MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Energy (DOE) is finalizing a review committee, in partnership with the US government and University of the Philippines (UP), that will evaluate applications for liquefied natural gas (LNG) project as more companies are interested in developing the country’s natural gas industry.
DOE assistant secretary Leonido Pulido said the US Department of State, under the US-Asia Enhancing Development and Growth through Energy initiative, has provided a grant for the country’s Gas Policy Development Project (GPDP).
The project, which commenced in October last year, is being implemented by the University of the Philippines Statistical Center Research Foundation Inc. (UPSCRFI).
The GPDP aims to provide technical assistance to the DOE in implementing the Philippine Downstream Natural Gas Regulation (PDNGR).
“We’re finalizing that structure [for the review process]. They’re supposed to be part of a committee that would help us evaluate all of these applications under the PDGNR,” Pulido said.
“But since that hasn’t been finalized, it’s still the natural gas division of the OIMB (Oil Industry Management Bureau) that is currently evaluating applications,” Pulido said.
The PDNGR details the rules and regulations governing the downstream natural gas industry to develop a market and gain energy security and sustainability.
Issued in December 2017, the policy on the natural gas industry is aimed to meet the country’s goal of becoming the liquefied natural gas (LNG) trading and trans-shipment hub in the Asia Pacific region.
Currently, the OIMB-Natural Gas Division is evaluating the application of Tanglawan Philippine LNG Inc. to extend the Notice To Proceed (NTP) granted by the agency.
Tanglawan is the prospective partnership among Phoenix, state-run Philippine National Oil Co. (PNOC) and China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC).
Issued by the DOE in December last year, the NTP has a six-month validity which ended last June 22.
“I don’t want to get ahead of ourselves by making a declaration that we would be granting an extension of their NTP. But it’s there, and it is currently being evaluated by OIMB,” Pulido said.
Tanglawan is planning to build a regastification and receiving terminal with a capacity of 2.2 metric tons per annum (mtpa), with commercial operations targeted to start by end-2023.
The facility will help support the demand for a clean, competitive, and environment-friendly energy source in Luzon, and provide energy security for the country.
It aims to develop a gas-fired power generation facility with up to 2,000 megawatts (MW) installed capacity, initially putting up a 1,100-MW gas-fired power plant to become the offtaker of the LNG supply.
Meanwhile, the DOE directed US-based Excelerate Energy L.P. to submit additional documents to its application to build a floating storage and regassification unit (FSRU) offshore Batangas.
“They were asked to submit more documentation to substantiate their proposal. What was asked from them is to provide an after market,” Pulido said.
ALOR SETAR, July 22 — Mentri Besar Kedah Incorporated (MBI Kedah) has launched the state’s Green Energy and Renewable Energy Master Plan.
Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir said the plan also provides guidelines for potential investors in Kedah’s renewable energy industry.
“The plan, formulated in cooperation with Cypark Resource Bhd, outlines four core thrusts, with a focus on solar energy, biogas, biomass and hydroelectric power.
“The master plan is in line with the state government’s wish to ensure Kedah’s development does not affect its environmental sustainability,” he said when launching the plan at Sik yesterday.
Mukhriz said with its proximity to the equator, the country can collect three kilowatts per hour of electric power per square metre.
“Energy from biomass and biogas can be produced from wastes collected by local authorities and also agricultural wastes such as rice husks and coconut residue, “ he said.
Besides contributing to the national grid, it could also supplement farmers’ incomes, he said, noting that with its vast agricultural areas, Kedah produces a lot of agricultural wastes especially from oil palm plantations and rice fields.
He said agricultural wastes can be processed to produce renewable energy using the available technology, citing rice husks’ high organic carbon content of between 30 and 50 per cent.
For green energy, he said the state will focus on balanced development and reducing electricity consumption and carbon emissions while improving the air quality.
Under the plan, the state aims to produce 2,000 Megawatts of renewable energy by 2030, with an investment target of RM6 billion over the next 10 years. — Bernama
– published a lengthy Facebook post expressing support for the power source.
