Note two articles (1) Pakistan urged to solve issues confronted by
Chinese companies, Daily Times (Pakistan) and (2) Chinese investors
urged to disregard "small" hurdles, Business Recorder (Pakistan)
**
Pakistan urged to solve issues confronted by Chinese companies
Daily Times (Pakistan)
By Zeeshan Javaid
9 May 2012
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\05\09\story_9-5-2012_pg5_6
ISLAMABAD: Without pledging any single penny for mega and small power
generation projects, China urged Pakistan to facilitate and resolve the
issues faced by Chinese enterprises involved in energy cooperation.
The 2nd and final round of Pak-China Joint Energy Working Group (JEWG)
was held here with Federal Minister of Water and Power Naveed Qamar in
chair and Wu a person in charge of Chinese delegation to review the
financial and other aspects of projects related to energy cooperation.
In a joint statement of Pak-China energy managers, Wu said that ongoing
energy crisis in Pakistan could be resolved my mutual energy cooperation
of both sides, adding,"We believe energy cooperation between Pakistan
and China should continue and future of both is bright."
He expressed serious reservations of Chinese manufacturing company Dong
Fang in context of more than 40,000 tonnes heavy machinery and equipment
having Cost and Freight (C&F) cost of $85 million for 450 megawatts (MW)
Nandipur Hydropower project, which has been detained at the Karachi port
since last two years. He further maintained that Pakistani authorities
should consider seriously the concerns of Dong Fang and should take
measures on war footing basis to release the machinery and equipments
and resolve the issue of demurrage charges.
Qamar assured the Chinese official of complete support to Chinese
entrepreneurs, who have been interested or involved in joint energy
development projects.
He said that Chinese authorities gave positive response in context of
financing different mega and small energy power projects including 969
MW Neelum Jehlum Hydropower Project (NJHP) costing $3.6 billion, 1,100
MW Kohala Hydropower Project (KHP) costing $2.2 billion as well as more
than 17 other hydro, renewable and clean energy hydro power projects.
GENCO Holding Company's Naveed Ismail apologised to the Chinese
authority on behalf of the federal government, Pakistan Electric Power
Company (PEPCO) and GENCO over concerns raised by Chinese enterprise
Dong Fang involved in Nandipur Hydropower project and assured to resolve
the grievances of partners.
He added that the power sector is fully involved with the Ministry of
Finance to resolve the issue of demurrage charges, adding 'within the
next few days, a summary will be sent to the Economic Coordination
Committee meeting to waive off the charges and hope so it would be
resolved till August 2012'.
The Chinese officials urged Pakistan to form a comprehensive power
development plan in order to achieve better energy output.
While addressing the grievances of Chinese enterprises, the federal
minister maintained that the federal government would soon send a
high-level delegation comprising financial and legal managers to discuss
and settle down the concerns of both partners. He also maintained that
the issue raised by Chinese authorities regarding issuance of
No-Objection Certificate would be addressed on immediate basis and
concrete decision would be taken on war footing basis to resolve the issue.
He appraised the significance progress of Chinese enterprises 'Three
Gorges Dam' involved in 1,100 MW Kohala Hydropower as well as other
renewable energy projects and expressed satisfactory mood over positive
indications of financing for NJHP, KHP, Nandipur and several other mega
and small energy development projects.
Qamar urged for financing for particularly mega hydropower projects,
which would definitely be helpful in the near future to overcome the
ongoing energy crisis in Pakistan.
He said that the contact of laying transmission lines under UCH-I, Guddu
and NJHP would be awarded to those companies either Chinese or local,
who will win International Competition Bidding (ICB) besides awarding in
support of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), adding "To expedite the
process, the advertisement for ICB would be published soon," Qamar
maintained.
He also informed the Chinese delegation that the government of Pakistan
has been working over the offer made by China for grant of $5 million in
last meeting of Pak-China JEWG.
Pakistani authorities also expressed their keen interest over the
proposal of Infrastructure Fund discussed in last JEWG meeting held in
Beijing in August 2011 and stressed over formation of Banking Consortium
to finance the infrastructure development.
Addressing some other concerns from Chinese Enterprises, head of
delegation, Wu said that infrastructure development is the need of time
to mature the ongoing and forthcoming energy development projects for
easy transportation of machinery and equipments on the site.
Later, signing ceremony of three different wind energy projects was held
including inking Letter of Indent on 150 MW wind energy project between
United Energy Pakistan Limited and China Development Bank Cooperation,
inking MoU of 350 MW wind energy project between Three Gorges and
Pakistani authorities and document inked between Dawood Power Private
Limited and Hydro China Engineering Company Limited for 50 MW power project.
**
Chinese investors urged to disregard "small" hurdles
May 09, 2012
MUSHTAQ GHUMMAN
Business Recorder, Pakistan
http://www.brecorder.com/fuel-a-energy/193/1187059/
Minister for Water and Power Syed Naveed Qamar has urged Chinese
investors to disregard small hurdles and honour friendship with Pakistan.
The second Pakistan-China Joint Energy Working Group (JEWG) led by Wu
Guihui, Engineer-in-chief of National Energy Administration of China
(NEA) as well as top Chinese energy sector investors concluded on
Tuesday in Islamabad.
"We believe that Pakistan-China friendship is higher than the Himalayas;
the issues (relating to energy projects) mentioned are small and are not
deeper than our friendship and so must be ignored," Naveed Qamar added.
According to the minister, Pakistan was facing complex changes and new
challenges in the field of energy, most important of which was the
electricity demand-supply gap.
According to him, the government was committed to resolving the
prevailing energy crisis and attain energy security on a sustainable
basis with China's active support.
"According to estimates, there is currently a deficit of around 6,000
megawatts in our electricity system, which could further grow in future
because of rapidly increasing growth in power demand," Qamar maintained.
He said that while growing energy demand is a big challenge for the
government, yet it provides immense opportunities for Chinese investors
to participate and share the benefits.
Projects which came under discussion at the meeting are: (i) Sindh-Engro
coal mining; (ii) 1200MW coal-fired power plant; and (iii) Sino-Sindh
Resources coal mining and 900MW coal-fired power plant.
In hydel projects, the central focus was on 969MW Neelum-Jhelum
hydropower project, 4,500MW Diamer-Bhasha dam and 1,100MW Kohala
hydropower project.
Transmission system projects included: (i) 500 kV Guddu transmission
line; (ii) 220-kV Uch-II transmission line; (iii) dispersal of power
from Neelum-Jhelum, Kohala, Karot and Azad Pattan hydropower projects;
(iv) Thar-Matiari transmission line project; and (v) dispersal of power
from 630MW Chashma Nuclear C3 and C4.
In renewable energy, the three following projects came under discussion
such as United Energy Pakistan Limited, 150MW, China Three Gorges, 50MW
and Hydropower China 100MW.
Other projects that may come under discussion in future are: 425MW
Nandipur thermal power project, 548MW Kaigah hydropower project and
640MW Azad Pattan hydropower project.
"Pakistan is also receiving enormous support from the Chinese side for
the installation of new nuclear power plants at Chashma, despite
international pressure which reflects the strength of friendship between
the two countries," Qamar said.
