[Below is a translation of a Yunnan Daily article regarding the four
dams on the Nu River in Yunnan Province, and the status of feasibility
studies, hydropower plans, and a Nu River strategic environmental
assessment.]
Member of the National Committee of CPPCC Urges Hydro Development on the
Nu River
4 March 2013
Yunnan Info Daily
http://news.ynxxb.com/content/2013-3/4/N46539217678.aspx
Weixiang Feng, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese
People's Political Consultative Conference, submit a proposal to suggest
that governmental departments ratify as soon as possible the
"Hydropower Planning Report on the Middle and Lower Nu River," and
launch the Nu River hydropower development.
Weixiang Feng said, the revision work of the three documents:
"Comprehensive Planning Report of the Nu Region," "Hydropower Planning
Report on the Middle and Lower Nu River," and the "Assessment Report on
Environmental Impact of Hydropower Development on Middle and Lower Nu"
are basically completed. The survey and design process of the
pre-feasibility study stage of three hydropower stations, Liuku, Saige
and Yabiluo, have also reached an end. Maji hydropower station is
carrying survey and design work in the pre-feasibility study period, and
the government is further deepening the pre-feasibility studies of Nu
hydropower development. China has recently issued "12th Five-Year Plan
for energy development," "12th Five-Year Plan for renewable energy
development," and "12th Five-Year Plan for hydropower development,"
which confirm the launch of Nu River development during the 12th Five
Year Plan period. In the meantime, "Yi Ku Si Ji" project (build 4-levels
hydro station in one reservoir) will be a key project in the period.
The hydropower resource on the Nu River, with its large runoffs,
excellent geological conditions, fewer immigrants, smaller flooded area
and low cost, is the only and the most suitable resource in the region.
It is rich in water resources; meanwhile its cyclic utilization,
economic benefits and environmental benefits should all be taken into
account. In addition to power generation, flood control and other direct
benefits, it can also improve the conditions of transportation and other
infrastructure, promote tourism and other related industries, promote
rural labor transfer from primary industry to secondary and tertiary
industries, gradually eliminate the backward, inefficient farming
methods which destroy the ecological environment, and provide necessary
investment to ensure ecological and environmental protection and
restoration, therefore leading the Nu River Basin into a stage of
scientific development, harmonious development, and leap-forward
development.
(Translated by Guo Xin)
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Thursday, March 7, 2013
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Critic of unbridled growth tipped as new China environment minister
Critic of unbridled growth tipped as new China environment minister
March 4, 2013
Reuters
By David Stanway and Benjamin Kang Lim
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/04/us-china-parliament-environment-idUSBRE92306E20130304
Pan Yue, a high-profile official with a history of taking on big
state-owned interests, has emerged as the front-runner to become China's
new environment minister, sources said, amid growing public discontent
over worsening pollution in the country.
Pan, a former journalist, is tipped to take over from career bureaucrat
Zhou Shengxian when Premier-in-waiting Li Keqiang forms his new cabinet
during the annual session of parliament which begins on Tuesday, three
independent sources familiar with the matter said.
"A recommended list (of cabinet ministers) lists Pan Yue as the
environmental protection minister. But this is not final and could
change at the last minute," a source with ties to the leadership told
Reuters.
With China desperate to show it is determined to tackle its pollution
problems, the appointment of the popular Pan would help build confidence
in the country's environmental protection bodies and their ability to
rein in some of the country's most powerful industrial interests.
Public anger over air pollution that blanketed many northern cities in
January has spread to online appeals for Beijing to clean up water
supplies as well. Across the country, to the government's alarm, social
unrest spurred by environmental complaints has become increasingly common.
Pan has routinely criticized China's excessive focus on growth and the
weakness of its environmental watchdogs, saying the country's obsession
with economic expansion had created a massive "environmental overdraft".
But the 53-year-old has paid the price before for his outspoken comments.
Also, the environment ministry still faces formidable odds in the face
of China's complex bureaucracy and weak enforcement of laws. It lacks
the authority to take on big state-owned enterprises, including oil
firms, and local governments.
"If Pan Yue is appointed minister, it would give real credibility to
(incoming President) Xi (Jinping)'s message about wanting people who get
results and don't just talk," said Elizabeth Economy, a senior fellow at
the Council on Foreign Relations who has studied China's environmental
problems.
Parliament spokeswoman Fu Ying said on Monday that the largely rubber
stamp legislature would tighten two environment laws during its annual
session by linking protection efforts with local government performance
evaluations and further reining in emissions.
UNLEASHING "STORMS"
Pan's possible promotion would also represent a significant upturn in
fortunes since his career stalled in 2008 amid political opposition and
personal difficulties.
In the middle of the last decade, when he served as the deputy director
of China's State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), Pan was
feted by the domestic and foreign media as a fearless campaigner against
giant government-backed polluters, but his stance created enemies.
"Many saw him as too liberal, but he has restrained himself in recent
years," a second source with leadership ties said.
His profile reached a climax in 2005, when he confronted dozens of
powerful state-owned enterprises. The crux of the row was SEPA's power
to enforce its rules, with the state giants arguing they were directly
subject to the State Council and therefore not obliged to comply with
SEPA rules involving environmental impact assessments.
The media heralded Pan the victor after the Three Gorges Project Corp,
the powerful state-owned developer of the world's biggest hydropower
project on the Yangtze River, was ordered by the State Council to comply
with SEPA following a week-long stand-off.
In 2006, he also took on the China Petrochemical Corp (Sinopec) and the
China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC), the parent of PetroChina, the
country's two biggest oil firms, in a drive against water pollution.
