these indicators.
The report is available on our website:
http://www.rwsn.ch/documentation/skatdocumentation.2010-12-07.0362474846

We are aware of some attempts to improve borehole cost-effectiveness
through studies, training, improved regulation, and drillers
associations in Mozambique, Nigeria, Sudan and Uganda but are very keen
to learn about what others are doing in this regard. Please contact the
Cost-Effective Boreholes coordinator kerstin.danert@skat.ch
<mailto:kerstin.danert@skat.ch>, with your experiences or enquiries.

*
Self Supply*

Self Supply is an approach whereby households are supported to make
their own investments in water supplies.

*EMAS*will hold a one month practical training course on pump
construction, manual drilling, construction of underground tanks and
solar water heaters from the 24th March to 22nd April 2011 in Puerto
Pérez, *Bolivia*. The course includes both practical and theoretical
components (see http://vimeo.com/channels/emas) Participants are
expected to fund their own travel to and from the course, and pay a
contribution of €55. EMAS will cover accommodation, food and the cost of
the training. If you are interested, please contact Wolfgang Buchner on:
emas@entelnet.bo <mailto:emas@entelnet.bo> For those of you who are not
able to travel to Bolivia for the course, you can also access the
training materials on line: http://emas.blip.tv or
http://www.emas-international.de

The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) has
just published report entitled *Groundwater, self supply and poor urban
dwellers: A review with case studies of Bangalore and Lusaka*. The
report recognises the fact that an estimated 270 million of people in
low-income urban settlements around the world rely on water wells for
drinking water and productive use. However, efforts to enhance the
quality, reliability and sustainability of these sources receive little
attention. The report highlights the importance of not discouraging
people from using these sources, but to emphasise the need to maintain
the quality of this resource, combined with education about hand-washing
and other hygiene measures. For more details about this report, visit
http://pubs.iied.org/10584IIED.html or contact martin.mulenga@iied.org
<mailto:martin.mulenga@iied.org>

UNICEF and the Ministry of Water and Environment in Uganda recently
undertook a *south-south exchange visit to Zambia*. A team of six
visited Lusaka and Luapula Provence to learn about experiences of
promoting Self Supply in Zambia. The visit was extremely insightful,
particularly to see that in Zambia water users in a remote part of the
country are managing to improve their water supplies with zero subsidy.
You can download the report from
http://www.rwsn.ch/documentation/skatdocumentation.2010-12-07.0984544521/file

As part of our website update and information-sharing, we are collating
information on technologies suitable for self supply. Over the coming
months, we are particularly interested in information with respect
to*hand dug well construction*. There are a number of excellent
publications already (listed below), but if you have any other
particularly user-friendly guidelines which could be shared, please send
them to kerstin.danert@skat.ch <mailto:kerstin.danert@skat.ch>. Thanks!

* Collins (2000) *Hand-dug Shallow Wells*, Series of Manuals on
Drinking Water Supply Volume 5, SKAT, Switzerland -

http://www.skat.ch/publications/prarticle.2005-09-29.5069774463/prarticle.2006-11-02.8410562785/skatpublication.2005-10-31.1053710342/file
* Sutton (2004) *Low Cost Water Source Improvements* - *Practical
Guidelines for Fieldworkers* - http://www.talcuk.org
* Watt and Wood (1998) *Hand-dug wells and their construction*,
Practical Action Publications, UK - http://developmentbookshop.com
* Morgan, P (1995) *Upgrading Well Manual for Field Workers*,
Mvuramanzi Trust, Zimbabwe -

http://www.rwsn.ch/documentation/skatdocumentation.2010-12-07.6041840794/file
* Rihouey, J (1998) *Well Construction and Equipment* - *Examples
from Cambodia*, Gret http://www.gret.org
* Rihouey, J (1998)*Construction et aménagemant de puits* -
*L'example du Cambodge*, Gret http://www.gret.org
* Laver *Well Digging* - *A guide to the construction and protection
of hand dug wells*, GTZ and Blair Research Laboratory, Zimbabwe

