Optimism about building a giant dam on the river Congo is unwarranted (23 May, newscientist.com/article/ dn23589). The "bad news" is not only that "few Congolese will get any electricity", as Fred Pearce reports, but that the costs are likely to be so high that the project is unviable. Research at the University of Oxford, based on data from 245 big dams, finds they often come in over budget and late. On average, they cost 90 per cent more than expected.
展开▼
