The Hatgyi Dam () is a planned hydropower gravity dam to be constructed on the Salween River in southeastern Myanmar. The dam site is in Myanmar’s Karen State. The dam project is being funded by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), China's Sinohydro Corporation, and Myanmar's Ministry of Electric Power and International Group of Entrepreneurs (IGE). The dam is expected to produce 1,100 to 1,500 megawatts of power, the majority of which will be sent to Thailand. Numerous environmental groups and local villagers have decried the project’s anticipated ecological and social impact. Criticisms have targeted the project's alleged lack of transparency, damage to the environment, disruption of peace negotiations between the Karen National Union and the Myanmar Army, and impact on local communities, including displacement of local populations. Location The dam site is in the Myaing Gyi Ngu area of the Hlaing Bwe Township in Myanmar's Karen State. It is 33 kilometers downstream of the confluence of the Moei and Salween Rivers, and about 47 kilometers from the Thai-Myanmar border. It is opposite Mae Hong Son Province in northern Thailand. The portion of the Salween at which the dam will be built features particularly strong rapids, which in the dry season become a waterfall. The dam site is also within the Kahilu Wildlife Sanctuary. The areas surrounding the Hatgyi Dam site are ethnically diverse and ecologically rich. At least 13 different indigenous groups live along the Salween river, and over ten million people are supported by the Salween River basin. The Salween's waters are nutrient-rich and support local vegetation and farmlands. Details The dam is being funded by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), a Thai government owned company which has built dams since 1964, China's Sinohydro Corporation, and Myanmar's Ministry of Electric Power and International Group of Entrepreneurs (IGE), with Sinohydro holding the majority of shares, EGAT being the second largest shareholder, and Myanmar holding the fewest shares. IGE is owned by Nay Aung, son of Aung Thaung, the central advisor for Myanmar's Union Solidarity and Development Party. The majority of the generated energy will be sent to Thailand, which is looking to secure cheap energy supplies to replace its high reliance on natural gas. Currently, 70 percent of Thailand's energy comes from natural gas, the supply of which is expected to last only thirty years. History 1998-2007 The project began in 1998 with a feasibility study