Latest news with #MinistryofEnergyandMines
The Star
09-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Laos, Switzerland deepen partnership on dam safety
VIENTIANE: The governments of Laos and Switzerland have reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing dam safety in Laos through the Dam Safety Technical and Institutional Assistance project, when a steering committee endorsed the 2025 work plan. This commitment was underlined at the project's second steering committee meeting, which took place in Vientiane on Thursday (May 8). The department's Director General, Bouathep Malaykham, delivered his remarks at the meeting. The meeting was co-chaired by the Director General of the Department of Energy Industry Safety Management (DESM) under the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM), Bouathep Malaykham, and Head of the Climate Change & Natural Resource Management Programme at the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in the Mekong region, Bjorn Schranz. Implemented by Helvetas with support from the Swiss Government and in close partnership with DESM/MEM, the National University of Laos, the Lao Association on Dams, and EDL-Gen, the Dam Safety Technical and Institutional Assistance project aims to strengthen institutional and technical capacities for dam safety across Laos. Swiss experts contribute through technical assistance, knowledge exchange, and support for regulatory development. The steering committee reviewed the key achievements of 2024 and officially endorsed the Dam Safety Technical and Institutional Assistance 2025 work plan. This marks a continued commitment to bolstering dam safety standards, institutional effectiveness, and technical resilience in line with national and international best practices. Bouathep acknowledged the crucial role that dam safety technical and institutional assistance plays in building both technical and institutional capabilities within the Ministry of Energy and Mines and partner institutions. He expressed sincere appreciation for Switzerland's ongoing support and acknowledged the tangible progress achieved through this strategic cooperation. Schranz reaffirmed Switzerland's long-standing partnership with Laos, saying that the Dam Safety Technical and Institutional Assistance project reflects a shared dedication to sustainable infrastructure, improved risk governance, and community safety. He praised the value of Swiss expertise while emphasising the importance of Lao ownership to ensure long-term sustainability. A key highlight of the meeting was the recognition of the launch of Laos' first dam engineering course on Feb 13 this year. Developed in partnership with the National University of Laos and Switzerland's École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), this milestone reflects the growing local capacity and shared investment in home-grown knowledge and resilience. The steering committee adopted several recommendations to enhance project implementation, including strengthening cross-sectoral coordination, expanding capacity-building efforts to provincial and sectoral agencies, and promoting data transparency and information-sharing mechanisms. The meeting also noted the upcoming Mid-Term Review by an independent third party, which will provide valuable insights to refine the project's strategic direction and ensure alignment with Laos' development priorities. At the close of the meeting, Bouathep underscored the importance of continued collaboration, legislative reform, and institutional strengthening to safeguard the communities and ecosystems that depend on hydropower. At the same time, Schranz reiterated Switzerland's commitment to joint action, stressing that shared responsibility and co-creation are essential to maximising the project's impact. The meeting concluded with a strong sense of shared purpose and dedication to building a safer, more resilient dam safety framework in Laos, anchored in mutual respect, technical excellence, and a long-term development vision. The Dam Safety Technical and Institutional Assistance project aims to improve dam safety across public institutions and academic sectors in Laos. Financed by the SDC and implemented by Helvetas, the project contributes to the safety and well-being of approximately 1.5 million people by mitigating risks linked to dam failure or poor operational management. - Vientiane Times/ANN
CBC
24-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Province promotes new bill that would speed up mine approvals, but environmentalists say it comes at a cost
Ontario Minister of Energy and Mines Stephen Lecce says new legislation tabled at Queen's Park will cut government review times for new mines by half, but environmentalists argue that will be done by reducing protections for species at risk. Lecce was in Sudbury on Thursday where he promoted the province's newly tabled Bill 5, also known as the Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act. The legislation would create what the provincial government calls a "one project, one process" framework that would streamline environmental approvals for new mines. A dedicated mine authorization and permitting delivery team with the Ministry of Energy and Mines would streamline all approvals for new mines into one process. Lecce called it a "commitment to reduce the time it takes to move with a sense of urgency while still maintaining the highest standards of environmental protection while fully respecting Indigenous duty to consult." He said it's especially important to speed up mine development in the face of a trade war and rhetoric from the U.S. government threatening Canada's sovereignty. "This is our moment as Canadians, I think, to seize the potential before us," Lecce said. "Here we are at a time when our country is under attack with an opportunity to lean in, to scale up, with a sense of ambition and hope, to be self-reliant, strong economic powerhouse in the world." Lecce said he expects the new law to come into effect in the fall. 'Watered down' protections Environmental groups have argued the legislation streamlines new mine approvals by repealing Ontario's existing Endangered Species Act passed in 2007, and replacing it with a watered down version called the Species Conservation Act. "This won't speed up projects. It will be catastrophic for wildlife," Laura Bowman, a staff lawyer for Ecojustice Canada, told CBC News. "What we're headed toward, if this bill goes ahead, is really just abandoning species protection." Katie Krelove, the Ontario campaigner for a conservation organization called the Wilderness Committee, said the new legislation would significantly narrow the definition of a species habitat and give the provincial government the power to ignore scientific recommendations. "It will remove the requirements to create a recovery plan for endangered species and altogether remove provincial protections for migratory birds and aquatic species," she said. Krelove said she found it ironic that the bill was framed as a way to stand up to U.S. President Donald Trump and strengthen Canada's economic sovereignty. "Now it's pulling directly from the U.S. president's playbook by scrapping environmental protection and handing blank checks to select big industries and developers," she said. During his press conference in Sudbury, Lecce told reporters the new legislation includes a commitment to quadruple funding for the Species Conservation Program. But Krelove said the program is designed to rehabilitate habitats that have already been destroyed, instead of protecting them in the first place. "Habitat destruction and degradation is by far the number one cause of species decline in the province," she said. Krelove said people across Ontario should be concerned about protecting species at risk because their habitats are signs of healthy ecosystems that can prevent flooding in certain areas and sequester carbon, mitigating climate change.