http://www.rwsn.ch/documentation/skatdocumentation.2010-12-07.2454373043/file
* Lanka Jathika Sarvodaya Shramadana Sangamaya (1987) *Well
Construction Manual*

http://www.rwsn.ch/documentation/skatdocumentation.2010-12-07.6801182906/file

For more information about the self-supply flagship, and ongoing work by
partner organisations, visit our website or contact Sally Sutton:
sally@ssutton.fsbusiness.co.uk <mailto:sally@ssutton.fsbusiness.co.uk>

*
Sustainable Rural Water Supplies*

The World Bank has just published *Private Operators and Rural Water
Supplies: A Desk Review Of Experience*. The study reviewed 25
initiatives which demonstrate that private operators can improve water
services in rural settlements or scattered rural homesteads with
populations under 5,000. The publication is available online at:
http://go.worldbank.org/HHMU4VZQU0. Copies can also be ordered from the
Water Helpdesk <mailto:whelpdesk@worldbank.org>.

A five-page /SmartLessons/ note, which distils lessons from the World
Bank study (above) is also available: *Private Operators and Rural Water
Supplies: Can It Work?* can be downloaded from
http://www.rwsn.ch/documentation/skatdocumentation.2010-12-10.3286549590

There are a number of *new mapping tools* available in the public
domain, which can be used to monitor the coverage and operational status
of water services:

*FLOW*- (*Field Level Operations Watch*) is a new baseline and
monitoring platform that allows organisations to get a clear view of
which water sources are working, on the verge of disrepair or broken.
The platform, which has been developed by Gallatin Systems and is now
being used by Water For People enables water source information to be
gathered, mapped and immediately shared, thus improving understanding of
sustainability issues and supporting informed decision-making. To find
out more, visit: http://watermapmonitordev.appspot.com or
http://www.waterforpeople.org/assets/pdfs/publications/flow.pdf

*The Water Point Mapper *is a free tool for producing maps showing the
status of water supply services. It is aimed at water, sanitation,
hygiene practitioners as well as local governments working at the
district and sub-district levels in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Mapper has
been designed for use in situations where there is no internet
connectivity. The Water Point Mapper was developed by WaterAid. To find
out more, visit: http://www.waterpointmapper.org

For more information about the sustainable rural water supplies flagship
of RWSN visit our website or contact pharvey@unicef.org
<mailto:pharvey@unicef.org>

*
Handpump Technologies*

As a special offer for the whole of 2011, we are sending out free CDs of
the handpump technology standards (Version 2009). If you would like to
receive one, please contact noro.robson@skat.ch
<mailto:noro.robson@skat.ch> Please note that you are very welcome to
make a donation for these CDs. Donations will be used to enable others
will less means to access RWSN information.

If you wish more details on handpump technologies contact
kerstin.danert@skat.ch <mailto:kerstin.danert@skat.ch> or
erichbaumann@hotmail.com <mailto:erichbaumann@hotmail.com>.

*
New Research, Publications and Websites*

*Skat*has just made the series of six *manuals on drinking water supply*
available freely online:

* *Management

Guide*http://www.skat.ch/publications/prarticle.2005-09-29.5069774463/prarticle.2006-11-02.8410562785/skatpublication.2005-10-27.0717400050/file
* *Building

Construction*http://www.skat.ch/publications/prarticle.2005-09-29.5069774463/prarticle.2006-11-02.8410562785/skatpublication.2005-10-27.5301221718/file
* *Spring

Catchment*http://www.skat.ch/publications/prarticle.2005-09-29.5069774463/prarticle.2006-11-02.8410562785/skatpublication.2005-10-27.4727403982/file
* *Hand Dug Shallow

Wells*http://www.skat.ch/publications/prarticle.2005-09-29.5069774463/prarticle.2006-11-02.8410562785/skatpublication.2005-10-31.1053710342/file
* *Drilled

