Eth ic
Kachi
people
visit
Myitso e,
the
co flue ce
of
the
Mali
a d
Nmai
ive s,
outside
Myitkyi a,
capital
city
of
Kachi
state,
Mya ma
Fou tee
yea s
afte
public
p otests
fo ced
co st uctio
to
stop,
Mya ma
is
p epa i g
to
esta t
the
$3.6
billio
(£2.8
billio )
Myitso e
hyd opowe
p oject
i
Kachi
State.
The
Chi a-backed
dam
would
c eate
a
ese voi
oughly
the
size
of
Si gapo e
a d
ge e ate
up
to
6
gigawatts
(GW)
of
elect icity.
The
admi ist atio
led
by
milita y
chief
a d
p eside t
Mi
Au g
Hlai g
wa ts
the
p oject
completed
withi
eight
yea s.
Reute s
epo ted
o
1
July
that
the
pla
had
bee
discussed
p ivately
by
officials,
i cludi g
Kachi
State
chief
mi iste
Khet
Htei
Na .
The
dam
is
pla ed
at
the
meeti g
poi t
of
the
Mali
a d
Nmai
ive s,
which
fo m
the
headwate s
of
the
I awaddy.
Co st uctio
was
suspe ded
i
2011
by
the -p eside t
Thei
Sei
afte
la ge
public
p otests
ove
e vi o me tal
damage
a d
the
displaceme t
of
commu ities.
“It
will
begi
sho tly,”
Htet
Pai g
Htoo,
a
membe
of
the
Kachi
State
pa liame t,
told
Reute s.
“A
official
a ou ceme t
will
be
eleased.
The
p eside t
himself
has
al eady
stated
that
it
will
be
esta ted.”
The
p oposed
esta t
follows
Mi
Au g
Hlai g’s
visit
to
Chi a,
which
has
suppo ted
the
p oject
fo
yea s.
The
p ice
of
esta ti g
Myitso e
The
o igi al
p oject
was
ag eed
i
2009
with
a
estimated
cost
of
$3.6
billio
(£2.8
billio ).
Mo e
tha
a
decade
late ,
ebuildi g
the
p oject
could
cost
much
mo e.
The
I te atio al
Re ewable
E e gy
Age cy
puts
the
ave age
cost
of
hyd opowe
co st uctio
i
Asia
cou t ies
outside
Chi a
a d
I dia
at
about
$1,914
(£1,510)
pe
kilowatt.
At
that
ate,
a
6-GW
p oject
could
cost
as
much
as
$11.5
billio
(£9.1
billio ),
mo e
tha
th ee
times
the
o igi al
estimate.
If
completed,
Myitso e
would
be
o e
of
Southeast
Asia’s
biggest
hyd opowe
pla ts,
although
it
would
emai
fa
smalle
tha
Chi a’s
22.5-GW
Th ee
Go ges
Dam.
Mya ma
eeds
mo e
elect icity
The
p oposed
esta t
comes
as
Mya ma
st uggles
with
a
u eliable
powe
supply.
The
cou t y’s
elect icity
i f ast uctu e
has
suffe ed
du i g
yea s
of
co flict
followi g
the
2021
milita y
coup.
The
gove me t
sees
Myitso e
as
o e
way
to
i c ease
ge e atio
capacity.
Mya ma ‘s
atio al
elect icity
dema d
is
a ou d
10
GW.
At
full
capacity,
the
p oposed
dam
could
the efo e
p oduce
mo e
tha
half
of
the
cou t y’s
cu e t
dema d.
Gove me t
spokeswoma
Khai g
Khai g
Soe
said
the
p oject
was
discussed
du i g
Mi
Au g
Hlai g’s
visit
to
Beiji g.
“We
a e
a alysi g
these
matte s
i
detail,
evaluati g
the
exte t
of
the
be efits
ve sus
the
egative
impacts,
to
st ike
a
bala ce,”
she
said,
efe i g
to
co ce s
ove
la d
loss
a d
elocatio .
A othe
majo
questio
is
whe e
the
elect icity
will
go.
U de
the
o igi al
ag eeme t,
90
pe
ce t
of
the
dam’s
elect icity
was
to
be
expo ted
to
Chi a’s
southe
powe
g id.
