Military junta revives Myitsone dam to boost ties with Beijing
Suspended in 2011 following mass protests, the hydroelectric project in Kachin State is set to be revived by the military ahead of upcoming elections. For analysts and the local community, this is a political manoeuvre to strengthen ties with China, which would receive 90 per cent of the energy produced, despite potentially serious damages to the environment, local communities, and security.
Yangon (AsiaNews) – Myanmar’s military junta wants to reopen the Myitsone dam, a gigantic hydroelectric project in Kachin State that was suspended in 2011 following mass protests citing its negative environmental and social impact.
According to local analysts, the project does not meet genuine development needs, and is based on political calculations. The military needs to boost Chinese support ahead of elections set to start on 28 December after the army lost ground in the north of the country.
In April 2024, the State Administrative Council (SAC), the body created by the military to govern, set up a new committee responsible for managing the project's restart, appointing Deputy Minister of Electric Power Aye Kyaw as its chairman.
The dam, estimated at US$ 3.6 billion, is primarily financed by China's State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) and is located at the confluence of the Mali and N'Mai rivers, the source of the Irrawaddy.
The project was halted in 2011 by then-President Thein Sein, following a grassroots mobilisation against the potential environmental destruction, the forced displacement of local communities, and the transfer of sovereignty over natural resources, given that almost all the energy produced would go to China.
The current political context makes the announcement particularly controversial. In recent months, fighting has intensified between regime forces and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), one of the militias fighting against the military regime.
"Whenever the junta faces hard times, it tries to distract the public," a Kachin political analyst told AsiaNews, speaking anonymously for safety. “With intense fighting near the Myitsone area, restarting the project seems impossible. But the junta is pushing it hard to gain favour with China."
Military leaders maintain that the dam is necessary. On 17 December, Deputy Commander-in-Chief Soe Win visited Myitsone and declared that "the project should be reviewed and implemented," since it would help prevent flooding and ensure power supply to the country.
Minister Aye Kyaw recently added that the new committee will focus on "research, technical solutions, and public relations" to demonstrate the plant's safety, hinting at a possible reduction in the original 6,000-megawatt capacity.
The agreements, however, signed in 2006 and 2009, remain unchanged: 90 per cent of the energy produced would go to the Chinese province of Yunnan, while only 10 per cent would remain in Myanmar.
For the Kachin community, Myitsone is the symbol of a tragedy waiting to happen. The dam would submerge an area the size of Singapore and displace approximately 18,000 people, wiping out entire villages, like Tangphre.
“The Irrawaddy River is the main bloodline of our country,” said Kaw Mai, a resident of Myitkyina, speaking to AsiaNews. “This is not just a dam; it is a death sentence for our land. The military bombs our villages by day and tries to sell our river by night. If they think Kachin armed forces will stand by and let this happen, they are dreaming.”
Security is also a concern. The site is located approximately 100 kilometres from the fault line that runs through the Sagaing Region, one of the most active in Southeast Asia, where a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck in March this year.
Another earthquake could compromise the structure, with catastrophic consequences downstream. And the effects would not be limited to Kachin State.
The Irrawaddy River carries sediment essential to the fertility of downstream areas. Disrupting its flow would lead to saltwater intrusion, the collapse of fish stocks, and a direct threat to the food security of millions of people.
For its part, China is unwilling to listen. SPIC claims to have already invested more than US$ 800 million and has been lobbying Myanmar for years to reactivate the project or, alternatively, pay compensation.
For the junta, reviving Myitsone appears to be a desperate move to once again gain Beijing’s favour, perhaps in exchange for mediation with the KIA or a reduction in international pressure.
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08/02/2019 16:19