Wells*http://www.skat.ch/publications/prarticle.2005-09-29.5069774463/prarticle.2006-11-02.8410562785/skatpublication.2005-10-31.8549124607/file
* *Water

Lifting*http://www.skat.ch/publications/prarticle.2005-09-29.5069774463/prarticle.2006-11-02.8410562785/skatpublication.2005-10-31.4419482767/file

*SDC**Mozambique* has just translated the Myths of the Rural Water
Supply Sector into *Portuguese*. *Mitos no Sector de Abastecimento de
Água Rural* can be downloaded from
http://www.rwsn.ch/documentation/skatdocumentation.2010-12-10.7993650602

Do you want to share your practical or professional experience, or
research findings in water and sanitation with others? Then consider
writing for *Waterlines* - an international journal for those interested
in extending adequate water supply, sanitation and solid waste
management to all in developing countries. Waterlines aims to bridge the
gap between research and practice and considers key challenges faced by
engineers, health professionals, community development workers,
researchers, policy makers. Guidelines for authors are available on:
http://www.rwsn.ch/documentation/skatdocumentation.2010-01-14.6062792311

The themes for Waterlines in 2011 are:

* April 2011: *Water Safety Plans* (copy deadline 1 December 2010)
* July 2011: '*Good Governance in Water and Sanitation*' (copy
deadline 1 March 2011). This edition covers issues ranging from
participation to politics and corruption. How can users make
utilities and other suppliers accountable to their needs? Has
progress been made towards greater transparency in operations?

We also encourage non-theme papers relating to drinking water supply,
sanitation and hygiene, these can be articles covering specific projects
and field-based experiences as well as more analytical, research-based
papers. For more information visit
http://www.rwsn.ch/documentation/skatdocumentation.2010-01-14.2888121538
or contact Sue Cavill: suecavill@hotmail.com <mailto:suecavill@hotmail.com>

*
RWSN Member Requests and Sharing*

The Ministry of Water and Environment in *Uganda* has just released the
*2010 Water and Environment Sector Performance Report*. The report can
be downloaded from http://www.mwe.go.ug/MoWE/85/Joint_Sector_Review_2010

*Benin*is one of the few countries in sub-Saharan Africa which is on
track to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) target for rural
drinking-water supply. In 2000, the Government of Benin began a shift
from a project approach to a programmatic approach with enhanced budget
support. Benin has thus undergone reforms in budget preparation and
management. The recent SmartLessons publication from IFC documents the
progress in Scaling Up Rural Water Supply Service in Benin. The document
can be downloaded from
https://smartlessons.ifc.org/smartlessons/lesson.aspx?id=1147

*
Membership and Subscription*

RWSN membership is open to individuals and organisations that support
rural people throughout the world to access improved water supplies.
RWSN currently has over 2,000 members, including professionals in
numerous Governments, NGOs and the private sector. RWSN members
contribute to the network by sharing information, contributing their
time and providing financial resources for specific activities. If you
wish to join, please contact us on rwsn@skat.ch <mailto:rwsn@skat.ch>,
or kerstin.danert@skat.ch <mailto:kerstin.danert@skat.ch>. If you have
any problems loading down documents, please send us a mail to and we can
send you the information by email.

If you would prefer to receive the newsletter in English/French, please
just let us know on rwsn@skat.ch <mailto:rwsn@skat.ch>

*
Unsubscribe*

If you do not wish to continue to receive this newsletter, please let us
know by sending an email to rwsn@skat.ch <mailto:rwsn@skat.ch> with the
heading unsubscribe.
________________________________________________

You received this message as a subscriber on the list: africa@list.internationalrivers.org

To be removed from the list, please visit:
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2486/unsubscribe.jsp

