Via Future Directions International, a look at the impact the hydropower boom in Laos may have upon regional water and food security: In September, it was announced that the government of Laos had informed the Mekong River Commission (MRC) that it plans to build a new hydroelectric dam in Luang Prabang. The dam will be the fifth large […]
Read more »Via Terra Daily, a report on planned power plants in Asia that are likely to face water shortages: Climate activists have raised concerns about the number of power plants planned for development in Asia, but the threat of climate change appears to be just one reason to think twice about building new power plants in […]
Read more »Via China Dialogue, a look at how a big gamble on multiple Chinese-financed dams has landed Ecuador with a debt problem: Ecuador’s construction of large Chinese-financed hydropower plants over the past decade was expected to rid the country of power shortages and provide surplus power for export to neighbouring countries. But delays, accidents and high costs […]
Read more »Via Third Pole.net, commentary on run-of-river hydropower facilities in the Himalaya: The floods in Assam and Bihar and the cloudburst in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand have all once again underlined the risk of developing hydropower in the Himalayas. On top of that, over the last few years increasing evidence has emerged that hydropower production may […]
Read more »Via Bloomberg, a report on fracking’s significant watergy impact in the United States’ Permian Basin: As much as $9 billion will be needed over the next decade just to throw away dirty water in the world’s busiest shale field, according to Raymond James & Associates Inc. The scale of the challenge is mind-boggling: drillers typically […]
Read more »Via Mongabay, a report on the controversial 2,880-megawatt Dibang hydropower project in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, believed to be the largest hydroelectric project and highest dam to be constructed in India: India’s hydropower sector has come back into focus with the government clearing the path for the controversial, large-scale Dibang hydropower project in […]
Read more »