And in 2007, Pan again turned his attention to China's big state-owned
power firms, including Datang Power, Huadian Power and Huaneng Power,
all accused of failing to comply with SEPA regulations.
Known in the Chinese media as "environmental protection storms", the
campaigns pitted China's relatively weak environmental agency against
some of the most powerful interest groups in the country -- including
Huaneng, formerly run by the son of Li Peng, China's influential former
premier.
In 2008, while still a vice-minister at the newly established Ministry
of Environmental Protection, Pan was stripped of most of his public
responsibilities, and restricted to handing out awards, launching
awareness campaigns and making speeches.
Pan's public criticism of powerful state interests might have been the
main reason his career stalled, but his divorce from a daughter of
prominent military official Liu Huaqing did not help, the sources said.
Liu, who died in 2011, was navy commander from 1982 to 1988 and credited
with its modernization. He was also a member of the Communist Party's
Politburo Standing Committee - the apex of power in China - from 1992 to
1997.
But after years of lying low, Pan's confrontational style could now make
him the right man for a very difficult job, and help head off growing
public anger about the state of the country's rivers and skylines.
"Certainly his appointment would give a real boost to the prominence of
the environment within the government bureaucracy," said Economy.
"Overall, it would be a big win for environmental activism."
(Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
________________________________________________
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March 4, 2013
Reuters
By David Stanway and Benjamin Kang Lim
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/04/us-china-parliament-environment-idUSBRE92306E20130304
Pan Yue, a high-profile official with a history of taking on big
state-owned interests, has emerged as the front-runner to become China's
new environment minister, sources said, amid growing public discontent
over worsening pollution in the country.
Pan, a former journalist, is tipped to take over from career bureaucrat
Zhou Shengxian when Premier-in-waiting Li Keqiang forms his new cabinet
during the annual session of parliament which begins on Tuesday, three
independent sources familiar with the matter said.
"A recommended list (of cabinet ministers) lists Pan Yue as the
environmental protection minister. But this is not final and could
change at the last minute," a source with ties to the leadership told
Reuters.
With China desperate to show it is determined to tackle its pollution
problems, the appointment of the popular Pan would help build confidence
in the country's environmental protection bodies and their ability to
rein in some of the country's most powerful industrial interests.
Public anger over air pollution that blanketed many northern cities in
January has spread to online appeals for Beijing to clean up water
supplies as well. Across the country, to the government's alarm, social
unrest spurred by environmental complaints has become increasingly common.
Pan has routinely criticized China's excessive focus on growth and the
weakness of its environmental watchdogs, saying the country's obsession
with economic expansion had created a massive "environmental overdraft".
But the 53-year-old has paid the price before for his outspoken comments.
Also, the environment ministry still faces formidable odds in the face
of China's complex bureaucracy and weak enforcement of laws. It lacks
the authority to take on big state-owned enterprises, including oil
firms, and local governments.
"If Pan Yue is appointed minister, it would give real credibility to
(incoming President) Xi (Jinping)'s message about wanting people who get
results and don't just talk," said Elizabeth Economy, a senior fellow at
the Council on Foreign Relations who has studied China's environmental
problems.
Parliament spokeswoman Fu Ying said on Monday that the largely rubber
stamp legislature would tighten two environment laws during its annual
session by linking protection efforts with local government performance
evaluations and further reining in emissions.
UNLEASHING "STORMS"
Pan's possible promotion would also represent a significant upturn in
fortunes since his career stalled in 2008 amid political opposition and
personal difficulties.
In the middle of the last decade, when he served as the deputy director
of China's State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), Pan was
feted by the domestic and foreign media as a fearless campaigner against
giant government-backed polluters, but his stance created enemies.
"Many saw him as too liberal, but he has restrained himself in recent
years," a second source with leadership ties said.
His profile reached a climax in 2005, when he confronted dozens of
powerful state-owned enterprises. The crux of the row was SEPA's power
to enforce its rules, with the state giants arguing they were directly
subject to the State Council and therefore not obliged to comply with
SEPA rules involving environmental impact assessments.
The media heralded Pan the victor after the Three Gorges Project Corp,
the powerful state-owned developer of the world's biggest hydropower
project on the Yangtze River, was ordered by the State Council to comply
with SEPA following a week-long stand-off.
In 2006, he also took on the China Petrochemical Corp (Sinopec) and the
China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC), the parent of PetroChina, the
country's two biggest oil firms, in a drive against water pollution.
And in 2007, Pan again turned his attention to China's big state-owned
power firms, including Datang Power, Huadian Power and Huaneng Power,
all accused of failing to comply with SEPA regulations.
Known in the Chinese media as "environmental protection storms", the
campaigns pitted China's relatively weak environmental agency against
some of the most powerful interest groups in the country -- including
Huaneng, formerly run by the son of Li Peng, China's influential former
premier.
In 2008, while still a vice-minister at the newly established Ministry
of Environmental Protection, Pan was stripped of most of his public
responsibilities, and restricted to handing out awards, launching
awareness campaigns and making speeches.
Pan's public criticism of powerful state interests might have been the
main reason his career stalled, but his divorce from a daughter of
prominent military official Liu Huaqing did not help, the sources said.
Liu, who died in 2011, was navy commander from 1982 to 1988 and credited
with its modernization. He was also a member of the Communist Party's
Politburo Standing Committee - the apex of power in China - from 1992 to
1997.
But after years of lying low, Pan's confrontational style could now make
him the right man for a very difficult job, and help head off growing
public anger about the state of the country's rivers and skylines.