No dams on the Brahmaputra, pleads Northeast

http://www.tehelka.com/story_main48.asp?filename=Ws141210No_dams.asp

No dams on the Brahmaputra, pleads Northeast

Even as New Delhi downplays fears about China�s ambitious plan of
building mega dams on its side of the Brahmaputra, the Northeast
continues to express anxiety. RATNADIP CHOUDHURY finds out why

Future tense There are fears that the proposed Chinese dam will leave
the Northeast high and dry

Earlier this month, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao tried to tone down
concerns over China�s aggressive projects of building mega dams on the
Brahmaputra river, known as Yarlung Tsanpo on the Chinese side. �China
has assured us that the projects on Brahmaputra are on the run-of-the-
river projects and are not meant for storing or diverting water. We
look forward to working closely with China in the critical area of
environmental and livelihood security� was how Rao tried to explain
the situation at a seminar. Every time the Centre has been asked about
this sensitive issue, the same record has been played for the past
year or so.

To ease tension further, an internal ministry group has gone on to say
that it has found no evidence yet that China was planning to divert
the waters from Brahmaputra. But it is not clear if New Delhi has any
detailed information on China�s plan of action.

With reports that China plans to build at least 21 dams on the Yarlung
Tsanpo and several others on its tributaries, the fear is that Assam
and Arunachal Pradesh would be badly affected. Indian engineers have
raised apprehensions that China might have plans to divert the 78
billion cubic metres (bcm) of water to its arid southern part. This is
the volume of water that the river brings into the Northeast and
further flows down to the vast plains of Bangladesh. This would leave
the Northeast and Bangladesh high and dry. For Bangladesh, Brahmaputra
brings fresh water and fertile silt for farming. Added to it are
issues related to safety of construction of huge dams on an earthquake-
prone zone. A solution being advocated is institutionalising water-
related negotiations with China. While Arunachal wants speedy
establishment of user rights on the rivers, Assam wants concrete step
� a water-sharing treaty between the two countries. Experts point out
that the river balances the entire ecological landscape of the region.
It�s not only China that plans to dam the river, India is also
aggressive on harnessing the hydropower generation capacity of the
river and its tributaries. Since there is no water-sharing treaty, it
is bound to come up as a major trans-boundary issue between New Delhi
and Beijing.

The UN Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational uses of
International Watercourses was adopted in 1997 and is still to be
ratified. China has opposed the convention during voting and India
chose to abstain. �This just goes to show how much level of legality
both the countries give to international guidelines on water sharing,�
says noted environmental activist Neeraj Vagholikar. �Moreover, the UN
convention will only be a soft law, it will not be enforceable either
in courts or tribunals. The best way out possibly is to engage China
in a dialogue on the Brahmaputra.�

What India has had in its kitty since 2007 is an Expert Level
Mechanism (ELM) to share data and discuss trans-boundary issues. There
is a strong political demand of establishing our user rights by
building dams on the Siang river in Arunachal. But in doing so, New
Delhi will also have to address to the massive protest voiced by the
people of Assam and Arunachal to the mega dams that India wants to
build on the Brahmaputra and its tributaries. While eyebrows have been
raised at Beijing�s plan to construct the mother of all dams at the
great bend just before the river enters India, New Delhi has to ensure
that power generation does not destabilise the ecologic balance. Thus
voices against damming the Brahmaputra are growing.

�People from all over India have joined hands to raise concerns on
this issue. We will now possibly look forward to people-to-people
exchanges with China. We are sure there are people in the neighboring
countries who are opposed to such projects that also threat the
ecosystem� says KJ Roy of the Pune-based Society for Promoting
Participative Ecosystem Management.

Any adverse impact of the Chinese dam would be beyond ecology and
livelihood: the river has nurtured a whole civilisation. �Dams have
several impacts on people�s lives. The dams will not only change the
character of the river, the social impact of the projects are huge,
particularly in the catchments area,� was the insight offered by
former water resources secretary Ramaswamy R Iyer at a seminar held in
Guwahati on the issue. Reports from Beijing suggest that the Zangmu
dam project is one of the costliest in the world at $1.2 billion. The
other dam, the Jiacha project, is in its initial phase. A consortium
of five large Chinese power companies are involved in damming the
Yarlung Tsangpo. If China later plans to divert water, its flow would
be depleted by nearly 85 percent during spring and winter and the
aftereffects might turn disastrous.