Sources said that the Chinese delegation raised a number of questions
over the projects offered by government for investment.
Chairman Wapda Shakil Durrani, officials from power sector,
representatives of Water and Power Ministry and Board of Investment
(BoI) gave detailed answers to queries of Chinese investors.
List of Chinese delegation is as follows: Shi Lishan Deputy
Director-General, of NEA China's Department of International
Co-operation, China, Zhang Shuang of NEA, China, Liao Hongbiao,
Programme Officer, NEA China, Zheng Xia of China Three Gorges
International Corporation and Vice President, DEC Ltd International
Zhang Guorong, Vice-President of China Three Gorges International
Corporation China Wang Shaofeng, Manager of China Three Gorges
International Corporation China Shen Zhendong, Vice-President of
Dongfeng Electric Corporation (DEC) Ltd China Han Zhiqiao, Qin Yonghong
and Li Gang, the Country Manager of export-import Bank of China.
________________________________________________
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Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Uganda's Karuma dam in new saga
Karuma dam in new saga
Wednesday, 09 May 2012 00:10
Written by Hussein Bogere
www.observer.ug/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18632:karuma-dam-in-new-saga&catid=34:news&Itemid=114
Construction of the 660MW Karuma dam has once again courted controversy,
with anonymous experts not only questioning the bidding process, but
also the design of the project and the qualifications of the project
manager.
According to two separate whistleblowers, these issues are likely to
negatively affect the total cost , the power output, and lifespan of the
dam. Once again, powerful politicians and businessmen are accused of
having influenced project-related decisions – to serve their selfish
interest. Information available to The Observer indicates Ugandan
taxpayers are now in danger of losing billions of Shillings because of
the poor quality work that is about to begin.
In one dossier, titled 'Weaknesses in the Design of the Karuma Project',
experts question the exact location of the dam, the design of the water
intake, the water losses and the operating water levels in the
reservoir, among others. The dossier claims that the dam is set to be
located in an area with rapids; this comes with more risks and higher
costs of construction, yet more appropriate flat areas are available nearby.
Because the cofferdams (temporary water-tight enclosures that are pumped
dry to expose the bottom of the river so that construction can take
place) and the dam are both partially built at the same location, the
highly technical dossier adds, it is impossible to build a permanent dam
structure at this location. There are also fears that several aspects of
the dam do not conform to international practices, like the spillway - a
channel used for the controlled release of water downstream.
"The concrete bottom slab of the stilling basin is only 50cm thick,
anchored in the rock substratum, which is not commensurate with a
spillway of such a size," it says.
The design is based on the fact that the water level rose to its highest
in 1962 and then gradually decreased until the lowest recorded in 2006,
after which it stabilised. But the whistleblower feels that it was too
optimistic to base the design on this record as the 1962 feat is likely
to distort reality. The dossier argues that the Kyoga Nile water flow is
overestimated by 20% in the design.
Therefore, the whistleblower advises that the parameters that were taken
into account to set the installed capacity of the dam are too optimistic
and should be revised because the dam will not be able to generate and
produce the 660MW. "For a dam to be able to produce the actual output of
660MW, the design should be of a 700-1000MW, otherwise, there will
always be temporary shutdowns," the experts explain.
These concerns are likely to bring frustration to President Museveni,
who expects to see Karuma expedited, having so often regretted the delay
that befell a similar project at Bujagali, plunging the country into an
energy crisis that it is just emerging from. Only last month, the
president called for an investigation into the bidding process after it
was alleged that money exchanged hands and that one of the bidders had
falsified crucial information.
Bidding process
In August 2010, the ministry of Energy invited bids for the Karuma dam
project. One Iranian and two Chinese firms made it to the
pre-qualification stage. Salini, which is involved in the construction
of Bujagali hydropower dam; Vince, in partnership with Group Five of
South Africa; and Egypt's Orascom, had earlier been eliminated.
However, allegations of bribery soon emerged, with The East African
newspaper alleging that some members of the 12-person bid evaluation
committee had accepted bribes to allow a bid by a Chinese firm to
proceed to the pre-qualification stage, despite serious doubts about its
ability to execute the work.
Sources in the ministry of Energy have told us that the allegations were
fuelled by one of the competing contractors fronted by a powerful
businessman and a government official, who want CWE out of the way,
which would hand Sino Hydro a free ride, considering that the Iranian
company might not overcome international sanctions.
Project manager
As firms were busy fighting over the contract, the process of selecting
the project manager was also courting controversy. The Observer has been
tipped off that Graeme Watson is set to be appointed the project
manager, ahead of Benz Traugott. The Observer has seen a separate
dossier, titled 'Appointment of a Project Manager for Karuma Dam', in
which the whistleblower claims that some officials in the ministry of
Energy are sidelining Traugott on grounds that he is too expensive, yet
no negotiations have taken place, apart from a brief interview.
"I have also been reliably told that Watson is preferred because he will
be an easier person to work with since he is from the region and
understands how business is done in Uganda, in particular having dealt
with UNRA [the Uganda National Roads Authority], hence intensive
lobbying has taken place and no merit considered," the dossier claims.
In January, the ministry of Energy called for applications for the
position of project manager, with experience in tunnelling as a
prerequisite, 10 years in hydro power plants construction, and
experience in managing a similar project of the same magnitude (at least
250MW) and cost (at least US$0.7bn) in the last ten years. The age
bracket was set at 40-60 years.
The whistleblower praises Traugott, describing him as being "very
experienced", while at the same time claiming that Watson, the
ministry's favoured candidate, has no such experience. According to this
whistleblower, the evaluation process should be halted until a suitable
project manager has been appointed, who would then initiate a more
rigorous technical evaluation to ensure that the job goes to the best
contractor.
This, the dossier says, would save the government complications that
might arise from major cost overruns during execution, unnecessary
delays, non-compliance with regulations and standards, poor quality of
execution which might result in failure to generate the required power,
and ultimately no value for money.
The Observer failed to reach Kabagambe-Kaliisa, the ministry of energy
permanent secretary and spokesman. He was reported to be in a day-long
meeting. The commissioners reached declined to comment, instead
referring the paper to the unavailable Kabagambe.
hbogere@observer.ug
________________________________________________
You received this message as a subscriber on the list: africa@list.internationalrivers.org
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Wednesday, 09 May 2012 00:10
Written by Hussein Bogere
www.observer.ug/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18632:karuma-dam-in-new-saga&catid=34:news&Itemid=114
Construction of the 660MW Karuma dam has once again courted controversy,
with anonymous experts not only questioning the bidding process, but
also the design of the project and the qualifications of the project
manager.
According to two separate whistleblowers, these issues are likely to
negatively affect the total cost , the power output, and lifespan of the
dam. Once again, powerful politicians and businessmen are accused of
having influenced project-related decisions – to serve their selfish
interest. Information available to The Observer indicates Ugandan
taxpayers are now in danger of losing billions of Shillings because of
the poor quality work that is about to begin.
In one dossier, titled 'Weaknesses in the Design of the Karuma Project',
experts question the exact location of the dam, the design of the water
intake, the water losses and the operating water levels in the
reservoir, among others. The dossier claims that the dam is set to be
located in an area with rapids; this comes with more risks and higher
costs of construction, yet more appropriate flat areas are available nearby.