“Overall, for a greener earth and to reduce carbon emissions, we must master and adopt nuclear energy as a key solution. For now, it is better [that] developed and more capable nations step up their nuclear power capacity,” she said.
“This will reduce the demand for fossil fuels, and lower the overall carbon emissions.”
Ambitious plan to power Singapore with solar farm 4,000km away
Ho’s post came attached to a Bloomberg opinion piece that criticised
decision to phase out all nuclear power by 2022 – 16 years ahead of coal in 2038. It was a telling sign that Singapore, which has declared twice in the past 12 years that nuclear power is unsuitable, may be changing its tune towards nuclear power. And it’s not alone.
Global fear of nuclear energy flared in the wake of the 2011 accident in
. But spurred on by the mounting threat of climate change, pressure to abandon dirtier fossil fuels, advances in nuclear energy research and the prospect of safer reactors, many governments are now having a change of heart.
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According to the World Nuclear Association, 30 countries – including the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Nigeria,
– are currently considering, planning or starting nuclear power programmes.
Enhanced safety
Singapore’s interest in nuclear energy has ebbed and flowed over the years due to one reason: safety.
In 2007, Prime Minister Lee said nuclear energy was not a feasible alternative energy source because there was simply not enough land to build plants with the necessary 30km safety radius. But three years later, he said the country needed to be prepared for the day it does become necessary and feasible, maybe even in his lifetime.
But interest waned again in 2012 – a year after the
– when a two-year pre-feasibility study concluded that present nuclear energy technology was not yet suitable for Singapore.
The city state has nonetheless kept up on nuclear safety research, with the National Research Foundation in 2014 launching a S$63 million (US$46.3 million) Nuclear Safety Research and Education Programme to examine the implications of such developments.
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong with his wife Ho Ching. Photo: EPA-EFE
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In her Facebook post, Ho said nuclear power generation had become much safer since Fukushima, noting that Singapore was once a keen supporter of the technology. The city state even sent nuclear scientist-turned-politician Tay Eng Soon to
Unlike second-generation nuclear reactors, third-generation reactors have passive cooling systems. So in the event of a power outage, like at Fukushima, nuclear plants could still be cooled to prevent a core meltdown, said Professor Chung Keng Yeow, director of the Singapore Nuclear Research and Safety Initiative at the National University of Singapore.
Scientists and engineers around the world are now developing the next generation of reactors, promising a close to zero chance of core meltdowns. They are also developing smaller, modular ones, which promise to be safer and easier to manage as they produce less heat.
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The prospect of smaller and safer reactors could be the game changer Singapore has been waiting for.
For safety reasons, nuclear plants have always needed surrounding exclusion zones – a hard criterion for an island state. But there had been debate over whether the smaller and safer reactors would need the same safety radius, Chung said.
“In the future, there could be a reactor with a smaller exclusion zone. Then, it could be a different story. At least for now, if you are just looking at technology and safety guidelines, it is difficult for Singapore,” he said.
But the focus on safety had also driven up costs, said Philip Andrews-Speed of the NUS’ Energy Studies Institute.
An evacuee is screened at a shelter for radiation from the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan. Photo: AP
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“The more you demand safety, the more expensive it gets. It’s just like cars, the more things you put in it, the more expensive it gets,” he said.
The climate change factor
As the world moves to keep the rise in global temperature this century well below 2 degrees Celsius, a shift away from fossil fuels to clean energy sources has proved the only way forward. But experts say while renewable energy remains the popular and more established choice, it might not work for all.
“The issue with renewables is intermittency,” said Claude Guet, students & research programme director at Nanyang Technological University’s Energy Research Institute.
“It is a very local, national problem. If you are in
, solar is a very good option. If you are in Singapore, which is on the equator, there is not so much wind. And there is no room for enough solar panels.”
Evacuees from three Fukushima towns have no plans to return
Energy independence has also been a driving factor for some nations, namely
, where more than 70 per cent of electricity is generated through nuclear power plants.