What New Delhi has to realise that even a run-of-the-river project
like Zangmu can lead to severe downstream effect. Issues like
possibility of alteration in the natural flow of the river, total
quantity of flow after the construction of the dams needs to be
clarified with the Chinese. For winning the contest over Brahmaputra
waters, India will perhaps need to pull the ace out of the pack very
fast.
________________________________________________

You received this message as a subscriber on the list: dams@list.internationalrivers.org

To be removed from the list, please visit:
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2486/unsubscribe.jsp

Monday, December 13, 2010

Nation: Lao dam conceals hidden costs

*Lao dam conceals hidden costs

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2010/12/11/opinion/Lao-dam-conceals-hidden-costs-30144193.html

By Ikuko Matsumoto
International Rivers
Special to The Nation (Opinion Page)
Published on December 11, 2010

Amidst much fanfare, French President Nicholas Sarkozy and senior World Bank (WB) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) officials are expected to attend a gala ceremony inaugurating the Nam Theun 2 Hydropower Project in Laos this week. But for the tens of thousands of people who are suffering the effects of Nam Theun 2, there is little to celebrate.

The project has displaced 6,200 indigenous people on the Nakai Plateau and affected more than 100,000 people living downstream along the Xe Bang Fai River. Funded by the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and a host of other public and private funders, Nam Theun 2 has been plagued by controversy since it was first proposed in the 1990s.

Up to 34 civil society groups, as well as individuals from 18 countries have written to the World Bank and ADB calling on the banks to take immediate action to ensure sustainable livelihoods for the affected communities. Some of the issues raised by the groups include:

People on the Nakai Plateau still have no means for a sustainable livelihood, and there are threats to their food security as poor-quality land in the resettlement sites continues to cause problems for villagers' agriculture. The long-term production of the reservoir fisheries is in doubt, and outsiders are encroaching on the villagers' community forest areas.

Tens of thousands of people living downstream along the Xe Bang Fai River have already suffered impaired water quality and reduced fisheries, and funding is inadequate to restore their livelihoods;

A key selling point of the original project was that it would fund protection of the globally significant Nakai-Nam Theun National Protected Area, yet the reservoir has opened up access to the area, exacerbating logging and poaching and threatening its ecological integrity.

Even though the project was supposed to improve standards for hydropower development more generally in Laos, there is little evidence that this has happened. Projects continue to be approved without disclosing environmental impact assessments and without adequate resettlement and livelihood improvement plans.

The Nam Theun 2's promoters are all too keen to call the project a success, but many problems remain. The sustainable livelihoods of more than 120,000 people directly affected by the project. Dam-affected communities are struggling to adjust to their new lives and fair compensation has still not been paid to many people. It's way too early to call this project a success.

The civil society letter concludes: "Until the World Bank and ADB can prove that a hydropower project of the size and scope of Nam Theun 2 can be successfully managed, we do not believe that there is any justification for scaling up of World Bank or ADB support for large dams."

Professor Philip Hirsch, director of the Australia mekong Resource Centre at the University of Sydney, said, "The World Bank and ADB have indicated that the 'success' of Nam Theun 2 is a basis for scaling up their support for hydropower in coming years. Before - or rather instead of - making any such move, the Banks have an obligation to the people and government of Laos to live up to their promises and claims by ensuring that those affected by Nam Theun 2 have sustainable livelihoods. To date the evidence does not support the banks' claims of success in this respect."

