The Nam Theun 2 Power Company (NTPC), operator of the largest hydropower plant in Laos, remains unsure when its plant will resume electricity generation as the level of the Xebangfay River remains high.
NTPC announced yesterday that it would wait until the water level of the Xebangfay drops below the danger mark before resuming electricity generation for domestic consumption and export to Thailand.
“With water levels currently very high all along the Xebangfay, this may take several days. The exact timeframe will depend on the weather,” the company said in an email to Vientiane Times.
The 1,070 MW hydropower plant in the central province of Khammuan was shutdown last week as the water level of the Xebangfay River reached danger point at Mahaxay district. The plant releases water into the river downstream of its dam.
“NTPC is obliged by its concession agreement with the Lao government to stop releasing water into the plant’s downstream channel when the Xebangfay River approaches flood levels at Mahaxay,” the company said.
The company also said that it had halted electricity production for supply to Electricite du Laos for domestic consumption as the plant’s regulating pond has become full.
The company said that despite the temporary shutdown its electricity production target remains unchanged as it supplied more electricity to Thailand than anticipated over the first half of this year.
However, the company admitted that the shutdown of the hydropower plant has resulted in a lost opportunity to supply full generation load to Thailand over the past week, leading to some loss of potential revenue.
The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) said earlier that it needed more power from Nam Theun 2 due to higher electricity production costs in Thailand caused by a disruption to gas supplies. The authority is now using banker oil to generate electricity.
NTPC said that it will not face fines from EGAT if it is unable to supply electricity to Thailand, as ceasing supply in the case of natural disasters is permitted.
“The power purchase agreement with EGAT recognises the need to halt generation during flood periods and NTPC will not be penalised for ensuring hydro safety at this time,” the company said.
The company said that since commercial operations at the plant commenced last year it has generated higher than anticipated revenues due to strong demand for electricity in Thailand.
The higher than expected revenues have allowed the company to increase both repayments on the large amounts of money borrowed to finance the project (US$1.3 billion) and the royalties, taxes and dividends paid to the Lao government, the company said.
Berlin Marks 50th Anniversary of Rise of Berlin WallSaturday, August 13th, 2011 at 10:45 am UTCPosted 2 minutes ago Germans on Saturday marked the 50th anniversary of the rise of the Berlin Wall, which divided Berlin and came to define the Cold War.
The city observed a minute of silence at noon in memory of those who died trying to escape.
Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit told a ceremony that the construction of the wall 50 years ago must be a constant reminder to maintain freedom and democracy.
German President Christian Wulff and Chancellor Angela Merkel also attended the ceremony.
After the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, the victorious World War Two allies divided Germany into four zones of occupation. The U.S., French and British sectors became West Germany, while the Soviet sector became communist East Germany.
On August 13, 1961, authorities in the communist East ordered all crossing points from East Berlin to West Berlin to be sealed off with barbed wire, later reinforced with concrete. The wall divided streets and neighborhoods and tore apart families and friendships. The wall was designed to keep residents in the east from fleeing to the West. The 161-kilometer wall would later include 45,000 cement blocks and dozens of watchtowers.
Historians say 125 people died trying to cross the wall from communist East Berlin, but some experts have said the death toll is much higher. East German border guards had orders to shoot to kill anyone they spotted trying to escape.
In June of 1987, U.S. President Ronald Reagan delivered a speech in Berlin in which he challenged then-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this wall.”
In November 1989, East German residents brought down the wall and the government in the communist state.
