World Bank set to begin appraisal

The World Bank has announced that it has begun appraising the proposed $1.3 billion Nam Theun 2 project on the Xe Bang Fai River in Laos, a move likely to see the project before the board of directors by the end of March. The project is being developed by Electricité de France and two Thai companies in cooperation with the Laotian government and will generate foreign exchange for Laos by selling some 995 MW of the power to Thailand. The World Bank will make a decision on whether to support the 1070 MW project in the coming months.