Because the cofferdams (temporary water-tight enclosures that are pumped
dry to expose the bottom of the river so that construction can take
place) and the dam are both partially built at the same location, the
highly technical dossier adds, it is impossible to build a permanent dam
structure at this location. There are also fears that several aspects of
the dam do not conform to international practices, like the spillway - a
channel used for the controlled release of water downstream.
"The concrete bottom slab of the stilling basin is only 50cm thick,
anchored in the rock substratum, which is not commensurate with a
spillway of such a size," it says.
The design is based on the fact that the water level rose to its highest
in 1962 and then gradually decreased until the lowest recorded in 2006,
after which it stabilised. But the whistleblower feels that it was too
optimistic to base the design on this record as the 1962 feat is likely
to distort reality. The dossier argues that the Kyoga Nile water flow is
overestimated by 20% in the design.
Therefore, the whistleblower advises that the parameters that were taken
into account to set the installed capacity of the dam are too optimistic
and should be revised because the dam will not be able to generate and
produce the 660MW. "For a dam to be able to produce the actual output of
660MW, the design should be of a 700-1000MW, otherwise, there will
always be temporary shutdowns," the experts explain.
These concerns are likely to bring frustration to President Museveni,
who expects to see Karuma expedited, having so often regretted the delay
that befell a similar project at Bujagali, plunging the country into an
energy crisis that it is just emerging from. Only last month, the
president called for an investigation into the bidding process after it
was alleged that money exchanged hands and that one of the bidders had
falsified crucial information.
Bidding process
In August 2010, the ministry of Energy invited bids for the Karuma dam
project. One Iranian and two Chinese firms made it to the
pre-qualification stage. Salini, which is involved in the construction
of Bujagali hydropower dam; Vince, in partnership with Group Five of
South Africa; and Egypt's Orascom, had earlier been eliminated.
However, allegations of bribery soon emerged, with The East African
newspaper alleging that some members of the 12-person bid evaluation
committee had accepted bribes to allow a bid by a Chinese firm to
proceed to the pre-qualification stage, despite serious doubts about its
ability to execute the work.
Sources in the ministry of Energy have told us that the allegations were
fuelled by one of the competing contractors fronted by a powerful
businessman and a government official, who want CWE out of the way,
which would hand Sino Hydro a free ride, considering that the Iranian
company might not overcome international sanctions.
Project manager
As firms were busy fighting over the contract, the process of selecting
the project manager was also courting controversy. The Observer has been
tipped off that Graeme Watson is set to be appointed the project
manager, ahead of Benz Traugott. The Observer has seen a separate
dossier, titled 'Appointment of a Project Manager for Karuma Dam', in
which the whistleblower claims that some officials in the ministry of
Energy are sidelining Traugott on grounds that he is too expensive, yet
no negotiations have taken place, apart from a brief interview.
"I have also been reliably told that Watson is preferred because he will
be an easier person to work with since he is from the region and
understands how business is done in Uganda, in particular having dealt
with UNRA [the Uganda National Roads Authority], hence intensive
lobbying has taken place and no merit considered," the dossier claims.
In January, the ministry of Energy called for applications for the
position of project manager, with experience in tunnelling as a
prerequisite, 10 years in hydro power plants construction, and
experience in managing a similar project of the same magnitude (at least
250MW) and cost (at least US$0.7bn) in the last ten years. The age
bracket was set at 40-60 years.
The whistleblower praises Traugott, describing him as being "very
experienced", while at the same time claiming that Watson, the
ministry's favoured candidate, has no such experience. According to this
whistleblower, the evaluation process should be halted until a suitable
project manager has been appointed, who would then initiate a more
rigorous technical evaluation to ensure that the job goes to the best
contractor.
This, the dossier says, would save the government complications that
might arise from major cost overruns during execution, unnecessary
delays, non-compliance with regulations and standards, poor quality of
execution which might result in failure to generate the required power,
and ultimately no value for money.
The Observer failed to reach Kabagambe-Kaliisa, the ministry of energy
permanent secretary and spokesman. He was reported to be in a day-long
meeting. The commissioners reached declined to comment, instead
referring the paper to the unavailable Kabagambe.
hbogere@observer.ug
________________________________________________
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
Monday, May 7, 2012
Bo may be gone but his pet project is going ahead
Bo may be gone but his pet project is going ahead
Green groups' hopes of blocking controversial Xiaonanhai dam after
abrupt leadership change fade
By Shi Jiangtao
26 April 2012
South China Morning Post
http://www.scmp.com
One of the most controversial decisions that former Chongqing Communist
Party chief Bo Xilai made during his four-year stay in the southwestern
mega-city has been upheld, despite the princeling-politician's
spectacular fall from grace.
Plans for the Xiaonanhai dam, widely seen as Bo's pet project, have
emerged unscathed and made significant headway in recent weeks amid
much-rumoured scrutiny of major projects in the city that were allowed
to proceed under Bo's stewardship.
Although the plan to place a dam at the upper reaches of the Yangtze
River has long been controversial due to concerns about its
environmental impact, economic feasibility, the secretive
decision-making process and Bo's heavy involvement, preparatory work for
the project received the go-ahead late last month.
Environmentalists are very disappointed that years of efforts to stall
the project - which they argue will wipe out several endangered fish
species, including the Chinese sturgeon and Chinese paddlefish, and deal
another irrevocable blow to the river's bio-diversity - proved futile.
Chongqing authorities managed to overcome all major obstacles to the
dam's construction, mostly due to the personal intervention of Bo, a
former Politburo member who's a son of a revolutionary elder.
Critics are most bitter about the silencing of leading mainland
scientists who were previously allied with environmentalists in opposing
the Xiaonanhai dam and the downsizing of a neighbouring national fishery
reserve to make way for the project.
Later, environmentalists thought they had found a silver lining in Bo's
dramatic ousting.
Many pinned their last hope of blocking the project - to be built 700
kilometres upstream from the Three Gorges Dam and 40 kilometres upstream
of the city - on the abrupt leadership change.
Specifically, the appointment of Vice-Premier Zhang Dejiang to replace
Bo as Chongqing's party boss on March 15.
However, Zhang was apparently preoccupied with other things, such as
containing the political fallout from Bo's downfall in the city of 30
million and eradicating his predecessor's political influence.
"We had thought it was an opportunity for new leaders to rethink damming
the Yangtze River, which was largely a politically motivated decision,"
a veteran mainland environmentalist said.
Another Chongqing-based environmentalist put it more bluntly: "We have
yet to see any major difference between Bo and his successor in terms of
their handling of environmentally sensitive issues, on which political
and economic interests always take precedence."
On March 29, Chongqing mayor Huang Qifan , a former ally of Bo, and the
heads of the dam's developer, China Three Gorges Corporation, jointly
launched the start of the dam project's preliminary work.
Although Zhang did not attend the ceremony, according to the Chongqing
Daily , analysts say the fact that the controversial project was allowed
to proceed two weeks after Bo's downfall shows Zhang must have given it
his blessing.
Huang said the project was necessary to tackle the city's power
shortage, help improve navigation along the Yangtze and tackle siltation
at the Three Gorges dam reservoir.
