Laos proposes new Mekong power project

Recently, the Secretariat of the Mekong River Commission announced that Laos will consult with the Mekong River Commission members in advance on new Mekong hydropower projects
.

The Mekong River Commission Secretariat released a media statement saying it had received official notification from the Lao government that it would conduct a formal process
for prior consultation on the Parkal hydropower project.
The planned river dam will be located in the Paklai district
of the northern province of Xayaboury.
MRC media statement said the power generation facility will operate continuously throughout the year and generate 770MW of electricity
.

The Lao Government proposed to consult with the members of the Mekong River Commission in advance on the Paklai hydropower project as part of
its obligations under the 1995 Mekong Agreement.
The MRC Secretariat will review the document within a month and verify its completeness according to a prior consultation process before forwarding the case to the MRC's Joint Commission
.
Prior consultation is part of the rules of the mainstream water cooperation procedure in the Mekong Basin: notification procedure, prior consultation and agreement
.

This process usually lasts six months and can be further extended
by the Joint Commission.
To date, the MRC has gone through three previous consultation cases: the Xayaboury, Don Sahong and Pakbaeng hydropower projects, all of which are located in the Mekong River Basin
in Laos.

:/, please indicate the source for reprinting)