"Certainly his appointment would give a real boost to the prominence of
the environment within the government bureaucracy," said Economy.
"Overall, it would be a big win for environmental activism."
(Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
________________________________________________
You received this message as a subscriber on the list: china@list.internationalrivers.org
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Bringing Renewable Energy to South Africa Settlements
The iShack: Bringing Renewable Energy to South Africa Settlements
By Jan Lee | February 6th, 2013
http://www.triplepundit.com/2013/02/ishack-bringing-renewable-energy-south-africa-settlements/
Connecting impoverished homes with electricity and access to safe
drinking water has always been a challenge in South Africa. As much as
25 percent of the population lives without electricity, and a many as
3.5 million people in the country do not have access to safe drinking
water.
But those goals may be a bit more within reach thanks to some
enterprising post-graduate students who have figured out a way to
equip low-cost structures, such as the shacks that are used in some
South African settlements, with solar power and water catchment systems.
Mr. Andreas Keller, Ms. Lauren Tavener-Smith, Mr. Berry Wessels are
members of a transdisciplinary team working on the �iShack.� Its name
means �improved shack� � a low-cost housing structure that
incorporates solar power for basic electricity needs. The model is
designed with extra insulation and additional features to protect its
occupants from South Africa�s intense summer heat, and to retain heat
during the winter.
The prototype is the result of an 18-month research project that
focused on living conditions in the nearby settlement of Enkanini.
Professor Mark Swilling of Stellenbosch University�s TsamaHub directed
the project. Regional agencies such as the Sustainability Institute at
Lynedoch, the municipality of Stellenbosch, the Informal Settlement
Network and the Community Organisation Resource Centre also
contributed input to the project.
During their research, the students looked at various ways of
improving the living conditions in informal settlements where
immediate shelter is often a first consideration and finances for
improvements such as lights, plumbing, heating, air conditioning and
running water are often not available.
They discovered that by repositioning the shack on a north-south axis,
adding windows in specific locations, a solar panel on the roof and a
number of low-cost features such as fire-retardant paint, a sloping
roof with a gutter and modified building materials, they could upgrade
the conventional corrugated or iron shack to a structure that stayed
cooler, generated electricity and provided a means for harvesting
rainwater.
�We are working on a social enterprise model,� Keller said, who
explained that an added funding challenge was that in South Africa,
structures like the informal shack wouldn�t qualify for the housing
subsidies that are provided for conventional housing. However, a
$250,000 grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will help
expand the number of iShacks available. They are also looking into
some energy and emergency housing subsidies that may help defray the
costs for the occupants.
In the Enkanini settlement maintenance of the solar panel would be
handled by an appointed resident of the settlement called an energy
hub operator. He or she would be trained on how to install and
maintain the small panel and DC grid. Keller said that they are hoping
to see about 250 iShacks installed in the Enkanini settlement.
�Included in user fees is a portion which pays this person and the
materials needed.�
At present, a brand-new iShack costs approximately $650. A modified
version, in which features are added to a conventional shack, runs
about $50.
The team is also looking at ways that the prototype could be modified
to be used in other parts of the world with different environmental
conditions and demands.
�The idea is to develop a generic institutional model that can be
adapted to other settings. The fundamental principles of the iShack
are very easily adaptable to other contexts,� Keller said. The pricing
for the model would depend upon location and availability of
materials. �We will be developing further prototypes that improve on
the current design to keep improving on the principles.�
Keller said the project has been a �reality check� for the team, who
basically lived on site during the 18-month project in Enkanini.
�(It�s) difficult to change a system,� he said, noting that he learned
from the project that it is �best to start small and let things grow
from there.�
But with the new iShack prototype completed, the team hopes the idea
will catch on in other communities in South Africa as well.
�Our idea is for the iShack to become accessible to other settlements
to improve the well-being of residents today,� Keller said.
Image of Madiba Galada, hub operator on roof by iShack team member.
Image of iShack research team by Anna Lusty.
________________________________________________
You received this message as a subscriber on the list: africa@list.internationalrivers.org
To be removed from the list, please visit:
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By Jan Lee | February 6th, 2013
http://www.triplepundit.com/2013/02/ishack-bringing-renewable-energy-south-africa-settlements/
Connecting impoverished homes with electricity and access to safe
drinking water has always been a challenge in South Africa. As much as
25 percent of the population lives without electricity, and a many as
3.5 million people in the country do not have access to safe drinking
water.
But those goals may be a bit more within reach thanks to some
enterprising post-graduate students who have figured out a way to
equip low-cost structures, such as the shacks that are used in some
South African settlements, with solar power and water catchment systems.
Mr. Andreas Keller, Ms. Lauren Tavener-Smith, Mr. Berry Wessels are
members of a transdisciplinary team working on the �iShack.� Its name
means �improved shack� � a low-cost housing structure that
incorporates solar power for basic electricity needs. The model is
designed with extra insulation and additional features to protect its
occupants from South Africa�s intense summer heat, and to retain heat
during the winter.
The prototype is the result of an 18-month research project that
focused on living conditions in the nearby settlement of Enkanini.
Professor Mark Swilling of Stellenbosch University�s TsamaHub directed
the project. Regional agencies such as the Sustainability Institute at
Lynedoch, the municipality of Stellenbosch, the Informal Settlement
Network and the Community Organisation Resource Centre also
contributed input to the project.
During their research, the students looked at various ways of
improving the living conditions in informal settlements where
immediate shelter is often a first consideration and finances for
improvements such as lights, plumbing, heating, air conditioning and
running water are often not available.