But analysts believe the real reason behind the local government's
enthusiasm for the project is its total investment, which stands at 32
billion yuan (HK$39.3 billion), according to Huang, making it the most
expensive single project ever built in the municipality.
China Three Gorges, which has built and controls all the major dams
upstream and downstream of the Xiaonanhai dam, had no option but to take
up the project because the last thing it wants to see is other power
companies stepping on its hydropower turf.
Weng Lida, a former director of the water resources bureau at the
Yangtze River Commission, has said that senior China Three Gorges
executives admitted that they had to give in to pressure from the
Chongqing authorities even though the Xiaonanhai dam was not appealing
in terms of its power-generation capabilities and cost-effectiveness.
Just two days after preparatory work began on the Xiaonanhai dam, dozens
of mainland green groups and environmentalists signed an open letter
addressed to Premier Wen Jiabao and Zhang, who remains a vice-premier,
calling for an immediate halt to the project.
They suggested that there were many other options for resolving
Chongqing's power shortages, such as supplying it with electricity
generated by the Three Gorges dam. Chongqing media have reported that
the central government has agreed to do just that, beginning later this
year.
Critics have also focused on the dam project's high cost. The open
letter sent to Wen and Zhang says it is up to four times more expensive
than other mega-dams along the Yangtze's upper reaches in terms of
per-kilowatt investment. The Xiaonanhai dam is expected to generate
2,000 megawatts of electricity, according to Chongqing Daily , taking
its per-kilowatt investment to 16,000 yuan, compared with 4,950 yuan at
the Three Gorges dam, 3,538 yuan at the Xiluodu dam and 5,749 yuan at
the Xiangjiaba dam.
The Xiluodu and Xiangjiaba dams are China's second- and third-largest,
built upstream of the Xiaonanhai project on a main tributary of the Yangtze.
A fact barely mentioned by the project's supporters is that the Yangtze
River Commission reached the same conclusion as environmentalists in an
official report in 2003, saying the Xiaonanhai dam was not recommended
due to its unremarkable economic returns.
Although the main dam project remains subject to the environment
ministry's final approval, Weng and other experts concede that the
possibility of stopping is only theoretical.
"There is no precedent for dam projects on the mainland to be scrapped
once their preliminary work, which requires large upfront investment,
kicks off," Weng said.
But environmentalists are refusing to budge.
"We will not give up hope as long as the dam project has yet to be
officially approved," said Wang Yongchen , of Beijing-based Green Earth
Volunteers. "We will tell the people and the world why we should protect
the Yangtze River from being dammed yet again."
South China Morning Post Publishers Limited
________________________________________________
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Green groups' hopes of blocking controversial Xiaonanhai dam after
abrupt leadership change fade
By Shi Jiangtao
26 April 2012
South China Morning Post
http://www.scmp.com
One of the most controversial decisions that former Chongqing Communist
Party chief Bo Xilai made during his four-year stay in the southwestern
mega-city has been upheld, despite the princeling-politician's
spectacular fall from grace.
Plans for the Xiaonanhai dam, widely seen as Bo's pet project, have
emerged unscathed and made significant headway in recent weeks amid
much-rumoured scrutiny of major projects in the city that were allowed
to proceed under Bo's stewardship.
Although the plan to place a dam at the upper reaches of the Yangtze
River has long been controversial due to concerns about its
environmental impact, economic feasibility, the secretive
decision-making process and Bo's heavy involvement, preparatory work for
the project received the go-ahead late last month.
Environmentalists are very disappointed that years of efforts to stall
the project - which they argue will wipe out several endangered fish
species, including the Chinese sturgeon and Chinese paddlefish, and deal
another irrevocable blow to the river's bio-diversity - proved futile.
Chongqing authorities managed to overcome all major obstacles to the
dam's construction, mostly due to the personal intervention of Bo, a
former Politburo member who's a son of a revolutionary elder.
Critics are most bitter about the silencing of leading mainland
scientists who were previously allied with environmentalists in opposing
the Xiaonanhai dam and the downsizing of a neighbouring national fishery
reserve to make way for the project.
Later, environmentalists thought they had found a silver lining in Bo's
dramatic ousting.
Many pinned their last hope of blocking the project - to be built 700
kilometres upstream from the Three Gorges Dam and 40 kilometres upstream
of the city - on the abrupt leadership change.
Specifically, the appointment of Vice-Premier Zhang Dejiang to replace
Bo as Chongqing's party boss on March 15.
However, Zhang was apparently preoccupied with other things, such as
containing the political fallout from Bo's downfall in the city of 30
million and eradicating his predecessor's political influence.
"We had thought it was an opportunity for new leaders to rethink damming
the Yangtze River, which was largely a politically motivated decision,"
a veteran mainland environmentalist said.
Another Chongqing-based environmentalist put it more bluntly: "We have
yet to see any major difference between Bo and his successor in terms of
their handling of environmentally sensitive issues, on which political
and economic interests always take precedence."
On March 29, Chongqing mayor Huang Qifan , a former ally of Bo, and the
heads of the dam's developer, China Three Gorges Corporation, jointly
launched the start of the dam project's preliminary work.
Although Zhang did not attend the ceremony, according to the Chongqing
Daily , analysts say the fact that the controversial project was allowed
to proceed two weeks after Bo's downfall shows Zhang must have given it
his blessing.
Huang said the project was necessary to tackle the city's power
shortage, help improve navigation along the Yangtze and tackle siltation
at the Three Gorges dam reservoir.
But analysts believe the real reason behind the local government's
enthusiasm for the project is its total investment, which stands at 32
billion yuan (HK$39.3 billion), according to Huang, making it the most
expensive single project ever built in the municipality.
China Three Gorges, which has built and controls all the major dams
upstream and downstream of the Xiaonanhai dam, had no option but to take
up the project because the last thing it wants to see is other power
companies stepping on its hydropower turf.
Weng Lida, a former director of the water resources bureau at the
Yangtze River Commission, has said that senior China Three Gorges
executives admitted that they had to give in to pressure from the
Chongqing authorities even though the Xiaonanhai dam was not appealing
in terms of its power-generation capabilities and cost-effectiveness.
Just two days after preparatory work began on the Xiaonanhai dam, dozens
of mainland green groups and environmentalists signed an open letter
addressed to Premier Wen Jiabao and Zhang, who remains a vice-premier,
calling for an immediate halt to the project.
They suggested that there were many other options for resolving
Chongqing's power shortages, such as supplying it with electricity
generated by the Three Gorges dam. Chongqing media have reported that
the central government has agreed to do just that, beginning later this
year.
Critics have also focused on the dam project's high cost. The open
letter sent to Wen and Zhang says it is up to four times more expensive
than other mega-dams along the Yangtze's upper reaches in terms of
per-kilowatt investment. The Xiaonanhai dam is expected to generate
2,000 megawatts of electricity, according to Chongqing Daily , taking
its per-kilowatt investment to 16,000 yuan, compared with 4,950 yuan at
the Three Gorges dam, 3,538 yuan at the Xiluodu dam and 5,749 yuan at
the Xiangjiaba dam.
The Xiluodu and Xiangjiaba dams are China's second- and third-largest,
built upstream of the Xiaonanhai project on a main tributary of the Yangtze.
