Hydro

The president of the Vietnam Energy Association has called on government to allow small and medium-sized hydroelectric plants to participate in the competitive power generation market.Tran Viet Ngai told members of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI)at a forum that by doing this small and medium-sized hydroelectric plants would find it easier to access investment and reduce their taxes.Currently, only electric plants with capacity of more than 30 megawatt can join the competitive power generation market.

Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, has been pushing the Lao prime minister  to undertake more studies on the controversial Xayaburi hydropower project.

The growth of renewable power generation is expected to accelerate over the next five years, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) that acknowledges the coming-of-age of the renewable energy sector. The report says that despite economic uncertainties in many countries, global power generation from hydropower, solar, wind and other renewable sources is projected to increase by more than 40 percent to almost 6,400 terawatt hours (TWh) - or roughly one-and-a-half times current electricity production in the United States.

The Swedish Government last week provided USD8.5 million to the Mekong River Commission (MRC) to strengthen its management and develop water and related resources in the Mekong's lower basin.

India’s Prime Minister has created an inter-ministerial committee to review existing and ongoing hydroelectric projects on Ganga and its tributaries, according to a report in the Economic Times.

In the face of increasing coal supply uncertainty Jindal Power, a subsidiary of one of India’s biggest steelmakers, plans to spend USD7.6 billion on hydroelectric projects over the next decade.

Environmental clearance should not be given to the proposed Athirappally-hydroelectric project, the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) stated in a report submitted to the Indian Environment Ministry this week.

Regional pressure is building on Laos as its neighbors continue to push for the termination of the controversial Xayaburi hydro dam project in the country’s north.

Philippine blue-chip Ayala Corp plans to invest USD500 million in electricity generation over the next five years, in line with its goal to build a portfolio of around 1,000 megawatts of power capacity. The group entered the power business last year when it bought 50 percent of a wind farm. It established AC Energy Holdings as its holding company for its power investments.