They discovered that by repositioning the shack on a north-south axis,
adding windows in specific locations, a solar panel on the roof and a
number of low-cost features such as fire-retardant paint, a sloping
roof with a gutter and modified building materials, they could upgrade
the conventional corrugated or iron shack to a structure that stayed
cooler, generated electricity and provided a means for harvesting
rainwater.
�We are working on a social enterprise model,� Keller said, who
explained that an added funding challenge was that in South Africa,
structures like the informal shack wouldn�t qualify for the housing
subsidies that are provided for conventional housing. However, a
$250,000 grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will help
expand the number of iShacks available. They are also looking into
some energy and emergency housing subsidies that may help defray the
costs for the occupants.
In the Enkanini settlement maintenance of the solar panel would be
handled by an appointed resident of the settlement called an energy
hub operator. He or she would be trained on how to install and
maintain the small panel and DC grid. Keller said that they are hoping
to see about 250 iShacks installed in the Enkanini settlement.
�Included in user fees is a portion which pays this person and the
materials needed.�
At present, a brand-new iShack costs approximately $650. A modified
version, in which features are added to a conventional shack, runs
about $50.
The team is also looking at ways that the prototype could be modified
to be used in other parts of the world with different environmental
conditions and demands.
�The idea is to develop a generic institutional model that can be
adapted to other settings. The fundamental principles of the iShack
are very easily adaptable to other contexts,� Keller said. The pricing
for the model would depend upon location and availability of
materials. �We will be developing further prototypes that improve on
the current design to keep improving on the principles.�
Keller said the project has been a �reality check� for the team, who
basically lived on site during the 18-month project in Enkanini.
�(It�s) difficult to change a system,� he said, noting that he learned
from the project that it is �best to start small and let things grow
from there.�
But with the new iShack prototype completed, the team hopes the idea
will catch on in other communities in South Africa as well.
�Our idea is for the iShack to become accessible to other settlements
to improve the well-being of residents today,� Keller said.
Image of Madiba Galada, hub operator on roof by iShack team member.
Image of iShack research team by Anna Lusty.
________________________________________________
You received this message as a subscriber on the list: africa@list.internationalrivers.org
To be removed from the list, please visit:
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Ethiopia Completing Gilgel Gibe III Transmission Lines
EPPCo. Completing Gilgel Gibe III Transmission Lines
By Meraf Leykun, Monday, 04 March 2013
2merkato.com
www.2merkato.com/201303042094/eppco-completing-gilgel-gibe-iii-transmission-lines
The state utility company, Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation will
complete erection of the 400kv high-voltage electric transmission line
which will connect the the Gilgel Gibe III hydro power plant with the
national grid in the coming month.
The project is jointly financed by the Ethiopian Government and the
Chinese Export-Import Bank. Construction of the Gilgel Gibe III
hydro-power station was started in 2006 with installed capacity of 1,870
MW energy.
The construction of the transmission lines is being carried out in two
lots. Lot one is for the construction of a 293 Km long transmission line
from Wolayta Sodo to Sebeta. The second lot, a 50 Km and 51 Km double
circuit line from Gilgel Gibe III station to Wolayta Sodo distribution
station.
A Chinese based company is contracted for the construction of the
project. Another company from China, Shanghai Electric Group is also
contracted for the installation of the distribution stations.
According to Meseker Negash, Corporate Communications Head of EPPCo.,
about 89 per cent of the construction has been completed and the project
will be completed within a month time and the construction is going
according to its schedule.
The transmission lines will go operational after the Gilgel Gibe III
station starts generating power. The Gilgel Gibe III have 10 units with
a generating capacity of 187 Mw of energy by each unit. The corporation
is expecting to complete the construction of one of the units in about
7 months time.
Source: Fortune
[Note that the transmission line in question links the Gibe III Project
to the Ethiopian grid. The World Bank and AfDB are financing a separate
transmission line from the Ethiopian grid to Kenya.]
________________________________________________
You received this message as a subscriber on the list: africa@list.internationalrivers.org
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By Meraf Leykun, Monday, 04 March 2013
2merkato.com
www.2merkato.com/201303042094/eppco-completing-gilgel-gibe-iii-transmission-lines
The state utility company, Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation will
complete erection of the 400kv high-voltage electric transmission line
which will connect the the Gilgel Gibe III hydro power plant with the
national grid in the coming month.
The project is jointly financed by the Ethiopian Government and the
Chinese Export-Import Bank. Construction of the Gilgel Gibe III
hydro-power station was started in 2006 with installed capacity of 1,870
MW energy.
The construction of the transmission lines is being carried out in two
lots. Lot one is for the construction of a 293 Km long transmission line
from Wolayta Sodo to Sebeta. The second lot, a 50 Km and 51 Km double
circuit line from Gilgel Gibe III station to Wolayta Sodo distribution
station.
A Chinese based company is contracted for the construction of the
project. Another company from China, Shanghai Electric Group is also
contracted for the installation of the distribution stations.
According to Meseker Negash, Corporate Communications Head of EPPCo.,
about 89 per cent of the construction has been completed and the project
will be completed within a month time and the construction is going
according to its schedule.
The transmission lines will go operational after the Gilgel Gibe III
station starts generating power. The Gilgel Gibe III have 10 units with
a generating capacity of 187 Mw of energy by each unit. The corporation
is expecting to complete the construction of one of the units in about
7 months time.
Source: Fortune
[Note that the transmission line in question links the Gibe III Project
to the Ethiopian grid. The World Bank and AfDB are financing a separate
transmission line from the Ethiopian grid to Kenya.]