A fact barely mentioned by the project's supporters is that the Yangtze
River Commission reached the same conclusion as environmentalists in an
official report in 2003, saying the Xiaonanhai dam was not recommended
due to its unremarkable economic returns.
Although the main dam project remains subject to the environment
ministry's final approval, Weng and other experts concede that the
possibility of stopping is only theoretical.
"There is no precedent for dam projects on the mainland to be scrapped
once their preliminary work, which requires large upfront investment,
kicks off," Weng said.
But environmentalists are refusing to budge.
"We will not give up hope as long as the dam project has yet to be
officially approved," said Wang Yongchen , of Beijing-based Green Earth
Volunteers. "We will tell the people and the world why we should protect
the Yangtze River from being dammed yet again."
South China Morning Post Publishers Limited
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Friday, May 4, 2012
Jinsha River cut up by hydropower magnates
Jinsha River cut up by hydropower magnates
May 4, 2012
By Li Jingrong
http://www.china.org.cn/environment/2012-05/04/content_25304865.htm
The 2,308-km long Jinsha River, the upper reaches of the Yangtze River,
will be cut into pieces by 25 reservoirs, located at every 100 km, in
the near future, the Dazhong Daily reported Friday. The development plan
is dominated by five hydropower magnates.
The development plan includes installing 25 reservoirs with an overall
capacity equaling that of four Three Gorges Dams, according to
Sichuan-based Hengduan Mountains Research Institute and local government.
Twenty-four reservoirs are monopolized by five state-run corporations,
namely China Three Gorges, China Resources, China Datang, China Huadian
and China Huaneng. Only the Jin'an Bridge Power Station was constructed
by privately-run Hanneng Shareholding Group.
The Jinsha River flows through Qinghai, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces in
southwest China. Jinsha means golden sand in Chinese. The hydropower
development plans for the river took off in 2008.
Scientists worry that reservoirs being built in large numbers in the
area, would lead to consequences bad beyond imaginable, especially in
Hunan and Jiangxi provinces in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
Yang Yong, a leading scientist of the research institute, said "The
development means the long, surging river will be carved into numerous
sections of calm waters, and lose its grandeur forever."
Weng Lida, director of the Yangtze River Water Resources Protection
Bureau, said that the development plan only gives consideration to
hydropower and hardly takes into account the interests of other parties
involved."
"The droughts in Dongting and Poyang lakes in the lower reaches of the
Yangtze River might be getting worse," said Weng, "With the completion
of the water storage project, the silt will be another obvious and
unavoidable problem."
Local government statistics show that the overall installed capacity of
the 10 hydropower stations, from Liyuan to Xiangjiaba in the lower
reaches of the Jinsha River, totals to 62.35 million kilowatt, an
increase of 10.57 million kilowatt from the year 2003.
Chen Kaiqi, a senior engineer of the Ministry of Environmental
Protection, thinks that the unsystematic development has severely
disturbed the local environment. "The eco-system is being damaged and
improper relocation projects have led to a series of social problems as
well."
________________________________________________
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May 4, 2012
By Li Jingrong
http://www.china.org.cn/environment/2012-05/04/content_25304865.htm
The 2,308-km long Jinsha River, the upper reaches of the Yangtze River,
will be cut into pieces by 25 reservoirs, located at every 100 km, in
the near future, the Dazhong Daily reported Friday. The development plan
is dominated by five hydropower magnates.
The development plan includes installing 25 reservoirs with an overall
capacity equaling that of four Three Gorges Dams, according to
Sichuan-based Hengduan Mountains Research Institute and local government.
Twenty-four reservoirs are monopolized by five state-run corporations,
namely China Three Gorges, China Resources, China Datang, China Huadian
and China Huaneng. Only the Jin'an Bridge Power Station was constructed
by privately-run Hanneng Shareholding Group.
The Jinsha River flows through Qinghai, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces in
southwest China. Jinsha means golden sand in Chinese. The hydropower
development plans for the river took off in 2008.
Scientists worry that reservoirs being built in large numbers in the
area, would lead to consequences bad beyond imaginable, especially in
Hunan and Jiangxi provinces in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
Yang Yong, a leading scientist of the research institute, said "The
development means the long, surging river will be carved into numerous
sections of calm waters, and lose its grandeur forever."
Weng Lida, director of the Yangtze River Water Resources Protection
Bureau, said that the development plan only gives consideration to
hydropower and hardly takes into account the interests of other parties
involved."
"The droughts in Dongting and Poyang lakes in the lower reaches of the
Yangtze River might be getting worse," said Weng, "With the completion
of the water storage project, the silt will be another obvious and
unavoidable problem."
Local government statistics show that the overall installed capacity of
the 10 hydropower stations, from Liyuan to Xiangjiaba in the lower
reaches of the Jinsha River, totals to 62.35 million kilowatt, an
increase of 10.57 million kilowatt from the year 2003.
Chen Kaiqi, a senior engineer of the Ministry of Environmental
Protection, thinks that the unsystematic development has severely
disturbed the local environment. "The eco-system is being damaged and
improper relocation projects have led to a series of social problems as
well."
________________________________________________
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Thursday, May 3, 2012
World Bank hydro project in Himachal Pradesh/India opposed
World Bank hydro project in Himachal opposed
By Baldev S Chauhan, Sun Post, May 1, 2012
www.sunpost.in/2012/05/01/world-bank-hydro-project-in-himachal-opposed/
Shimla : Villagers in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district held protests on
Monday against the building of the 775 MW Luhri hydro electric project
in the state .
Around 78 villages are to be affected by the 38 km long twin tunnels
proposed to be built by the state run Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd(SJVNL) .
They allege SJVNL hasn't even taken an NOC (no objection certificate)
under the latest forest rights act.
Dayal Verma spokesman of the villagers told the Sun Post that local
villages are against the design of the project.
"The local village council has passed a resolution for stopping the
testing work in the area as this is in violation of the forest rights
act ," they claim.
They said the power company building the project should first seek the
required green clearances.
Green activists are also opposed to the "completely killing of the free
flowing of Sutlej river over a stretch of 50 km ," said Nek Ram Sharma
of the Sutlej Jan Sangarsh Samiti.
"We have noticed in all such projects in the state the construction of
tunnels are responsible for drying up of natural water sources around
them , we don't want this to happen here ," said Sharma.
Last month the union ministry of environment's committee had deferred
the decision on the forest clearance to this project on several grounds.
________________________________________________
This is International Rivers' mailing list on the role of international financial institutions in promoting large dams.
You received this message as a subscriber on the list: ifi@list.internationalrivers.org
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By Baldev S Chauhan, Sun Post, May 1, 2012
www.sunpost.in/2012/05/01/world-bank-hydro-project-in-himachal-opposed/
Shimla : Villagers in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district held protests on
Monday against the building of the 775 MW Luhri hydro electric project
in the state .
Around 78 villages are to be affected by the 38 km long twin tunnels
proposed to be built by the state run Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd(SJVNL) .
They allege SJVNL hasn't even taken an NOC (no objection certificate)
under the latest forest rights act.
Dayal Verma spokesman of the villagers told the Sun Post that local
villages are against the design of the project.
