Bangkok is to host next week the first in a series of technical workshops intended to promote discussions about the proposed Nam Theun 2 hydro power project in Laos.

The meeting is to take place in the Thai capital on 31 August and will allow stakeholders and the public to comment on the safeguard documents for the scheme, which were published in draft form in May this year.

The documents to be addressed are the:

• Environmental Assessment and Management Plan (EAMP) – a review of impacts associated with the project and plans to minimise, mitigate or compensate for them;

• Social development plan (SDP) – to manage social impacts including those related to the resettlement of populations, downstream impacts and other issues relevant to local people;

• Social and Environmental Management Framework and First Operational Plan (SEMFOP) – to manage the Nakai-Nam Theun national protected area, by way of compensation for the project’s environmental impacts.

A Summary Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (SESIA) was also published on 30 July.

The workshops have been organised by the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, with events to follow in Tokyo, Japan on 3 September; Paris, France on 7 September; Washington, DC, US on 10 September and in Vientiane, Laos during the week of 20 September.

‘The aim of these international workshops is to allow an open and well-informed discussion that can in turn inform decision making related to the project and capture specific comments and ideas related to the safeguard and other project documents which are currently in draft,’ said a World Bank statement announcing the events. The workshops are to hear the opinions and concerns of interested stakeholders providing feedback to the government and the Nam Theun 2 Power Company.

Feedback and recommendations are to be compiled following each workshop by an independent moderator.


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Nam Theun 2 Hydroelectric Project