________________________________________________
You received this message as a subscriber on the list: africa@list.internationalrivers.org
To be removed from the list, please visit:
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Ethiopia Completing Gilgel Gibe III Transmission Lines
EPPCo. Completing Gilgel Gibe III Transmission Lines
By Meraf Leykun, Monday, 04 March 2013
2merkato.com
www.2merkato.com/201303042094/eppco-completing-gilgel-gibe-iii-transmission-lines
The state utility company, Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation will
complete erection of the 400kv high-voltage electric transmission line
which will connect the the Gilgel Gibe III hydro power plant with the
national grid in the coming month.
The project is jointly financed by the Ethiopian Government and the
Chinese Export-Import Bank. Construction of the Gilgel Gibe III
hydro-power station was started in 2006 with installed capacity of 1,870
MW energy.
The construction of the transmission lines is being carried out in two
lots. Lot one is for the construction of a 293 Km long transmission line
from Wolayta Sodo to Sebeta. The second lot, a 50 Km and 51 Km double
circuit line from Gilgel Gibe III station to Wolayta Sodo distribution
station.
A Chinese based company is contracted for the construction of the
project. Another company from China, Shanghai Electric Group is also
contracted for the installation of the distribution stations.
According to Meseker Negash, Corporate Communications Head of EPPCo.,
about 89 per cent of the construction has been completed and the project
will be completed within a month time and the construction is going
according to its schedule.
The transmission lines will go operational after the Gilgel Gibe III
station starts generating power. The Gilgel Gibe III have 10 units with
a generating capacity of 187 Mw of energy by each unit. The corporation
is expecting to complete the construction of one of the units in about 7
months time.
Source: Fortune
[Note that the transmission line in question links the Gibe III Project
to the Ethiopian grid. The World Bank and AfDB are financing a separate
transmission line from the Ethiopian grid to Kenya.]
________________________________________________
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
By Meraf Leykun, Monday, 04 March 2013
2merkato.com
www.2merkato.com/201303042094/eppco-completing-gilgel-gibe-iii-transmission-lines
The state utility company, Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation will
complete erection of the 400kv high-voltage electric transmission line
which will connect the the Gilgel Gibe III hydro power plant with the
national grid in the coming month.
The project is jointly financed by the Ethiopian Government and the
Chinese Export-Import Bank. Construction of the Gilgel Gibe III
hydro-power station was started in 2006 with installed capacity of 1,870
MW energy.
The construction of the transmission lines is being carried out in two
lots. Lot one is for the construction of a 293 Km long transmission line
from Wolayta Sodo to Sebeta. The second lot, a 50 Km and 51 Km double
circuit line from Gilgel Gibe III station to Wolayta Sodo distribution
station.
A Chinese based company is contracted for the construction of the
project. Another company from China, Shanghai Electric Group is also
contracted for the installation of the distribution stations.
According to Meseker Negash, Corporate Communications Head of EPPCo.,
about 89 per cent of the construction has been completed and the project
will be completed within a month time and the construction is going
according to its schedule.
The transmission lines will go operational after the Gilgel Gibe III
station starts generating power. The Gilgel Gibe III have 10 units with
a generating capacity of 187 Mw of energy by each unit. The corporation
is expecting to complete the construction of one of the units in about 7
months time.
Source: Fortune
[Note that the transmission line in question links the Gibe III Project
to the Ethiopian grid. The World Bank and AfDB are financing a separate
transmission line from the Ethiopian grid to Kenya.]
________________________________________________
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
Monday, March 4, 2013
Tanzania needs emergency loan to cover hydropower losses
http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/tanzania-seeks-100m-world-bank-loan-for-emergency-power-2013-03-04
Tanzania seeks $100m World Bank loan for emergency power
By: Reuters
4th March 2013
Tanzania is seeking a $100-million loan from the World Bank for
emergency electricity generation after low water levels hurt output at
hydropower stations in east Africa's second-biggest economy, a senior
official said on Monday.
State-run power monopoly Tanesco last year negotiated a syndicated
loan of 408-billion shillings from a consortium of banks led by
Citibank and has received part of the funds.
The power utility is awaiting the completion of a pipeline that would
allow cheaper gas-based production.
But with that still around two years away, the unreliable nature of
its hydro generation is currently forcing it to spend more than two
times its daily earnings on a mixture of diesel, jet A1 and heavy fuel
oil for mini-generators.
"Tanesco currently spends 5.4-billion shillings a day on fuel to
produce 365 megawatts of electricity from emergency power plants. The
company's total daily revenue is just 2.34 billion shillings,"
Tanesco's acting managing director Felehesmi Mramba told Reuters in
Dar es Salaam.
"It's very difficult for any company to operate in that situation," he
said.
The country's average power demand stands at 750 MW a day and peaks at
around 850 MW.
"Tanesco made a loss of around 200-billion shillings in 2012 and we
expect to make a loss of 100-billion shillings in 2013. The year after
that we as well expect a similar loss," he said.
Mramba said Tanesco expected to break even in 2015 after the
completion of a $1.22-billion natural gas pipeline, which is expected
to boost generation of cheaper power.
Although Tanzania has vast deposits of natural gas, it has been
plagued by frequent power outages, which led to a slowdown in economic
growth in 2011/12.
"The gas pipeline will give a major relief not only to power
generation but to the entire economy of Tanzania. We currenty have 170
MW of idle power plants because we don't have enough natural gas
supply."
