Laos defers decision on Mekong Xayaburi dam

---

FE Team | Published: April 20, 2011 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

---

Laos has deferred a decision to build a controversial dam across the Mekong River in the face of opposition from other countries in the region, reports BBC. Delegates from Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam said a decision should be made at ministerial level. The hydropower project at Xayaburi would be the first to be built on the mainstream of the lower Mekong. There are concerns over fish stocks and the consequences for millions of people whose livelihoods depend on them. Laos is hoping to become "the battery of southeast Asia" by using its rivers to generate electricity for export - the majority to Thailand - thereby gaining income to develop the country. But the proposed $3.5bn (£2.15bn) Xayaburi dam and power station met opposition from neighbouring countries, who share downstream waters. The four countries of the Mekong River Commission were unable to find a common conclusion at a meeting in the Lao capital Vientiane. There was "still a difference in views" over the project, the commission said in a statement. Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia all agreed that more studies on the dam's impact were needed, the commission said. Cambodia is planning mainstream Mekong dams of its own and many more have been proposed in Laos. Opponents fear the Xayaburi dam would open the door to a building spree, degrading the river's fragile ecology and associated fishing industries.