China Debates New Dam Project To Generate More Power Than 3 Gorges

BEIJING - Chinese plans to turn an untamed river into a hydro-electric hub have sparked a war of words about national priorities as the government rethinks the balance between economic growth and environmental protection. Officials and experts in Beijing debated at the weekend a plan to harness the Nu River in southwest Yunnan province with a chain of up to 13 hydro-power stations amid signs of revived official favour for the project.

The whole project, which could take a decade or more to build, would generate more power than the mammoth Three Gorges Dam, and displace 50,000 farmers, say supporters. But opponents claim it will tear the region's delicate social and environmental fabric with little benefit to locals. They have recently circulated a petition urging the government to release studies of the dams' environmental impact and allow greater public debate.

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The Nu cascades from glaciers in Tibet down a 300 km (180 mile) gorge and critics say damming it will spoil one of China's few pristine environments and threaten communities and wildlife downstream into Southeast Asia, where it is called the Salween. Ma Jun, a Beijing-based environmental consultant who opposes the project and drafted the petition, said China faces hard choices between economic development and environmental protection. But too often, he added, lack of public participation has encouraged officials -- eager to make their stamp with large engineering projects -- to dismiss environmental concerns.

"We recognise this is a difficult case, but you can hardly accept such a major project without some outside involvement," said Ma. The petition issued on August 31 has been signed by 61 groups and 99 individuals, among them Greenpeace and Friends of Nature, China's largest environment association. But project supporters, including senior officials, dominated the weekend meeting, sponsored by a magazine run by the pro-development National Reform and Development Commission, a super-ministry in charge of economic policy. "We're confident the project will go forward," said Liu Shunning, an organiser of the meeting.

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