A spokesperson for the Thai energy ministry, speaking to The Irrawaddy on Wednesday, said that the Thai delegation would raise the subject of the dams with the junta because of concerns that China will take over both projects if work on them does not resume soon.
Hydropower Projects on Agenda at Mandalay Meeting
Thailand plans to discuss the progress of the Hat Gyi and Tasang hydropower dams with Burma’s military regime at the Asean+3 Ministers on Energy Meeting, to be held in Mandalay on Wednesday and Thursday, according to Thai officials.
A spokesperson for the Thai energy ministry, speaking to The Irrawaddy on Wednesday, said that the Thai delegation would raise the subject of the dams with the junta because of concerns that China will take over both projects if work on them does not resume soon.
“We are worried that if we don’t get back to work on the Hat Gyi project with Burma, China will take over. This is why we have set up a subcommittee to consider and study the effects from building the Hat Gyi hydropower dam,” said the spokesperson.
Thailand is a major investor in Burma’s energy sector, and is planning to spend about US $1 billion on the Hat Gyi project. It also has a major stake in the Tasang dam.
However, efforts to address concerns about the environmental impact of the projects have caused delays in construction. Environmental activists say that the dams will displace thousands of local people and adversely the affect the livelihoods of many more.
Meanwhile, Burmese human rights groups released a statement on Tuesday urging an end to investment in Burma’s oil and gas sector, which they said was helping to keep the ruling junta in power by providing it with a long-term source of income. Thailand imports over 50 percent of Burma’s gas, which the French energy conglomerate Total extracts from the Yadana gas field in the Andaman Sea.
The two-day energy ministers’ meeting in Burma is an important one for Thailand. Thai Energy Minister Wannarat Charnnukul is attending the meeting in Mandalay, where the Thai delegation will emphasize the country’s strengths as a regional hub of alternative energy.
The Bangkok Post reported on Wednesday that Thailand has finished drafting the Asean Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation in 2010-2015, which highlights cooperation in seven areas, including clean-coal technology, the regional power transmission grid, gas pipelines, energy conservation, recyclable energy and nuclear power.
Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and their regional partners Japan, China and South Korea will also discuss plans to develop oil reserve systems to cope with increasing demand in the Asian region and future rises in the price of oil.
Burma, with its abundant offshore oil and natural gas reserves, has attracted a great deal of interest from foreign investors. The country is estimated to have 3.2 billion barrels of recoverable crude oil.
The oil and gas sector receives the second-largest share of foreign investment in Burma, after hydropower projects. China is scheduled to start building a new gas pipeline in Shan State in September. – Irrawaddy org
Asean Meting Mandalay
Joint Ministerial Statement of the 27th ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM)
Mandalay, Myanmar, 29 July 2009
“Securing ASEAN’s Energy Future Towards Prosperity and Sustainibility”
http://www.aseansec.org/JMS-27th-AMEM.pdf
