would have a central role in construction.
Pöyry is now working outside the Mekong River Commission (MRC) a group of Mekong countries that focus on promoting cooperation between the countries along the river that depend on it as the region's largest and most valuable natural resource.
Under an agreement through the MRC struck nearly two decades ago, one country must consult the others on major projects before construction begins. But construction began last week, and Cambodia and Vietnam still aren't in total agreement with the project, an issue that's compounded by the conflict of interest problem: Pöyry is the company profiting from the dam and also funded the studies on it.
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International Rivers said regarding Pöyry's possibly unethical place in the controversy of pushing the dam forward:
Pöyry determined that the project was “principally in compliance” with the MRC’s standards for dam-building, despite identifying over 40 additional studies that are still needed to understand the project’s impacts. In cases where the project was unlikely to meet the MRC’s requirements (e.g. for fish passages or dam safety), Pöyry simply omitted any mention of those requirements. Pöyry also recommended that construction continue while these studies were carried out. Scientists widely criticized the study, given the significant risk that many of the project’s impacts cannot be mitigated by the unproven technologies that Pöyry proposes to use.
Now, Cambodia and Vietnam are still calling for more studies on the impacts of the dam, but not demanding those be finalized before construction gets heavily underway. It seems they've bought Pöyry's line, and the discussion has shifted away from the MRC treaty.
According to the LA Times, when construction began last week with a groundbreaking ceremony, there was no complaint from Cambodia or Vietnam, although it's not clear if silence and acceptance mean the same thing. Government officials from those countries did not respond to the Guardian's requests for comment.
"We had the opportunity to listen to the views and opinions of different countries along the river," said Laos Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad at the groundbreaking last week. "We have come to an agreement and chose today to be the first day to begin the project."
It's not clear what action, if any, other countries affected by this or future dams will take.