On 18 February 2010, in the Conference Hall of the Ministry of Energy and Mines, the International Environmental and Social Panel of Experts, acting as the Government of Laos Advisors for monitoring the Nam Theun 2 Hydroelectric Project, have concluded their 16^th mission (from 1 to 17 February 2010) with a presentation to the public and the project partners including the Government of the Laos, the Nam Theun 2 Power Company (NTPC) and all its shareholders, plus international financial institutions such as the World Bank, ADB and ADF.

The visits of the Panel of Experts are made to check that all partners in the hydroelectric project respect the details and spirit of the NT2 Concession Agreement, which was designed to ensure that Nam Theun 2 meets high social and environmental standards.

With commercial operations set to begin soon, the Nam Theun 2 Project is looking to ensure its pioneering social and environmental programmes remain on track over its operational phase. NTPC expects to begin selling electricity at commercial rates very soon, and a formal project opening ceremony is planned for later in the year.

.While the commercial operation date will mark the end of construction and the beginning of NTPC’s 25-year operational concession period, the Project remains committed to safeguarding the environment and to improving livelihoods in the project area. Social programmes are scheduled to continue on Nakai Plateau and in downstream areas, while funding of the Watershed Management and Protection Authority in the Nakai-Nam Theun National Protected Area is guaranteed for another 25 years.

Local authorities in Khammouane and Bolikhamxay province are gradually taking on more responsibility for the services provided by the Project. In January for example, over US$67 million of assets was transferred to Nakai District Authority and the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation, on behalf of the government. The assets include roads and community buildings designed to help resettled communities achieve better livelihoods and daily conditions.

The Panel of Experts is comprised of three internationally respected academics, Messrs Lee Talbot, Thayer Scudder and David McDowell.

Their collective expertise in conservation, environmental science and anthropology, and vast combined experience in industrial projects and mitigation measures, have allowed them to add great value to Nam Theun 2 by advising on shortcomings during the construction phase and offering advice on how to improve implementation of the broad social and environmental programmes conducted through the project.

At the latest presentation, Mr. Sychath Boutsakitirath, Deputy Director General, Department of Energy Promotion and Development, Ministry of Energy and Mines, told participants that the government and NTPC valued the recommendations of the Panel highly, recognising their advice as  means of fine tuning the project to ensure that it remained true to its core values of providing better lives for Lao people and establishing sustainable mechanisms for environmental protection.