“No country wants to rely heavily on another country for its energy supply,” said Guet, who was also senior adviser to the chief executive officer of CEA (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission). “The French went nuclear because if we went with oil we would have to rely on the Middle Eastern countries.”
About 95 per cent of Singapore’s electricity is generated using natural gas, piped from
and Indonesia. Solar energy, Singapore’s best source of renewable energy, contributed only about 0.8 per cent of its total electricity-generation capacity last year – though it has the potential to meet 25 per cent of the city state’s energy demands by 2025, according to a 2014 white paper by the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore.
The prospect of smaller and safer reactors could be the game-changer Singapore has been waiting for. Photo: Bloomberg
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“If you were to take a global and balanced view, I would say nuclear could, together with renewables, energy efficiency and carbon capture and use, bring about a net-zero carbon future,” Andrews-Speed said.
All about the messaging
But far more than safety and technology has hampered some countries’ uptake of nuclear power. Much of that decision hinges on public perception.
According to Shirley Ho, associate chair (faculty) at NTU’s Wee Kim Wee School of Information and Communication, public opinion around nuclear power can be based on inaccuracies.
After holding a series of focus groups with 39 Singaporeans, Ho found many participants were misinformed about the operations of well-functioning nuclear power plants; they thought the facilities emitted harmful radiation to the environment and public, and utilised technology that could be weaponised.
Malaysia draws a line over sand exports – not just for Singapore
In truth, the radiation emitted from a well-functioning nuclear power plant is less than the radiation experienced on an aeroplane flight.
“If the public does not know much about nuclear energy and all they have are misperceptions, policymakers will need to rectify them first before even starting a conversation on nuclear energy,” she said.
The debate on nuclear energy has finally boiled down to messaging. Countries like France did well at communicating the benefits of nuclear energy that struck a chord with the public, she said.
Companies processing petroleum from Cambodia’s oilfields are required to provide a maximum of 25 per cent to meet local needs, according to a law that has been signed off by King Norodom Sihamoni on July 12. It was passed by the Senate in late June.
However, petroleum exports can be banned in the event of an emergency shortage in local supply, states the Law on the Management and Production of Petroleum, a copy of which was obtained by The Post on Sunday.
The Post reported in May that KrisEnergy Ltd, the Singapore-based firm that operates Cambodia’s Block A offshore oilfield, has claimed the first drop of oil will be extracted late this year, with commercial production scheduled to begin next year.
The law has nine chapters, 72 articles and is “effective immediately”.
It details the authority tasked with managing production, environmental protection, punishments for negligent production and other concerns related to the processing of petroleum, as well as the nature of agreements.
The law divides production into “upstream” and “downstream” activities. Upstream activities include prospecting, research and development, and production.
Downstream activities include the treatment, transportation, stocking and trading of petrol products.
The Ministry of Mines and Energy will oversee the management of the sector and all activities therein. All individuals and legal entities seeking involvement in the sector must receive permission from the ministry.
All contractors must provide data regarding their operations to the ministry, the law states.
“Petroleum agreements must be valid for no longer than 30 years from the date of the agreement. Petroleum contractors can renew the validity of their agreements for a period of not more than 15 years,” Article 17 states.
Contractors that have been inactive for five years will have their contracts terminated as stated in Article 24, it adds.
Article 27 says contactors must negotiate with those in legal ownership of land before starting operations. They can request arbitration from the Ministry of Mines and Energy if no agreement can be reached with landowners.
Chapter 7 outlines punishments for breaking the law. These include the revoking or suspension of rights, the payment of compensation and imprisonment.
“Individuals who explore for, develop or produce petroleum without an agreement or if the agreement has been suspended face two to five years in prison and a fine of 100 million riel to 250 million riel ($25,000-$62,500)).
For legal entities, the fine will range from 4,000 million to 40,000 million riel ($1 million-$10 million), Article 58 states.