Edited by: Reuters
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Tanzania seeks $100m World Bank loan for emergency power
By: Reuters
4th March 2013
Tanzania is seeking a $100-million loan from the World Bank for
emergency electricity generation after low water levels hurt output at
hydropower stations in east Africa's second-biggest economy, a senior
official said on Monday.
State-run power monopoly Tanesco last year negotiated a syndicated
loan of 408-billion shillings from a consortium of banks led by
Citibank and has received part of the funds.
The power utility is awaiting the completion of a pipeline that would
allow cheaper gas-based production.
But with that still around two years away, the unreliable nature of
its hydro generation is currently forcing it to spend more than two
times its daily earnings on a mixture of diesel, jet A1 and heavy fuel
oil for mini-generators.
"Tanesco currently spends 5.4-billion shillings a day on fuel to
produce 365 megawatts of electricity from emergency power plants. The
company's total daily revenue is just 2.34 billion shillings,"
Tanesco's acting managing director Felehesmi Mramba told Reuters in
Dar es Salaam.
"It's very difficult for any company to operate in that situation," he
said.
The country's average power demand stands at 750 MW a day and peaks at
around 850 MW.
"Tanesco made a loss of around 200-billion shillings in 2012 and we
expect to make a loss of 100-billion shillings in 2013. The year after
that we as well expect a similar loss," he said.
Mramba said Tanesco expected to break even in 2015 after the
completion of a $1.22-billion natural gas pipeline, which is expected
to boost generation of cheaper power.
Although Tanzania has vast deposits of natural gas, it has been
plagued by frequent power outages, which led to a slowdown in economic
growth in 2011/12.
"The gas pipeline will give a major relief not only to power
generation but to the entire economy of Tanzania. We currenty have 170
MW of idle power plants because we don't have enough natural gas
supply."
Edited by: Reuters
________________________________________________
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Friday, March 1, 2013
Construction of Disputed Ilisu Dam Continues
Construction of Disputed Turkish Dam Continues
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/28/world/middleeast/construction-of-disputed-turkish-dam-continues.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
The 15th century tomb of Zeynel Bey, a prince of the Ak Koyunlu
dynasty. The Ilisu reservoir will flood more than 30,000 hectares of
land, or 74,000 acres, submerging parts of the historical town of
Hasankeyf.
By SUSANNE G�STEN
Published: February 27, 2013
Follow @nytimesworld for international breaking news and headlines.
Twitter List: Reporters and Editors
�These are live,� he said, as he toggled between images of men and
machines swarming over a dozen different building sites of the Ilisu
Dam project.
The feed goes to the prime minister�s office in Ankara, Mr. Dundar,
general manager of the project, said last week. �The prime minister
can watch every point of construction 24 hours a day, minute by
minute, so he is informed of our progress at all times. He has set the
target for completion for 2014, and we mean to make that date.�
About 1,450 workers are laboring around the clock to complete the
Ilisu Dam, one of the most controversial public works projects in
recent history, by the middle of next year. That would be exactly five
years after European lenders pulled out of the �1.1 billion, or $1.5
billion, project in July 2009, citing concerns about environmental
impact, resettlement policies and the destruction of cultural
treasures. Undeterred, Ankara quickly raised domestic financing and
resumed work in 2010.
�We have now completed 53 percent of the project, and we will complete
the rest on time,� said Mr. Dundar, who is also regional director of
the state hydraulic works. �We have no funding problems whatsoever, we
work day and night, and all relevant agencies are in constant
coordination.�
On the construction site, about 40 kilometers, or 25 miles, from the
Syrian border and 70 kilometers from Iraq, the roar of machinery
drowned out the rushing waters of the Tigris, which has been diverted
from its natural bed to flow through three diversion tunnels and
emerge roiling and foaming into a new concrete basin.
The surrounding mountain ridges bristled with military sentry posts
and surveillance equipment guarding the construction site against the
Kurdish rebels roaming the area.
Trucks and earth movers hauled loads of limestone, basalt and clay
onto the rising body of the dam, which is to attain a height of 141
meters, or 460 feet, when complete. The crest of the dam will be 2.3
kilometers long, with a volume of 24 million cubic meters of earth and
rock.
One-third of that is done, Mr. Dundar said, with the rest scheduled to
be finished within the year. �Meanwhile, construction of the spillway
and the power plant are going ahead according to plan,� he added.
If the project stays on track, the Ilisu Dam will begin to impound
water next year. Filling the reservoir could take anywhere from 5 to
11 months, Mr. Dundar said, depending on the season in which it is
begun. �We think the reservoir will be filled in 2015,� he added.
The project appeared to hit a snag last month when Turkey�s highest
administrative court ruled that a decree issued by Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan last year to accelerate work on the dam was in
part null and void.
The court declared invalid that part of the decree that declared all
infrastructure projects connected to the dam to be exempt from
environmental impact assessment requirements on the grounds that plans
for the dam were drawn up before the relevant law came into effect in
1993. Opponents of the project were jubilant and staged a rally in
Ankara, calling for the Ilisu construction site to be shut down.
Emre Baturay Altinok, the lawyer who lodged the complaint on behalf of
environmentalists, said by telephone from Ankara this month: �It is
unlawful to continue work on the project without environmental impact
assessments. The construction site must be closed and sealed.�
Mr. Dundar disagreed with that interpretation of the ruling, which he
said would not impede work on the dam.
