|
Nam Theun 2 reaches project milestone
The Lao government has signalled that the Nam Theun 2 Multi-Purpose Project has met its contractual obligations to date, as defined in the concession agreement between the government and the Nam Theun 2 Power Company (NTPC), the company reported on Tuesday.
NTPC, owner and operator of the project, last November submitted to the government and its advisors a certificate listing the completion or partial completion of almost 140 requirements that the company is bound to fulfil. On December 3, the government gave its non-objection to the issue of this certificate, according to a press release from the company.
The project requirements, mainly concerning environmental and social commitments but also design and performance standards, are detailed in the concession agreement signed in 2002. Around 50 of the requirements are accepted as complete, while those partially completed are acknowledged to be under implementation and ongoing, said the press release.
Examples include income improvements for resettled villagers, which are being achieved through an eight-year livelihoods support programme, stated the press release.
The project Dam Safety Review Panel (DSRP), comprised of international hydropower experts, has been monitoring the construction and operation of the industrial side of the project for the past five years, and on November 8 signalled acceptance that Nam Theun 2 meets the requirements expected under international standards and under the concession agreement, read the press release.
The International Environmental and Social Panel of Experts, or POE, has also signed its non-objection to the certificate, following detailed inspection of the project's wide-ranging development and environmental protection programmes. The POE members, who have been monitoring the Nam Theun 2 Project for over 15 years, have stated that while the long-term social and environmental commitments of NTPC are still a work in progress, the project is largely on track, according to the press release.
The government's non-objection, given following consultation with the POE and DSRP, was issued by the Ministry of Energy and Mines.
The Minister of Energy and Mines, Dr Soulivong Daravong, said that the scope of Nam Theun 2 was unprecedented, and that NTPC and its partners had done a remarkable job to bring such a broad range of social improvements and environmental safeguards to an advanced stage in a relatively short time, stated the press release.
“We must emphasise our continued responsibility to the people living around the project area and to the Lao government,” NTPC Chief Executive Officer Jean-Pierre Katz was quoted as saying in the press release.
Mr Katz explained that while people resettled by the project are currently enjoying greatly increased incomes, NTPC will continue to work with village, district, provincial and national partners to ensure that this improvement is sustainable, said the press release.
The project must also prepare for the time when local people and authorities will continue the social and environmental work, so that residents of the Nam Theun 2 areas can benefit fully from the project.
vientiane times
|