Contractors not abiding by technical and international standards and who affect the environment or society or cause death due to negligence will be fined between 400 million and two billion riel, it says.
“Those who provide data or information with the intention to cause public confusion or misrepresent the Ministry of Mines and Energy will be sentenced to between one and three years in prison with a fine of between 50 million and one billion riel,” the law states.
Social analyst Meas Nee said he was concerned by how rigorously debated the law would have been before being passed by the single-party Senate.
“A second concern regards implementation because legal enforcement remains weak in Cambodia.
“Like in the mining sector, an important resource could end up in the hands of some powerful people. It could be used as a tool to pressure those who criticise the management of the petroleum sector,” he said.
Kin Phea, the director of the International Relations Institute at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said a transparent law in this sector was needed to ensure its effective management and to guarantee reliable revenue streams.
However, he disagreed with Nee on the nature of the law’s passing. He said beneficial laws could be passed without the participation of an opposition party.
“Generally speaking, the laws in Cambodia are good because they are passed after consultation with assistance providers and many development partners.
“However, it is questionable whether they are always implemented effectively, consistently and equally,” Phea said.
The Indonesian government has targeted four cities in Java island to build incineration facilities this year to tackle the country’s plastic waste crisis.
Environmentalists say burning waste to generate electricity is not a sustainable solution to the issue, and will only add more problems, including the emission of toxic gases.
They instead suggest tackling the problem at the source, by reducing the amount of waste produced in the first place.
Indonesia is the world’s second-biggest source of the plastic trash that ends up in the oceans, after China.
JAKARTA — The Indonesian government plans to burn waste to fuel power plants in four cities on the island of Java this year as part of efforts to tackle the country’s plastic waste crisis.
Indonesia is the second-biggest contributor, after China, to the plastic waste that end up in the oceans, and is among a growing number of Asian countries refusing to import waste from developed countries.
President Joko Widodo called for a solution to the waste problem during a July 16 cabinet meeting, and criticized the lack of updates on plans to build waste incinerators.
“To this day, I haven’t heard any progress on which ones are already online and which ones are already built,” he said in a statement issued by the government.
“This isn’t about the electricity. We want to resolve the trash issue; the electricity comes afterward,” he added.
Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung said that 12 cities had proposed building waste-fueled power plants, but only Jakarta, Surabaya, Bekasi and Solo were ready to do so before the end of this year.
A man collecting trash from a river in western Java. Image by Donny Iqbal/Mongabay Indonesia.
The energy ministry expects to have 12 such waste-to-energy plants online by 2022, generating a combined 234 megawatts of electricity by burning 16,000 tons of waste a day.
But a long-standing problem is that the Java-Bali grid that they’ll feed into is already heavily oversupplied, to the extent that the glut in idle energy threatens to damage the country’s finances.
Environmentalists also say that burning trash to generate electricity isn’t a sustainable solution to the plastic waste crisis. If anything, they say, it will result in the emission of toxic chemicals such as dioxins, mercury and micro particles.
“The push for acceleration of setting up waste-based power plants with incineration once again shows that the administration prioritizes investors, big capital and centralistic projects,” Nur Hidayati, the executive director of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), said in a statement published July 18.
“The use of incinerators is not in line with the purpose of waste management to protect health and the environment,” Fajri Fadhillah, a researcher for pollution management at the Indonesian Center for Environmental Law (ICEL), told Mongabay.
In April 2018, Widodo had issued a regulation pushing local governments to set up “eco-friendly” plants to turn waste into electricity. The regulation came out after a ruling by the Supreme Court ordering the government to revoke a 2016 presidential regulation that also pushed for the development of waste-to-energy facilities in seven cities.
“The government must uphold the decision from Indonesia’s Supreme Court, which orders that managing waste by using thermal technology does not go in line with the country’s law on waste management,” Fajri said.
Activists have also criticized the push for incinerator plants as a shortcut to reducing the amount of waste from Indonesia that ends up in the sea, much of it plastic, by 70 percent by 2025. The government is set to spend $1 billion over the next years to address the problem.