Witoon Permpongsacharoen, director of the mekong Energy and Ecology Network, said, "Given the recent proposals for dams on the mekong River's mainstream and other ongoing destructive dam construction in the region, for example by some Chinese companies, it is highly questionable whether the Nam Theun 2 has resulted in any improvements to environmental and social standards in the region as the World Bank and ADB claim. These claims should be thoroughly reviewed by an independent team."

International Rivers is an environmental and human rights organisation with staff in five continents. For over two decades, International Rivers has been at the heart of the global struggle to protect rivers and the rights of communities that depend on them. www.internationalrivers.org.


Shaanxi to relocate 2.7m people

Shaanxi to relocate 2.7m people
http://china.globaltimes.cn/society/2010-12/599728.html
Source: Global Times
[08:18 December 08 2010]

By Liang Chen

More than 2.79 million Shaanxi Province residents will be asked to pack their bags and move to another part of the province starting next year. The mammoth project is part of an effort to reduce the danger from natural disasters such as landslides and the collapse of homes, the provincial government said Tuesday.

The project will relocate 2.4 million residents from three cities in southern Shaanxi and 392,000 from northern Shaanxi including part of Yulin and Yan'an, the Shaanxi-based Chinese Business View newspaper reported Tuesday.

The total number of people being forced to move is higher than those who moved to make way for the Three Gorges Dam Project, the report said. Some 1.5 million people had to move for the dam.

"We have to resettle these people in remote mountain areas who are still living in the worst living conditions," Zhao Yongzheng, the acting governor of Shaanxi Province, said Monday, according to the report.

According to Zhao, the project will take a decade to "move people into safe and convenient places."

Shaanxi is one of China's most common victims of geological disasters including mud-rock slides and nearly half of the province is disaster-prone, according to the provincial government's website.

Eight died and 57 went missing during floods and mudslides caused by heavy rainfalls in Ankang, Shaanxi Province this summer, the Xinhua News Agency reported. The govern-ment is encouraging people with higher incomes to move to urban areas. Also, new villages will be built to relocate villagers and small villages will be merged into larger ones, the report said.

The government also promised to provide subsidies for the resettlement.

Zhang He, an official from the press office of the provincial government, told the Global Times Tuesday that the government has not decided on the subsidy budget as yet and the plan is just a rough draft with few details.

However, Zhang said that the government would build the basic infrastructure for the villagers, including clinics and schools. Besides, the government also promised to provide technical training for at least one member of each migrant household.

Ai Jie of Yan'an, Shaanxi Province, told the Global Times he supports the idea because it is less expensive and more convenient for the government to relocate the villagers than to draw water or install electricity in remote areas.

However, some villagers expressed their unwillingness to leave their homeland.

"The question is how we can make a living after we are resettled," He Bin, 28, a villager of Yanchuan county, told the Global Times Tuesday.

He and his family are scheduled to leave their homes under the plan and they are worried about being homesick after they move.
________________________________________________ You received this message as a subscriber on the list: china@list.internationalrivers.org To be removed from the list, please visit: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2486/unsubscribe.jsp

78,000 tonnes of garbage collected from Three Gorges Dam after water level raised

78,000 tonnes of garbage collected from Three Gorges Dam after water level raised

December 11th, 2010 | Xinhua
http://china-wire.org/?p=8546

Environmental sanitation workers from southwest China's Chongqing Municipality have collected 78,000 tonnes of garbage from the Yangtze River near the Three Gorges Dam, ensuring the dam's safe and effective operation after its water level was raised.

More than 68,000 workers in nearly 21,000 boats retrieved the garbage.

In late October, the water level in the dam was lifted to its designed maximum of 175 meters, allowing the dam to play its full flood control, power generation, navigation and water supply roles, said Wang Yuankai, a Chongqing municipal work administrator.

Raising the dam's water level increased the surface area of water in the dam. It also increased garbage collectors' workload, with about 60 percent more garbage appearing.

The cleanup operation helped ensure the water quality of the dam and its navigability.

The Three Gorges Dam is the world's largest water-control and hydropower project.