�The ruling does not even remotely have anything to do with stopping
the project,� he said. �It is merely about applying the environmental
impact assessment regulations, which we are now doing anyway.�
The state hydraulic works authority has lodged an objection to the
ruling, asking for clarification of certain terms, he said. �But in
any case,� he added, �the final judgment will definitely not stop the
project.�
Mr. Altinok, the lawyer, said he was not surprised that construction
was continuing six weeks after the court ruling. �That is the way of
justice in Turkey,� he said. �We are accustomed to court rulings
against large projects not being implemented.�
The Ilisu project has long inflamed passions in Turkey and beyond.
Concerns about its environmental, cultural and social impact forced
companies and financial backers from Germany, Austria and Switzerland
to pull out of the project under pressure from public campaigns in 2009.
With a capacity of 11 billion cubic meters of water, the Ilisu
reservoir will flood more than 30,000 hectares of land, or 74,000
acres, submerging parts of the historical town of Hasankeyf upstream,
as well as uncharted archaeological sites along the Tigris. The waters
will displace 199 settlements, affecting 55,000 people, according to a
report drawn up in 2008 by international experts acting on behalf of
European export-credit agencies.
Scientists are at work in Hasankeyf to prepare for the removal of
cultural monuments to a safe location across the Tigris and to fortify
higher parts of the ancient town that will not be submerged, Mr.
Dundar said.
A new town on a mountainside across the river from Hasankeyf is
nearing completion and should be ready for resettlement of the town�s
population before the water begins to rise.
Resettlement has been completed in the village of Ilisu near the dam
site, where villagers were moved to a new settlement at the end of 2010.
Villagers interviewed in Ilisu this month were unenthusiastic about
their new homes, despite the running water in modern kitchens and
bathrooms and communal amenities such as a playground and a meeting
room.
�It was better in our old village,� a woman who gave her name as
Zekine said. �Our fields and orchards were there. They are all gone
now.�
Many villagers complained about the loss of their farmland. �Most
people here work on the dam construction site now, but once that wraps
up, there will be no place to work,� said Mehmet, a young man who did
not give his family name. �I preferred our old village, because we had
our orchards and our vines and could always make a living if we worked
hard.�
�We were farmers, now we are workers,� said Osman Demir, from the
neighboring village of Karabayir, whose agricultural land was
nationalized to build the new village of Ilisu.
Like most settlements affected by the dam, his village has not applied
for resettlement by the state.
Besides Ilisu and Hasankeyf, only one other village has signed up for
resettlement, Mr. Dundar confirmed. �It is up to the free will and
democratic wishes of the villagers,� he said. �We want to build modern
settlements for them. But we can only do it for those who want it.�
This is what opponents of the dam have feared all along, said Arif
Arslan, president of the Friends of Hasankeyf Association in Batman,
who has been monitoring the Ilisu project for 20 years.
�It will be just like when the Batman dam was built and 20,000
villagers were displaced� in the 1990s, Mr. Arslan said in a recent
interview. �Villagers will move to the city with their cash
compensations, the money will run out, and they will end up leading
miserable lives in the slums.�
Mr. Arslan is skeptical that the Ilisu project will contribute to the
welfare and development of the region, among the poorest in Turkey.
�We have seen 18 dams built in this region already,� he said. �Do you
see a rise in the standard of living anywhere around here?�
In Ilisu, Mr. Dundar said that �every project has unwanted side
effects.� Yet the Ilisu Dam is essential to the development of the
country and the welfare of its people, he argued. �Our country needs
energy, and we are trying to meet that need,� he said.
Ilisu�s 1,200-megawatt hydroelectric power plant is designed to
produce nearly 4 billion kilowatt hours of energy per year, worth an
annual $400 million, according to project managers.
�Our country�s weakest spot is its dependency on energy imports,�
Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek said at the opening of Ilisu�s
diversion tunnels last year. To partly overcome that dependency, he
added, �This jumbo project is of the utmost strategic and economic
importance to our country.�
________________________________________________
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http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/28/world/middleeast/construction-of-disputed-turkish-dam-continues.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
The 15th century tomb of Zeynel Bey, a prince of the Ak Koyunlu
dynasty. The Ilisu reservoir will flood more than 30,000 hectares of
land, or 74,000 acres, submerging parts of the historical town of
Hasankeyf.
By SUSANNE G�STEN
Published: February 27, 2013
Follow @nytimesworld for international breaking news and headlines.
Twitter List: Reporters and Editors
�These are live,� he said, as he toggled between images of men and
machines swarming over a dozen different building sites of the Ilisu
Dam project.
The feed goes to the prime minister�s office in Ankara, Mr. Dundar,
general manager of the project, said last week. �The prime minister
can watch every point of construction 24 hours a day, minute by
minute, so he is informed of our progress at all times. He has set the
target for completion for 2014, and we mean to make that date.�
About 1,450 workers are laboring around the clock to complete the
Ilisu Dam, one of the most controversial public works projects in
recent history, by the middle of next year. That would be exactly five
years after European lenders pulled out of the �1.1 billion, or $1.5
billion, project in July 2009, citing concerns about environmental
impact, resettlement policies and the destruction of cultural
treasures. Undeterred, Ankara quickly raised domestic financing and
resumed work in 2010.
�We have now completed 53 percent of the project, and we will complete
the rest on time,� said Mr. Dundar, who is also regional director of
the state hydraulic works. �We have no funding problems whatsoever, we
work day and night, and all relevant agencies are in constant
coordination.�
On the construction site, about 40 kilometers, or 25 miles, from the
Syrian border and 70 kilometers from Iraq, the roar of machinery
drowned out the rushing waters of the Tigris, which has been diverted
from its natural bed to flow through three diversion tunnels and
emerge roiling and foaming into a new concrete basin.