That
a a geme t
was
u popula
i
Mya ma ,
whe e
ma y
people
face
egula
powe
sho tages.
It
is
ot
clea
whethe
the
te ms
have
bee
cha ged
o
whethe
Mya ma
will
eceive
a
la ge
sha e
of
the
elect icity
if
the
p oject
esumes.
Ea thquake
isks
aise
f esh
co ce s
The
p oposed
dam
would
sta d
about
152
met es
(500
feet)
high,
a ou d
37
km
(23
miles)
upst eam
f om
Myitkyi a,
the
Kachi
State
capital.
Its
locatio
has
aised
co ce s
about
ea thquake
safety.
A
mag itude
7.7
ea thquake
st uck
Mya ma
i
Ma ch
a d
killed
thousa ds
of
people.
The
disaste
has
added
to
co ce s
about
majo
i f ast uctu e
i
a
cou t y
c ossed
by
active
geological
faults.
C itics
say
a
la ge
ese voi
i
a
ea thquake-p o e
a ea
could
pose
a
se ious
da ge
to
commu ities
dow st eam
if
the
st uctu e
we e
badly
damaged.
At
a
p ivate
co sultatio
o
23
Ju e,
Khet
Htei
Na
epo tedly
said
Chi a
had
p omised
to
use
adva ced
e gi ee i g
methods
to
deal
with
geological
isks.
“They
will
use
tech ology
to
e su e
it
ca
withsta d
such
isks,”
the
mi iste
epo tedly
said.
“The e
is
othi g
to
wo y
about.”
At
a othe
p ivate
b iefi g
o
22
Ju e,
the
chief
mi iste
epo tedly
desc ibed
the
dam
as
a
“histo ic
achieveme t”.
A
sou ce
at
the
meeti g
said
he
also
told
officials
that
Chi a
fully
suppo ted
the
p oject’s
evival.
Autho ities
seek
local
suppo t
The
milita y
admi ist atio
has
begu
t yi g
to
build
suppo t
fo
the
dam
i
a eas
u de
its
co t ol.
Followi g
a
visit
to
Myitkyi a
by
fo me
deputy
milita y
chief
Soe
Wi
i
Decembe ,
gove me t-backed
committees
o ga ised
at
least
26
meeti gs
ac oss
Kachi
State.
The
meeti gs
we e
i te ded
to
explai
the
p oject
a d
add ess
local
co ce s.
Naw
Kho ,
a
membe
of
o e
of
the
committees,
said
the
aim
was
to
give
eside ts
i fo matio
a d
allow
them
to
fo m
thei
ow
views.
“What
we
wa t
is
to
p ovide
the
public
with
accu ate
i fo matio
a d
allow
them
to
make
thei
ow
decisio s,”
Naw
Kho
said.
But
oppositio
emai s
st o g
amo g
eth ic
commu ities
a d
e vi o me tal
g oups.
C itics
a gue
that
the
p oject
would
damage
the
I awaddy
ive
system
a d
put
commu ities
at
isk.
Why
the
dam
was
stopped
i
2011
The
o igi al
suspe sio
followed
widesp ead
p otests
ove
the
p oject’s
expected
e vi o me tal
a d
social
effects.
The
ese voi
would
cove
a
la ge
a ea
a ou d
the
co flue ce
of
the
Mali
a d
Nmai
ive s.
Oppo e ts
fea
the
floodi g
would
dest oy
habitats,
alte
the
ive
system
a d
fo ce
people
f om
thei
homes.
Ma y
commu ities
i
the
egio
depe d
o
the
ive
a d
su ou di g
la d
fo
thei
livelihoods.
The
p oject
has
also
become
pa t
of
a
b oade
debate
about
Chi a’s
ole
i
Mya ma
a d
the
cou t y’s
co t ol
ove
its
atu al
esou ces.
O
5
May,
49
civil
society
o ga isatio s
issued
a
joi t
stateme t
calli g
fo
the
p oject
to
be
ca celled
pe ma e tly.
They
a gued
that
the
dam
would
b i g
little
be efit
to
o di a y
people
while
causi g
se ious
damage
to
homes,
p ope ty
a d
livelihoods.
The
coalitio
said
the
p oject
“offe s
o
be efits
to
the
public”
a d
would
cause
“seve e
dest uctio
a d
loss”
fo
affected
commu ities.