Editor: Deng Shasha ________________________________________________ You received this message as a subscriber on the list: china@list.internationalrivers.org To be removed from the list, please visit: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2486/unsubscribe.jsp

First Nations rally against Lower Churchill dam

http://www.thecoast.ca/RealityBites/archives/2010/12/10/first-nations-rally-against-lower-churchill-dam

First Nations rally against Lower Churchill dam
'"Green" energy deal no benefit to us'

Posted by Bruce Wark on Fri, Dec 10, 2010 at 5:37 PM


About 100 members of an aboriginal group rallied outside provincial
government offices in Happy Valley � Goose Bay, Labrador today to
protest against plans to build a hydro-electric dam on the Lower
Churchill River. Some of the protesters, members of NunatuKavut,
formerly known as the Labrador M�tis Nation, drove several hundred
kilometres to protest in temperatures that dipped to -18 C with the
wind chill. They were expressing their opposition to a deal under
which Labradorians would lose a large section of one of the world�s
most beautiful, sacred and historic rivers while the power generated
at the Muskrat Falls dam would be shipped to Newfoundland, Nova Scotia
and possibly the US.

�We find it quite upsetting that everybody is celebrating green energy
but in order to make green energy, they�re flooding Labrador,� Chris
Montague, president of NunatuKavut told the Coast in a telephone
interview on Wednesday. �It�s been the same story with the Upper
Churchill,� he added. �They flooded an area nearly the size of the
Avalon Peninsula to bring green energy down into North America, so
nobody seems to care about Labrador. Nobody seems to care about us.�

Montague is especially angry that the $6.2 billion power deal was
announced with no notice to the 4,000 members of NunatuKavut. �We only
heard about this Muskrat Falls deal the day before on the news,� he
says. �No one in government called us about it until after the news
release.�

NunatuKavut and other aboriginal groups, including the Innu, still
have unsettled land claims. �We�re saying this is our territory. We�ve
always been here. This is our home,� Montague says. �Why are we being
excluded?�

Meantime, Montague insists the Muskrat Falls project will not go ahead
unless a compensation agreement is reached with NunatuKavut. The
Newfoundland government has concluded an agreement with the Innu, but
refuses to negotiate with NunatuKavut until the federal government
recognizes its land claim. Montague says the claim is based on a 1765
treaty with the British, two million dollars worth of independent
academic research and a Supreme Court ruling which says governments
have a duty to consult aboriginal communities about decisions that may
affect their rights.

�We want our opinion to be considered on whether or not this project
goes ahead,� Montague says, adding that a federal environmental
assessment is still not complete, nor have the required public
hearings been held.

�There�s a lot of people outraged by this,� Montague says, �by the
suddenness, by the exclusion.�

Tags: Lower Churchill project, NunatuKavut
________________________________________________

You received this message as a subscriber on the list: dams@list.internationalrivers.org

To be removed from the list, please visit:
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2486/unsubscribe.jsp

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Hydropower Slowly Rows Upstream in China

http://english.caing.com/2010-12-10/100206366.html

Hydropower Slowly Rows Upstream in China

Despite advantages over other renewable sources, hydroelectric power development is slowing down

(Beijing) -- Hydropower projects shelved in response to environmental concerns and community relocation issues last year have resumed in recent months in western China.

But the bulk of the nation's planned hydroelectric dam projects are still on hold due to nagging cost gaps between hydro and traditional thermal power plants. Hydroelectric dams are expensive to build, and the industry says hydropower tariffs are too low.

Zhang Boting, deputy secretary of the China Water Engineering Association, said several hydropower project applications are sitting in the pipeline, waiting for decisions from the government's chief planning agency, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

Most pending applications were scheduled for action during the nation's 11th Five-Year Plan period, which ends December 31. But only 11 of 33 hydropower stations listed as key projects in the plan's renewable energy development section had been approved by the end of 2009.