“The biggest myth about incinerators is that they make the trash gone,” said Ahmad Ashov Birry, the program director at Trend Asia, a clean-energy initiative in Indonesia, who previously served as a detox campaigner at Greenpeace Indonesia.
“The reality is that the trash changes form into gas which is dispersed by air to the ocean and land,” he added.
A garbage incinerator in Quebec, Canada in 1990. It was decommissioned in 1993, but the structure remains. Image courtesy of Ed Hawco via Flickr (CC BY 2.0).
Environmentalists have also raised concerns about the likelihood of improper environmental impact assessments in the construction of the waste-to-energy plants.
The developer of what would be Indonesia’s first such incinerator, in Jakarta, has promised to complywith European Union-level emission control standards that are more stringent than prevailing local standards. Indonesia only requires dioxin tests to be carried out every five years, as the country lacks the specialized lab facilities to carry out such checks. But a 2010 study shows that even incinerators using the newest technology still release high levels of dioxins.
“Considering that there will be a new source of toxic pollution in the cities with the waste-based power plants, feasibility studies and environmental permits won’t be adequate to protect the quality of life, health, and improve the environment in Indonesia,” said Daru Setyorini, the director of the NGO Ecological Observation and Wetlands Conservation (Ecoton).
Air pollution is already a major issue in the capital, Jakarta, where a group of citizens is suing the government, including the president, over air quality that consistently ranks as among the worst in the world.
“The poor environmental quality in Jakarta and weak monitoring enforcement are good enough reasons to say that the plan to build incinerators is a reckless action,” Fajri said.
The new plants will also do little to help Indonesia cut its carbon dioxide emissions as part of its commitments under the 2015 Paris Agreement. Globally, plastics accounted for 1.8 billion metric tons equivalent of CO2 emissions in 2015, according to a 2019 study by researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara. These emissions are present throughout the whole life cycle of plastics: from production and transportation, to disposal and incineration. The Philippines is the first and only country to date to ban incineration of plastic waste, since the passage of the Clean Air Act in 1999.
Indonesia has sent out mixed signals over its commitment to cut emissions from the energy sector. While it plans to increase the absolute figure for renewable power generation over the long term, it will shrink renewables’ share of the overall energy mix in favor of more coal-fired electricity. Widodo recently also signaled a major shift in energy policy, reportedly saying he wants to “start reducing the use of coal.”
Instead of incineration, green activists say, the government should boost efforts to reduce the amount of waste produced in the first place.
“Zero waste approach has been proven to be implementable in many big cities,” Ecoton’s Daru said, “and that should be getting top support from the federal government.”
Mounds of trash at a landfill in Indonesia. Image by Luh De Suriyani/Mongabay Indonesia.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has instructed the armed forces to provide help in areas affected by drought, a situation which may be made worse by the test run of Xayaburi dam on the Mekong River in Laos.
Gen Prayut, also the defence minister, expressed “grave concern” over the situation in the North and the Northeast, assistant defence spokesman Phatchasak Patirupanon said yesterday, though the premier did not specifically point to the impact from the dam test.
Eight provinces located along the river in the two regions — Chiang Rai, Loei, Nong Khai, Beung Kan, Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan, Ubon Ratchathani and Amnat Charoen — are likely to bear the brunt if the hydroelectric trial, which started last Monday, continues until July 29 as planned.
Much of the North and Northeast have become arid due to a lack of moist air from the North Pole and Pacific Ocean, known as the El Nino effect.
On Friday, the Office of National Water Resources wrote to the Lao government, asking it to suspend the test.
The 1,260-megawatt Xayaburi dam, located just south of Luang Prabang in Xayaburi province, is scheduled to begin churning out electricity this October, with the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) being its major power buyer.
“The armed forces have been told to look for drought-affected areas so it can provide immediate help,” Col Phatchasak said, referring to Gen Prayut’s order.
