Hydropower dam collapse in Laos (Source: VNA) Hoa Binh (VNA) – Aseminar discussing sustainable energy development and safety of dykes andhydropower reservoirs in Vietnam took place in the northern mountainous provinceof Hoa Binh on December 19.
Co-organised by the VietnamSustainable Energy Alliance (VSEA), the Centre for Water Resources Management and Climate Change Adaptation(CEWAREC), the GreenInnovation and Development Centre (GreenID), the International Union forConservation of Nature (IUCN), and the US’s Stimson Centre, the seminar washeld after hydropower dams in Laos and Cambodia collapsed in July and August,attracting public concern over dam safety risks.
Speaking at the event, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Union ofScience and Technology Associations Dr. Phan Tung Mau said Vietnam is home tonearly 7,000 lakes and dams, but a majority of small lakes pose low safety.
IUCN Acting Chief Representative in Vietnam Jake Brunner saidif Thailand decides to stop or decrease investment in hydropower plant projectsin Laos, Vietnam will become a new and only hydropower importer of Laos so thatVietnam should tap its advantages in energy supply negotiations with Laos to meetits power demand that will double by 2030 and also mitigate political, economicand environment risks in the Mekong Delta caused by hydropower dams.
He suggested that Vietnam should significantly increaseinvestment in solar and wind power, thereby easing its reliance on coal-firedpower, promoting electricity trading in the region, and contributing todelivering on commitments in the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Participants discussed suggestions by the Stimson Centre andIUCN within the framework of the Mekong Connectivity programme on Vietnam’senergy development strategy and cooperation between Laos, Vietnam and Mekongcountries on promoting the implementation of the master plan on water resourcesand energy.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development,Vietnam had 238 hydropower reservoirs and 6,648 irrigation lakes as of 2016.Nearly 1,200 dams and lakes were in downgrade conditions.
The event will last till December 20.-VNA
Co-organised by the VietnamSustainable Energy Alliance (VSEA), the Centre for Water Resources Management and Climate Change Adaptation(CEWAREC), the GreenInnovation and Development Centre (GreenID), the International Union forConservation of Nature (IUCN), and the US’s Stimson Centre, the seminar washeld after hydropower dams in Laos and Cambodia collapsed in July and August,attracting public concern over dam safety risks.
Speaking at the event, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Union ofScience and Technology Associations Dr. Phan Tung Mau said Vietnam is home tonearly 7,000 lakes and dams, but a majority of small lakes pose low safety.
IUCN Acting Chief Representative in Vietnam Jake Brunner saidif Thailand decides to stop or decrease investment in hydropower plant projectsin Laos, Vietnam will become a new and only hydropower importer of Laos so thatVietnam should tap its advantages in energy supply negotiations with Laos to meetits power demand that will double by 2030 and also mitigate political, economicand environment risks in the Mekong Delta caused by hydropower dams.
He suggested that Vietnam should significantly increaseinvestment in solar and wind power, thereby easing its reliance on coal-firedpower, promoting electricity trading in the region, and contributing todelivering on commitments in the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Participants discussed suggestions by the Stimson Centre andIUCN within the framework of the Mekong Connectivity programme on Vietnam’senergy development strategy and cooperation between Laos, Vietnam and Mekongcountries on promoting the implementation of the master plan on water resourcesand energy.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development,Vietnam had 238 hydropower reservoirs and 6,648 irrigation lakes as of 2016.Nearly 1,200 dams and lakes were in downgrade conditions.
The event will last till December 20.-VNA
VNA