Since then, there has been at least some progress for three stations slated for construction on the Jinsha River in western China, according to a source at the state-owned power utility Huadian Corp., which will operate the plants.

The Ludila, Jinanqiao and Longkaikou projects were shelved by regulators last year. The Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) ordered the suspensions because construction work had started before environmental impact assessments were validated.

But the source said construction at Ludila resumed in the wake of a green light from MEP in August, although its NDRC application is still pending. Similarly, the Longkaikou project has MEP's backing but so far no approval from NDRC. On the other hand, NDRC has approved the Jinanqiao project.

"Construction of Ludila hydropower station has been under way for awhile" and "is in the pipeline for approval by" NDRC,
said the source. "The environmental assessment has been accepted, and approval from NDRC is set in stone."

Slow Stream

But in general, China's hydropower expansion program appears to be stuck in a slow lane.

"As there have been no major hydropower stations built since 2007, new hydropower capacity in China will decline remarkably after 2012, especially after 2015," said a recent report by the brokerage CITIC Securities.

The nation's installed hydropower capacity increased by a combined 14 million kilowatts between 2007 and 2009, the CITIC report said, which helped bring current capacity to about 200 million kilowatts. The national target calls for increasing installed capacity to 380 million kilowatts by 2020.

Thus, the report said the coming decade should be a golden era for dam and power plant builders before business dries up.

Pressure to reduce energy consumption and lower power plant emissions raised hopes for hydropower companies in recent years. Ouyang Changyu, deputy-secretary of the China Electricity Council, told an electric industry meeting November 30 the industry plans a "great effort to develop hydropower" during the period of the 12th Five-Year Plan.

In terms of investment returns, hydropower is considered a better option than renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power, said Ouyang. One reason is that hydropower technology is mature to the point where its costs are close to or only slightly higher than those for thermal power, whereas wind and solar power costs are much higher.

Zhang said there's plenty of room for growth. China had developed and utilized only 25 percent of its hydropower-available water resources as of 2009, he said, far behind utilization rates of up to 80 percent in developed countries.

"Hydropower is underdeveloped in China," he said.

When the country's five major electricity groups were incorporated in 2002, Zhang said, each was allocated a specific area for hydropower projects in China's 13 major watersheds. These groups also took over existing hydropower companies.

"Thirteen hydropower bases came under the monopolies of the five major groups," he said.

Beyond the bases, though, each power group also turned attention to the unallocated Yarlung Zangbo River in Tibet Autonomous Region. Regulators later approved the power group Huaneng for building the first station, called Zangmu, which will have an installed capacity of 510,000 kilowatts.

Worth It?

Yet hydropower remains an expensive option for electricity companies compared to traditional coal-fired and other thermal plants, particularly in the face of environmental and relocation costs in affected riverbeds.

"How would it be possible to effectively address environmental and relocation issues with the price of hydropower so low?" asked Sha Yiqiang, director of research at the China Electricity Council. "A huge investment is required to resolve either of these issues."

Another industry insider said no hydropower project can turn a profit during its first five years, especially given that tariffs for hydro-generated electricity have long been below thermal power tariff levels.

"A higher on-grid tariff will only squeeze the margin of power grid companies," the source said. "End users will not be subject to a higher burden."

Initial construction and auxiliary costs account for about 40 percent of a plant's total investment. On top of that, relocation and environmental costs have been rising and now represent about 30 percent of a project's cost.

Wang Jun, director of alternative energy at the National Energy Administration, recently criticized the government's low-tariff policy for hydropower, blaming it for problems tied to relocation and environmental issues.

Wang called for an "indiscriminate tariff policy for thermal and hydropower" based on a market pricing that replaces the cost-based pricing pattern used for many years. Power generated by different means should be priced according to different period and consumer demand, he said.
________________________________________________ You received this message as a subscriber on the list: china@list.internationalrivers.org To be removed from the list, please visit: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2486/unsubscribe.jsp