"The local village council has passed a resolution for stopping the
testing work in the area as this is in violation of the forest rights
act ," they claim.
They said the power company building the project should first seek the
required green clearances.
Green activists are also opposed to the "completely killing of the free
flowing of Sutlej river over a stretch of 50 km ," said Nek Ram Sharma
of the Sutlej Jan Sangarsh Samiti.
"We have noticed in all such projects in the state the construction of
tunnels are responsible for drying up of natural water sources around
them , we don't want this to happen here ," said Sharma.
Last month the union ministry of environment's committee had deferred
the decision on the forest clearance to this project on several grounds.
________________________________________________
This is International Rivers' mailing list on the role of international financial institutions in promoting large dams.
You received this message as a subscriber on the list: ifi@list.internationalrivers.org
To be removed from the list, please visit:
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2486/unsubscribe.jsp
World Bank Luhri hydro project in Himachal opposed
World Bank hydro project in Himachal opposed
By Baldev S Chauhan, Sun Post, May 1, 2012
www.sunpost.in/2012/05/01/world-bank-hydro-project-in-himachal-opposed/
Shimla : Villagers in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district held protests on
Monday against the building of the 775 MW Luhri hydro electric project
in the state .
Around 78 villages are to be affected by the 38 km long twin tunnels
proposed to be built by the state run Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd(SJVNL) .
They allege SJVNL hasn't even taken an NOC under the latest forest
rights act .
Dayal Verma spokesman of the villagers told the Sun Post that local
villages are against the design of the project .
"The local village council has passed a resolution for stopping the
testing work in the area as this is in violation of the forest rights
act ," they claim .
They said the power company building the project should first seek the
required green clearances .
Green activists are also opposed to the "completely killing of the free
flowing of Sutlej river over a stretch of 50 km ," said Nek Ram Sharma
of the Sutlej Jan Sangarsh Samiti .
"We have noticed in all such projects in the state the construction of
tunnels are responsible for drying up of natural water sources around
them , we don't want this to happen here ," said Sharma .
Last month the union ministry of environment's committee had deferred
the decision on the forest clearance to this project on several grounds .
________________________________________________
You received this message as a subscriber on the list: sasia@list.internationalrivers.org
To be removed from the list, please visit:
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2486/unsubscribe.jsp
By Baldev S Chauhan, Sun Post, May 1, 2012
www.sunpost.in/2012/05/01/world-bank-hydro-project-in-himachal-opposed/
Shimla : Villagers in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district held protests on
Monday against the building of the 775 MW Luhri hydro electric project
in the state .
Around 78 villages are to be affected by the 38 km long twin tunnels
proposed to be built by the state run Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd(SJVNL) .
They allege SJVNL hasn't even taken an NOC under the latest forest
rights act .
Dayal Verma spokesman of the villagers told the Sun Post that local
villages are against the design of the project .
"The local village council has passed a resolution for stopping the
testing work in the area as this is in violation of the forest rights
act ," they claim .
They said the power company building the project should first seek the
required green clearances .
Green activists are also opposed to the "completely killing of the free
flowing of Sutlej river over a stretch of 50 km ," said Nek Ram Sharma
of the Sutlej Jan Sangarsh Samiti .
"We have noticed in all such projects in the state the construction of
tunnels are responsible for drying up of natural water sources around
them , we don't want this to happen here ," said Sharma .
Last month the union ministry of environment's committee had deferred
the decision on the forest clearance to this project on several grounds .
________________________________________________
You received this message as a subscriber on the list: sasia@list.internationalrivers.org
To be removed from the list, please visit:
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2486/unsubscribe.jsp
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Trouble on the Yangtze
Trouble on the Yangtze
By Jane Qiu
Science
20 April 2012
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/336/6079/288
YONGSHAN, CHINA�Among the hundreds of fish species that call the
upper Yangtze River home is the largemouth bronze gudgeon. The species
spawns in the rapids of this rocky waterway�also known as the Jinsha
River�which descends from the Tibetan Plateau through the mountains of
western China. Its eggs and larvae are kept afloat by the swift current
until they hatch and mature hundreds of kilometers downstream. "They
have evolved to live in fast-flowing rivers," says Cao Wenxuan, an
ecologist at the Institute of Hydrobiology at the Chinese Academy of
Sciences (CAS) in Wuhan.
But with dozens of new dams planned for the Yangtze system, that
habitat will soon change. Last month, preparatory work began on the
controversial Xiaonanhai Dam, with more projects to follow. Within a few
years, the Jinsha will slow to a sluggish pace and its temperature will
drop as a series of large dams release cold bottom water from their
reservoirs into the river. Along with other endemic fish species, the
largemouth bronze gudgeon may spawn up to 3 months later, and soon
after, its eggs and larvae may sink to the bottom and die from lack of
oxygen. For species already threatened by the Three Gorges Dam
downriver, Cao says, the new series of hydropower dams will "take away
their last refuge."
Last year, the central government solidified plans to increase Chinas
reliance on non�fossil fuel energy from the 2010 level of 8% to 15% of
the energy mix by 2020. Nearly two-thirds of that target will come from
hydropower�an increase on par with adding nearly one Three Gorges Dam
a year. "The scale of hydropower development in China is simply off
the charts," says Edward Grumbine, an environmental policy researcher
at CASs Kunming Institute of Botany in Yunnan Province. Ecologists say
Chinas hydropower push will threaten already-taxed ecosystems in the
upper Yangtze.
Central to the spurt of construction is a 770-kilometer-long stretch of
the lower Jinsha River flowing through Sichuan and Yunnan provinces.
Last June, China announced an injection of $63.4 billion for hydropower
in the region to cover four massive dams with a total capacity of 43,000
MW. "Its worrying to see so many proposed large dams, one immediately
after another," says Zhang Xiaodong, deputy director of the China
Earthquake Networks Center in Beijing.
In addition, three large dams are under construction and five are
planned on the 560-kilometer-long middle Jinsha, with more planned for
the 960-kilometer-long upper reach. At a combined height of 2
kilometers, the dams will convert "the rapidly flowing Jinsha River
into a series of stepped lakes with few free-flowing sections," says
Liao Wengeng, deputy director of the National Research Center for
Sustainable Hydropower Development (NRCSHD) in Beijing. Also tagged for
development are Yangtze tributaries such as the Yalong, Min, and Dahu
rivers.
As construction of the Three Gorges Dam got under way in the 1990s,
ecologists submitted petitions to the central government calling for an
upstream reserve to protect fish populations. The result was the Upper
Yangtze River Rare and Endemic Fish Reserve, a 500-kilometer-long
protected stretch of river that includes 350 kilometers of the Yangtze
mainstream. The reserve became a critical habitat for some 190 fish
species�including the critically endangered paddlefish and the Yangtze
sturgeon (_Science_, 1 August 2008, p. 628 [10]).
In 2005, officials sliced off 150 kilometers of the upriver portion to
make way for the Xiangjiaba and Xiluodu dams. Now the Xiaonanhai Dam
will chip away at the reserve even further. At a cost of $3.8 billion,
the dam is expected to generate 1750 MW of electricity at its
completion. Officials in Chongqing, the municipality overseeing the
project, say that it will alleviate power shortages and boost the local
economy. But it will also create a nearly 100-kilometer-long reservoir
in the heart of the upstream protected area.
