The World Bank has urged the Mekong River’s six riparian countries to ‘remove obstacles’ to plans for a hydro power-based common electricity pool. It claims that a pool established over the next 20 years could save the countries US$10.4B in power generation and transmission investments.
The encouragement comes just as the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) programme is wilting under the combined weight of environmental criticism and economic meltdown.
The perceived obstacles include differing political systems, power pricing structures and equipment within the six countries.