Vietnam protests 1,260MW Laotian mega-dam project

Claims it might cause earthquakes.

Vietnam said the proposed 1,260 megawatt Xayaburi dam project in northern Laos sits about 100 kilometers south of the Lai Chau-Dien Bien fault line in a seismic prone area.

The mega-dam’s construction might increase the probability of earthquakes in a region already prone to seismic activity. Vietnam’s Center for Earthquake and Tsunami Warnings fears the mega-dam will increase seismic activity and threaten tens of thousands of people living along the Mekong River in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Vietnam asked for more studies to be made on this dam before they announce the beginning of construction. Reports, however, said the US$3.5 billion, 32 meter-tall mega-dam project will begin before the end of this year.