Relief measures include sending army water trucks to drought-stricken areas, Col Phatchasak said. The air force will also work with agriculture officials to make artificial rain near reservoirs, which continue to suffer from low water levels.
“Rain is now a past memory,” Athit Phanasun, chief of a Nong Khai environmental group, said after many areas in his province have seen no rain for over a month even though it should have been a soaking wet period.
Nong Khai’s Muang district on the side of the Mekong now sees its riverbank extend almost to the middle of a section of the river, following the recent rapid decrease in its water level, he said.
The Xayaburi dam test will only make things worse, Mr Athit added.
In Chiang Rai, residents are complaining over a drop of water level in the Mekong. They are also worried about the dam operations upstream in Laos.
“Water levels are even lower than they usually get during dry season,” tourist boat operator On Unsaeng said.
Farmers in Nakhon Ratchasima are also suffering. Their rice crops in paddy fields covering almost 200,000 rai in Phimai district are wilting and dying as the severe drought takes a toll.
Governor Wichian Chantharanothai yesterday reported that water sources in the district are running dry.
“Unless it rains this month, the crops will be decimated,” said the governor, adding water trucks had been sent to drought-hit areas to provide temporary relief.
Ambitious plans to increase Singapore’s renewable energy imports are unfolding 4,000km away from the island state, near Tennant Creek, a small outback town in Australia.
A 15,000-hectare solar park in Australia’s Northern Territory will, upon completion in 2027, meet 20% of Singapore’s energy needs. The Sun Cable solar farm will be the largest in the world, equipped with 10-gigawatt (GW) capacity solar panels and battery storage that enables a year-round, uninterrupted power supply.
Construction of the solar park is expected to begin in 2023 with development costs estimated at A$20 billion (USD$14 billion).
Sun Cable will provide greater resilience in Singapore’s electricity supply
While the park will also supply electricity to Darwin, the capital of Australia’s Northern Territory, the majority of its output would be exported to Singapore. With a well-regulated electricity market that currently relies on liquefied natural gas (LNG), the Singapore energy market is ripe for competition from renewables.
A decade from now, up to a fifth of Singapore’s electrical supply would be transmitted via a 3,800km underwater link – a feat made possible by a High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) cable passing through the Indonesian archipelago to Singapore.
Reliant on imported LNG for 95% of its electricity, Singapore’s energy market is vulnerable to fluctuations in global oil and gas prices. By tapping into solar power to meet the country’s electricity needs, Singapore can enhance the resilience of its energy supply.
The move to substitute the costly LNG with solar power will also benefit the Republic economically. By 2025, solar energy is expected to become the cheapest source of electricity, softening Singapore’s energy bill.
Despite being in its early stages, the project has already garnered support and attention in Australia
While the project is still in the embryonic stages, with environmental approval applications still underway, Australia’s Northern Territory government has already expressed support for the Sun Cable development.
Australian billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes, co-founder of collaboration software firm Atlassian and a proponent of Australia’s move away from fossil fuels, has also indicated an interest to invest in the project.
The solar park’s development promises to provide thousands of jobs in the Australian manufacturing and construction sectors.
Tennant Creek airport near the proposed site of the 15,000-hectare solar park.
Photo: Tony Bowden
The rise of renewable energy exports can be a game-changer in Singapore’s green efforts
The Singapore government is committed to achieving its pledge to reduce its emissions intensity by 36% (from 2005 levels) by 2030, as stipulated under the 2015 Paris Agreement.
Between 2000 and 2014, Singapore’s emissions intensity dropped by 37%. The country’s move from the early 2000s to switch from fuel oil to natural gas for electricity generation has been a crucial factor behind the decline in emissions intensity.
However, Singapore faces limitations to achieving further emissions reductions through fuel switch. Natural gas already makes up 95% of the country’s fuel mix today. To continue to shrink its emissions intensity, the city-state must embrace renewable energy sources.
But for the resource-constrained island nation, renewable energy options are limited.