For years, ecologists have voiced fierce opposition against the
Xiaonanhai Dam. But the battle was lost last December, when Chinas State
Council green-lighted Chongqings request to shrink the reserve. Road
building and other preparation began 29 March. Critics like Fan Xiao,
chief engineer at the Sichuan Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources in
Chengdu, fear that Xiaonanhai will pave the way for two additional
upstream dams proposed by Sichuan authorities in the reserve area. And
that could mean the end for the paddlefish, the Yangtze sturgeon, and
other endemic fish: "The reserve would exist only in name," he says.
GEOLOGICAL MINEFIELD
Driving on the narrow road clinging to a cliff above the Jinsha River
is not for the fainthearted. It circles mountains that have risen out of
tens of millions of years of thrusting and folding of Earths crust,
overlooking a steep valley carved by the roaring river. Scars left by
recent landslides cut across facing slopes.
Critics fear that Chinas hydropower expansion will collide with this
stark topography. Crisscrossed with active faults hundreds of kilometers
long, the region is "much more geologically complex than the Three
Gorges," says geologist Guo Shunmin of the China Earthquake
Administrations Institute of Geology in Beijing. Earthquakes of
magnitude 7 or 8 are not uncommon. "A lot of the reservoirs will have
active faults beneath them," he adds.
Given that some evidence links construction of the Zipingpu Dam to the
2008 Wenchuan earthquake (see sidebar, p. 291 [11]), "there should be
studies on the effect of water impoundment on active faults beneath the
[Jinsha area] reservoirs," says Hu Xianming, a geophysicist at the
Sichuan Seismological Bureaus Institute of Reservoir-Induced Seismicity
Research in Chengdu. The current safety evaluation, however, involves
only surveys to avoid building dams on active faults.
Compounding the problem is the up to 2 meters in precipitation the
Jinsha region gets every year. In monsoon season, torrential rains can
tear apart steep slopes. Massive landslides have blocked the Jinsha for
days at a time in the past, says Yang Yong, director of the
environmental group the Hengduanshan Society in Chengdu.
Changes in water temperature will be stark as well. The 278-meter-high
Xiluodu Dam will cool water temperature by an average of 1.5�C for the
months of March through September, according to the projects
environmental impact assessment (EIA). Deep reservoirs stratify water
into layers of different temperature, with the coldest near the bottom.
Water from the cold bottom layer will be released downstream, Liao says.
Most fish species spawn in April or May, when the water warms to 16�C
to 18�C. After the four dams on the lower Jinsha are built, the EIA
says, downstream portions of the river wont reach such temperatures
until 2 to 3 months later. That will "hamper fish reproduction,"
Liao says. He points to the Three Gorges Dam: With spawning delayed by
over a month, downstream carp populations have been decimated.
The problems brought on by that earlier dam are well documented. The
river dolphin, or _baiji_, has been functionally extinct since 2007,
and ecologists fear that the finless porpoise, or _jiangzhu_, may soon
follow it.
Also of concern is silt accumulation: Sediment retention in the
reservoir means the clearer downstream water can cut the riverbed deeper
and lower water levels in lakes fed by the Yangtze. In January, Poyang
Lake, Chinas largest freshwater lake, was hit by the worst drought in 6
decades: the water level dropped to a mere 8 meters, and much of the
lake has become a plain of cracked mud. Such problems will snowball with
"a cascade of upstream dams," Liao says.
A STACKED DECK
Some hydrologists say that optimizing dam operation could alleviate
problems with downstream water supply. But many are unconvinced. With so
many new dams, says Guo Qiaoyu, director of The Nature Conservancys
Yangtze River project, "it will be extremely difficult to ensure
proper coordination between provinces and companies that operate the
dams."
With the new hydropower boom, criticism of Chinas EIA process is
mounting. By law, dams cannot be constructed in nature reserves or their
buffer zones. But the government is all too willing to redraw the
boundaries to accommodate hydropower projects, some say. The Xiaonanhai
Dam in particular, Guo says, is "yet another example of the countrys
disregard for the environment."
Critics say EIA committee members are often paid for their services by
dam projects and deliver favorable assessments in order to be invited
back. "The EIA is just about friends evaluating each others
projects," says Wang Mingna, a hydrologist at the Chinese Institute of
Water Resources and Hydropower Research in Beijing. Scientists warnings
"often fall on deaf ears," adds ecologist Yang Junxing of CASs
Kunming Institute of Zoology.
Adding bias to the schedule, ecologists say, are rules that allow
developers to start preparing for a proposed dam while project
assessment is still under way. And EIAs are too narrow, examining
projects in isolation, points out He Daming, an ecologist at Yunnan
University, Kunming. "Even if the impact of individual dams is
acceptable," he says, "the cumulative effects of stacking dams on
top of one another could still be catastrophic."
The science ministry is funding research that takes additive impacts
into account. The Ministry of Water Resources, meanwhile, may soon
improve the EIA process, says Yu Xuezhong, chief engineer at the NRCSHD.
But such measures may come too late for the upper Yangtzes beleaguered
fish species. Ecologists are scrambling to set aside small
sanctuaries�in small tributaries near their current habitats, for
example. The goal, Cao says, is to "save as many fish species as we
can. All we can hope for is to slow down the extinction rate."
Jane Qiu is a writer in Beijing and London.
________________________________________________
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By Jane Qiu
Science
20 April 2012
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/336/6079/288
YONGSHAN, CHINA�Among the hundreds of fish species that call the
upper Yangtze River home is the largemouth bronze gudgeon. The species
spawns in the rapids of this rocky waterway�also known as the Jinsha
River�which descends from the Tibetan Plateau through the mountains of
western China. Its eggs and larvae are kept afloat by the swift current
until they hatch and mature hundreds of kilometers downstream. "They
have evolved to live in fast-flowing rivers," says Cao Wenxuan, an
ecologist at the Institute of Hydrobiology at the Chinese Academy of
Sciences (CAS) in Wuhan.
But with dozens of new dams planned for the Yangtze system, that
habitat will soon change. Last month, preparatory work began on the
controversial Xiaonanhai Dam, with more projects to follow. Within a few
years, the Jinsha will slow to a sluggish pace and its temperature will
drop as a series of large dams release cold bottom water from their
reservoirs into the river. Along with other endemic fish species, the
largemouth bronze gudgeon may spawn up to 3 months later, and soon
after, its eggs and larvae may sink to the bottom and die from lack of
oxygen. For species already threatened by the Three Gorges Dam
downriver, Cao says, the new series of hydropower dams will "take away
their last refuge."
Last year, the central government solidified plans to increase Chinas
reliance on non�fossil fuel energy from the 2010 level of 8% to 15% of
the energy mix by 2020. Nearly two-thirds of that target will come from
hydropower�an increase on par with adding nearly one Three Gorges Dam
a year. "The scale of hydropower development in China is simply off
the charts," says Edward Grumbine, an environmental policy researcher
at CASs Kunming Institute of Botany in Yunnan Province. Ecologists say
Chinas hydropower push will threaten already-taxed ecosystems in the
upper Yangtze.
