Myanmar’s new military-backed government plans to revive a China-backed Myitsone dam project and is expecting to complete it within roughly eight years, according to a report by Reuters.
The report cited two sources with knowledge of recent comments by Khet Htein Nan, the chief minister of Kachin State, where the $3.6 billion dam is slated to be built.
Htet Paing Htoo, a member of the Kachin State parliament, told Reuters that work on the project, which was suspended in 2011 due to widespread public opposition, would “begin shortly.”
“An official announcement will be released,” he told the news agency. “The president himself has already stated that it will be restarted.”
Since January, Khet Htein Nan, who previously opposed the dam, has led a series of public meetings across Kachin State, including in the state capital Myitkyina, urging locals to support the project.
