The Supreme Administrative Court in Bangkok has dismissed a lawsuit seeking to halt Thailand’s purchases of electricity from a hydropower dam in neighboring Laos over environmental concerns, bringing an end to a decade-long legal battle.
The case brought by 37 villagers from eight provinces along the Mekong River primarily sought to cancel a power purchase agreement between state-owned Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) and the Xayaburi dam, which they argued had negatively impacted the environment and livelihoods.
Court documents showed the court said the case, which was initially brought in 2012 and had failed at lower courts, had no legal grounds.
The 1,285-megawatt Xayaburi dam, built and operated by a subsidiary of Thailand’s construction company CH Karnchang, is the first hydropower dam in the lower Mekong River in Laos and sells 95% of its power to Thailand.
The start of its full commercial operations in 2019 coincided with parts of the Mekong drying to a trickle even at the end of the rainy season. The company said it was not responsible for the reduced river flow. (NNT)
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