Arab Times
17-03-2025
- Business
- Arab Times
Electricity gradually returns to Cuba after substation failure left millions in the dark
HAVANA, March 17, (AP): Electricity service in Cuba was gradually restored Sunday, more than 36 hours after a substation failure left the entire island in the dark. Union Electrica, the state agency responsible for the electric grid, reported that most of the capital, Havana, and eastern parts of the country had power. It expected service to return to western areas on Sunday, too. The massive blackout that began Friday night was the fourth in the last six months as a severe economic crisis plagues the Caribbean country. The Ministry of Energy and Mines attributed it to a failure at a substation in the suburbs of Havana. The latest power outage affected phone, internet and water services. Many families also could not cook because they use electric equipment to prepare their meals. Cuba suffered similar blackouts in October, November and December. The latest was the first of 2025 but in mid-February authorities suspended classes and work activities for two days due to a shortage of electricity generation that exceeded 50% in the country. The outages come as Cubans are experiencing a severe economic crisis that analysts have blamed on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, a program of domestic measures that triggered inflation and, above all, the tightening of sanctions by the United States. Experts have said the electricity disruptions are a result of fuel shortages at power plants and aging infrastructure. Most plants have been in operation for more than 30 years. The government has contracted floating power generating plants from Turkey in recent months to meet peak demand, especially during the sweltering tropical summer. The government has also promised that dozens of solar power parks would begin operating in 2025.
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Electricity gradually returns to Cuba after substation failure left millions in the dark
HAVANA (AP) — Electricity service in Cuba was gradually restored Sunday, more than 36 hours after a substation failure left the entire island in the dark. Union Electrica, the state agency responsible for the electric grid, reported that most of the capital, Havana, and eastern parts of the country had power. It expected service to return to western areas on Sunday, too. The massive blackout that began Friday night was the fourth in the last six months as a severe economic crisis plagues the Caribbean country. The Ministry of Energy and Mines attributed it to a failure at a substation in the suburbs of Havana. The latest power outage affected phone, internet and water services. Many families also could not cook because they use electric equipment to prepare their meals. Cuba suffered similar blackouts in October, November and December. The latest was the first of 2025 but in mid-February authorities suspended classes and work activities for two days due to a shortage of electricity generation that exceeded 50% in the country. The outages come as Cubans are experiencing a severe economic crisis that analysts have blamed on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, a program of domestic measures that triggered inflation and, above all, the tightening of sanctions by the United States. Experts have said the electricity disruptions are a result of fuel shortages at power plants and aging infrastructure. Most plants have been in operation for more than 30 years. The government has contracted floating power generating plants from Turkey in recent months to meet peak demand, especially during the sweltering tropical summer. The government has also promised that dozens of solar power parks would begin operating in 2025.
The Independent
16-03-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Electricity gradually returns to Cuba after substation failure left millions in the dark
Electricity service in Cuba was gradually restored Sunday, more than 36 hours after a substation failure left the entire island in the dark. Union Electrica, the state agency responsible for the electric grid, reported that most of the capital, Havana, and eastern parts of the country had power. It expected service to return to western areas on Sunday, too. The massive blackout that began Friday night was the fourth in the last six months as a severe economic crisis plagues the Caribbean country. The Ministry of Energy and Mines attributed it to a failure at a substation in the suburbs of Havana. The latest power outage affected phone, internet and water services. Many families also could not cook because they use electric equipment to prepare their meals. Cuba suffered similar blackouts in October, November and December. The latest was the first of 2025 but in mid-February authorities suspended classes and work activities for two days due to a shortage of electricity generation that exceeded 50% in the country. The outages come as Cubans are experiencing a severe economic crisis that analysts have blamed on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, a program of domestic measures that triggered inflation and, above all, the tightening of sanctions by the United States. Experts have said the electricity disruptions are a result of fuel shortages at power plants and aging infrastructure. Most plants have been in operation for more than 30 years. The government has contracted floating power generating plants from Turkey in recent months to meet peak demand, especially during the sweltering tropical summer. The government has also promised that dozens of solar power parks would begin operating in 2025.