Central to the spurt of construction is a 770-kilometer-long stretch of
the lower Jinsha River flowing through Sichuan and Yunnan provinces.
Last June, China announced an injection of $63.4 billion for hydropower
in the region to cover four massive dams with a total capacity of 43,000
MW. "Its worrying to see so many proposed large dams, one immediately
after another," says Zhang Xiaodong, deputy director of the China
Earthquake Networks Center in Beijing.
In addition, three large dams are under construction and five are
planned on the 560-kilometer-long middle Jinsha, with more planned for
the 960-kilometer-long upper reach. At a combined height of 2
kilometers, the dams will convert "the rapidly flowing Jinsha River
into a series of stepped lakes with few free-flowing sections," says
Liao Wengeng, deputy director of the National Research Center for
Sustainable Hydropower Development (NRCSHD) in Beijing. Also tagged for
development are Yangtze tributaries such as the Yalong, Min, and Dahu
rivers.
As construction of the Three Gorges Dam got under way in the 1990s,
ecologists submitted petitions to the central government calling for an
upstream reserve to protect fish populations. The result was the Upper
Yangtze River Rare and Endemic Fish Reserve, a 500-kilometer-long
protected stretch of river that includes 350 kilometers of the Yangtze
mainstream. The reserve became a critical habitat for some 190 fish
species�including the critically endangered paddlefish and the Yangtze
sturgeon (_Science_, 1 August 2008, p. 628 [10]).
In 2005, officials sliced off 150 kilometers of the upriver portion to
make way for the Xiangjiaba and Xiluodu dams. Now the Xiaonanhai Dam
will chip away at the reserve even further. At a cost of $3.8 billion,
the dam is expected to generate 1750 MW of electricity at its
completion. Officials in Chongqing, the municipality overseeing the
project, say that it will alleviate power shortages and boost the local
economy. But it will also create a nearly 100-kilometer-long reservoir
in the heart of the upstream protected area.
For years, ecologists have voiced fierce opposition against the
Xiaonanhai Dam. But the battle was lost last December, when Chinas State
Council green-lighted Chongqings request to shrink the reserve. Road
building and other preparation began 29 March. Critics like Fan Xiao,
chief engineer at the Sichuan Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources in
Chengdu, fear that Xiaonanhai will pave the way for two additional
upstream dams proposed by Sichuan authorities in the reserve area. And
that could mean the end for the paddlefish, the Yangtze sturgeon, and
other endemic fish: "The reserve would exist only in name," he says.
GEOLOGICAL MINEFIELD
Driving on the narrow road clinging to a cliff above the Jinsha River
is not for the fainthearted. It circles mountains that have risen out of
tens of millions of years of thrusting and folding of Earths crust,
overlooking a steep valley carved by the roaring river. Scars left by
recent landslides cut across facing slopes.
Critics fear that Chinas hydropower expansion will collide with this
stark topography. Crisscrossed with active faults hundreds of kilometers
long, the region is "much more geologically complex than the Three
Gorges," says geologist Guo Shunmin of the China Earthquake
Administrations Institute of Geology in Beijing. Earthquakes of
magnitude 7 or 8 are not uncommon. "A lot of the reservoirs will have
active faults beneath them," he adds.
Given that some evidence links construction of the Zipingpu Dam to the
2008 Wenchuan earthquake (see sidebar, p. 291 [11]), "there should be
studies on the effect of water impoundment on active faults beneath the
[Jinsha area] reservoirs," says Hu Xianming, a geophysicist at the
Sichuan Seismological Bureaus Institute of Reservoir-Induced Seismicity
Research in Chengdu. The current safety evaluation, however, involves
only surveys to avoid building dams on active faults.
Compounding the problem is the up to 2 meters in precipitation the
Jinsha region gets every year. In monsoon season, torrential rains can
tear apart steep slopes. Massive landslides have blocked the Jinsha for
days at a time in the past, says Yang Yong, director of the
environmental group the Hengduanshan Society in Chengdu.
Changes in water temperature will be stark as well. The 278-meter-high
Xiluodu Dam will cool water temperature by an average of 1.5�C for the
months of March through September, according to the projects
environmental impact assessment (EIA). Deep reservoirs stratify water
into layers of different temperature, with the coldest near the bottom.
Water from the cold bottom layer will be released downstream, Liao says.
Most fish species spawn in April or May, when the water warms to 16�C
to 18�C. After the four dams on the lower Jinsha are built, the EIA
says, downstream portions of the river wont reach such temperatures
until 2 to 3 months later. That will "hamper fish reproduction,"
Liao says. He points to the Three Gorges Dam: With spawning delayed by
over a month, downstream carp populations have been decimated.
The problems brought on by that earlier dam are well documented. The
river dolphin, or _baiji_, has been functionally extinct since 2007,
and ecologists fear that the finless porpoise, or _jiangzhu_, may soon
follow it.
Also of concern is silt accumulation: Sediment retention in the
reservoir means the clearer downstream water can cut the riverbed deeper
and lower water levels in lakes fed by the Yangtze. In January, Poyang
Lake, Chinas largest freshwater lake, was hit by the worst drought in 6
decades: the water level dropped to a mere 8 meters, and much of the
lake has become a plain of cracked mud. Such problems will snowball with
"a cascade of upstream dams," Liao says.
A STACKED DECK
Some hydrologists say that optimizing dam operation could alleviate
problems with downstream water supply. But many are unconvinced. With so
many new dams, says Guo Qiaoyu, director of The Nature Conservancys
Yangtze River project, "it will be extremely difficult to ensure
proper coordination between provinces and companies that operate the
dams."
With the new hydropower boom, criticism of Chinas EIA process is
mounting. By law, dams cannot be constructed in nature reserves or their
buffer zones. But the government is all too willing to redraw the
boundaries to accommodate hydropower projects, some say. The Xiaonanhai
Dam in particular, Guo says, is "yet another example of the countrys
disregard for the environment."
Critics say EIA committee members are often paid for their services by
dam projects and deliver favorable assessments in order to be invited
back. "The EIA is just about friends evaluating each others
projects," says Wang Mingna, a hydrologist at the Chinese Institute of
Water Resources and Hydropower Research in Beijing. Scientists warnings
"often fall on deaf ears," adds ecologist Yang Junxing of CASs
Kunming Institute of Zoology.
Adding bias to the schedule, ecologists say, are rules that allow
developers to start preparing for a proposed dam while project
assessment is still under way. And EIAs are too narrow, examining
projects in isolation, points out He Daming, an ecologist at Yunnan
University, Kunming. "Even if the impact of individual dams is
acceptable," he says, "the cumulative effects of stacking dams on
top of one another could still be catastrophic."
The science ministry is funding research that takes additive impacts
into account. The Ministry of Water Resources, meanwhile, may soon
improve the EIA process, says Yu Xuezhong, chief engineer at the NRCSHD.
But such measures may come too late for the upper Yangtzes beleaguered
fish species. Ecologists are scrambling to set aside small
sanctuaries�in small tributaries near their current habitats, for
example. The goal, Cao says, is to "save as many fish species as we
can. All we can hope for is to slow down the extinction rate."
Jane Qiu is a writer in Beijing and London.
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