More Chinese dams...

Dams in China are in the news again, with China Daily reporting that the blocking of the river has begun to allow for construction of the Xiluodu Dam in the Jinsha River near the Yunnan - Sichuan border. Construction on what will be the second largest dam in the country began in late 2005 and is one of four hydropower stations planned for the Jinsha River, a tributary of the Yangtze. The total energy output from the four dams will be twice that of the Three Gorges Project.

While this project hasn't attracted worldwide attention (and condemnation) accorded the Three Gorges dam, it was postponed in 2005 after the builders tried to defy and order from the State Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) to conduct a mandatory environmental impact assessment. Apparently SEPA gave the $5 billion project the green light in late 2005.

Another interesting article I came across discusses the 'dam fever' gripping southwestern China, and many of the sometimes successful efforts by NGO's to bring it under control.

On a side note, there are apparently many small 'cottage-industry' dams being constructed across China on smaller rivers for local power generation. The photo is of one under construction near Emei Mountiain in Sichuan that I stumbed across while hiking in 2006.