China revives dreams of Kampot mega-dam

[quaoar]

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/ (Subscription required at this site.)

China revives dreams of Kampot mega-dam

By Sam Rith

It's been called Cambodia's own "Three Gorges Dam" in the making. The Cambodian government says it is in the final stages of negotiations with Chinese state-owned company Sinohydro about the construction of a 145-meter-high dam on the Kamchay River that will flood 2,600 hectares of Bokor National Park in Kampot province.

The $280-million hydroelectric project is thought to be China's biggest single investment in Cambodia, allowing Sinohydro to manage the power plant for 30 years after completion of the dam in 2010, said Bun Narith, deputy general director of the General Department of Energy at the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy (MIME).

The Kamchay River area, 15 km north of Kampot town, has been the subject of interest from hydro-prospectors since the early 1960s. The proposed Kamchay dam site is in Mak Prang commune, Kampot district - just 3km upstream from the scenic Tek Chhu waterfall, which attracts picnicking locals and tourists.

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Utheareth confirmed that the proposed reservoir is within the national park, home to several species of internationally endangered animals, including tigers.

[Kipling]

1. Didn't do much for Egypt. Won't do much except ruin the environment here.

[quaoar]

2. Are you in Cambodia?

[Kipling]

3. No, I meant "in this case". Darn short subject line.