15 September 2004
Lao government stresses revenue gain from the dam, while civil society representatives raised doubts about benefits to ordinary Laotians.
On August 31, the World Bank held its first public hearing on the controversial planned Nam Theun 2 Hydroelectric Dam project in Laos. More than 200 officials from the Lao and Thai governments, businessmen, environmentalists and academics began debating whether the bank should underwrite the dam project, being developed by a consortium of Lao, Thai, French and Italian investors.
Representatives from civil society groups expressed concern about potential damage the dam project will do to the environment, and raised doubts about the benefits of the dam project to ordinary Laotians. The Lao government stressed that the expected revenue from the dam will help reduce poverty, and that the World Bank, the ADB and NGOs had already conducted environmental impact studies. Similar events are scheduled to be held in Tokyo, Paris, Washington, and in Laos.