The surrounding mountain ridges bristled with military sentry posts
and surveillance equipment guarding the construction site against the
Kurdish rebels roaming the area.
Trucks and earth movers hauled loads of limestone, basalt and clay
onto the rising body of the dam, which is to attain a height of 141
meters, or 460 feet, when complete. The crest of the dam will be 2.3
kilometers long, with a volume of 24 million cubic meters of earth and
rock.
One-third of that is done, Mr. Dundar said, with the rest scheduled to
be finished within the year. �Meanwhile, construction of the spillway
and the power plant are going ahead according to plan,� he added.
If the project stays on track, the Ilisu Dam will begin to impound
water next year. Filling the reservoir could take anywhere from 5 to
11 months, Mr. Dundar said, depending on the season in which it is
begun. �We think the reservoir will be filled in 2015,� he added.
The project appeared to hit a snag last month when Turkey�s highest
administrative court ruled that a decree issued by Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan last year to accelerate work on the dam was in
part null and void.
The court declared invalid that part of the decree that declared all
infrastructure projects connected to the dam to be exempt from
environmental impact assessment requirements on the grounds that plans
for the dam were drawn up before the relevant law came into effect in
1993. Opponents of the project were jubilant and staged a rally in
Ankara, calling for the Ilisu construction site to be shut down.
Emre Baturay Altinok, the lawyer who lodged the complaint on behalf of
environmentalists, said by telephone from Ankara this month: �It is
unlawful to continue work on the project without environmental impact
assessments. The construction site must be closed and sealed.�
Mr. Dundar disagreed with that interpretation of the ruling, which he
said would not impede work on the dam.
�The ruling does not even remotely have anything to do with stopping
the project,� he said. �It is merely about applying the environmental
impact assessment regulations, which we are now doing anyway.�
The state hydraulic works authority has lodged an objection to the
ruling, asking for clarification of certain terms, he said. �But in
any case,� he added, �the final judgment will definitely not stop the
project.�
Mr. Altinok, the lawyer, said he was not surprised that construction
was continuing six weeks after the court ruling. �That is the way of
justice in Turkey,� he said. �We are accustomed to court rulings
against large projects not being implemented.�
The Ilisu project has long inflamed passions in Turkey and beyond.
Concerns about its environmental, cultural and social impact forced
companies and financial backers from Germany, Austria and Switzerland
to pull out of the project under pressure from public campaigns in 2009.
With a capacity of 11 billion cubic meters of water, the Ilisu
reservoir will flood more than 30,000 hectares of land, or 74,000
acres, submerging parts of the historical town of Hasankeyf upstream,
as well as uncharted archaeological sites along the Tigris. The waters
will displace 199 settlements, affecting 55,000 people, according to a
report drawn up in 2008 by international experts acting on behalf of
European export-credit agencies.
Scientists are at work in Hasankeyf to prepare for the removal of
cultural monuments to a safe location across the Tigris and to fortify
higher parts of the ancient town that will not be submerged, Mr.
Dundar said.
A new town on a mountainside across the river from Hasankeyf is
nearing completion and should be ready for resettlement of the town�s
population before the water begins to rise.
Resettlement has been completed in the village of Ilisu near the dam
site, where villagers were moved to a new settlement at the end of 2010.
Villagers interviewed in Ilisu this month were unenthusiastic about
their new homes, despite the running water in modern kitchens and
bathrooms and communal amenities such as a playground and a meeting
room.
�It was better in our old village,� a woman who gave her name as
Zekine said. �Our fields and orchards were there. They are all gone
now.�
Many villagers complained about the loss of their farmland. �Most
people here work on the dam construction site now, but once that wraps
up, there will be no place to work,� said Mehmet, a young man who did
not give his family name. �I preferred our old village, because we had
our orchards and our vines and could always make a living if we worked
hard.�
�We were farmers, now we are workers,� said Osman Demir, from the
neighboring village of Karabayir, whose agricultural land was
nationalized to build the new village of Ilisu.
Like most settlements affected by the dam, his village has not applied
for resettlement by the state.
Besides Ilisu and Hasankeyf, only one other village has signed up for
resettlement, Mr. Dundar confirmed. �It is up to the free will and
democratic wishes of the villagers,� he said. �We want to build modern
settlements for them. But we can only do it for those who want it.�
This is what opponents of the dam have feared all along, said Arif
Arslan, president of the Friends of Hasankeyf Association in Batman,
who has been monitoring the Ilisu project for 20 years.
�It will be just like when the Batman dam was built and 20,000
villagers were displaced� in the 1990s, Mr. Arslan said in a recent
interview. �Villagers will move to the city with their cash
compensations, the money will run out, and they will end up leading
miserable lives in the slums.�
Mr. Arslan is skeptical that the Ilisu project will contribute to the
welfare and development of the region, among the poorest in Turkey.
�We have seen 18 dams built in this region already,� he said. �Do you
see a rise in the standard of living anywhere around here?�
In Ilisu, Mr. Dundar said that �every project has unwanted side
effects.� Yet the Ilisu Dam is essential to the development of the
country and the welfare of its people, he argued. �Our country needs
energy, and we are trying to meet that need,� he said.
Ilisu�s 1,200-megawatt hydroelectric power plant is designed to
produce nearly 4 billion kilowatt hours of energy per year, worth an
annual $400 million, according to project managers.
�Our country�s weakest spot is its dependency on energy imports,�
Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek said at the opening of Ilisu�s
diversion tunnels last year. To partly overcome that dependency, he
added, �This jumbo project is of the utmost strategic and economic
importance to our country.�
________________________________________________
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
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