In sunny Singapore, land constraints pose an obstacle to the adoption of solar energy. It provides a mere 2% of the island’s electricity today. Through efforts to increase solar deployment via solar panel installations on rooftops and on water surfaces, renewable energy sources could soon provide up to 8% of the city state’s peak electricity demand.
By tapping on Australian sunlight and renewable energy exports and increasing green energy imports, Singapore make big strides towards its emissions reduction target, and a green, sustainable future.
Thailand has asked the Lao government to suspend the test run of the Xayaburi dam, in order to curb the worsening drought that has hit provinces along the Mekong River.
The Office of the National Water Resources (ONWR) yesterday revealed that it submitted an official letter yesterday, calling for the test run to be temporarily paused.
That move came after the ONWR found that the trial would severely impact the drought-hit provinces in the northeastern region, whose tributaries rely on water from the Mekong River.
“People living along the Mekong River have been negatively impacted because the water level in the Mekong has already dropped by over a metre. So we have contacted the Lao government and sent a letter to the Mekong River Commission (MRC), demanding that it suspend the trial for a few days,” said Somkiat Prajamwong, the ONWR secretary-general.
Test runs on the Xayaburi dam started on Monday and were planned to continue until July 29, to prepare for the official start of operations in October. The Electricity Generation Authority of Thailand (Egat) and its Lao counterparts co-invested in the dam and plan to use it to produce energy for Thailand.
The relevant authorities starting storing water in the dam on July 9, and Thai water level gauges below the dam found that water levels had dropped by almost 1.8 metres. This level is the lowest in 28 years, according to the ONWR.
Meanwhile, a gauge in Chiang Rai province found that levels had dropped from 2.7 metres to just above 2 metres. Last week, the water level in the Mekong River also reached one of its lowest points while officials were conducting maintenance on the Jinghong dam in China, said Mr Somkiat.
The Chinese government had informed the Thai government prior to the maintenance work, Mr Somkiat said. The water situation at the dam in China will return to normal by tomorrow, he added.
Somkiat Khuenchiangsa, the coordinator of the Mekong Conservation Network in the North, said the group will submit a letter to Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha and the Chinese embassy, demanding an urgent meeting between the Mekong countries to deal with the problem.
“The northeastern region has been the hardest hit since the Xayaburi dam started discharging water downstream. The people are feeling the effects of this dam and others that have been built on the Mekong River. It’s about time to review other planned projects [relating to the dams],” he said.
He added that the work will also affect the supply of fish in the Mekong.
“Less water in the Mekong during the rainy season means fish that usually come to lay eggs cannot swim and lay their eggs in the tributaries of the Mekong like they did in the past,” said Somkiat Khuenchiangsa, adding that fish is the main source of protein for people living along the river.
The latest MRC report showed that dam projects on the Mekong River will reduce aquatic life by 40% by 2020, and predicted that 80% of the fish supply will be depleted by 2040.
Thailand will be severely impacted, as its fish stocks in the Mekong River will decline by 55%, while Laos will be reduced by 50%, Cambodia by 35% and Vietnam by 30%.
Pianporn Deetes of the International Rivers campaign group, said the impacts of the Xayaburi dam came early. “Although the dam is 98% complete and is not yet operating, the ecological impacts are already serious,” she said.
She urged the government and society to ask the operators of the Xayaburi dam to share the steps that they would take to solve the water flow problem.
“I wonder whether the Xayaburi dam project has any mitigation plans, because the Lao government and Thai investors never said the dam would have an ecological impact,” said Ms Pianporn.
Previously, the Thai Mekong People’s Network in Eight Provinces sent a letter to Egat demanding mitigation measures be taken to help people impacted by the Xayaburi dam.
Egat responded by saying it is confident that the potential environmental impact would be minimal and therefore would not have any impact.
In a related development, the Chinese government yesterday agreed to continue sharing hydrological data with the MRC, which will improve the monitoring ability to predict floods in Mekong countries. They will share the data from June 1 until Oct 31 every year, according to the MRC press release.
