Hydro plant, irrigation project progress on schedule
Hydro plant, irrigation project progress on schedule
Local small-scale energy developer, Vientiane Automation & Solution Engineering Co Ltd, has completed a feasibility study for a small scale hydropower plant and irrigation system project in Pakngum district, Vientiane.
“Currently we are collecting all relevant information and assembling the study results,” company Managing Director Mr Senglaty Savankham said on Friday.
The company will then report to the Vientiane Planning and Investment Department after the completion of the study results.
The company signed a memorandum of understanding for the project with the department in May last year, after recently receiving approval from the Vientiane authorities.
The MOU allows the investor to conduct studies including assessments of the potential social and environment impacts of the project. The agreement will last for 18 months.
“We are sure that we will complete all the studies and report to the department on schedule,” Mr Senglaty said.
If the project goes ahead, the company will start development immediately. “I am surely the project will be developed because the government really wants the irrigation system to supply water for agricultural purposes,” he said.
The project will use a billion cubic metres of water from upstream hydropower projects and dams that release into the Nam Ngum river at an average rate of 700 cubic metres per second.
It will use that water for agricultural purposes on an area of over 30,000 hectares in the districts of Pakngum, Xaythany and Hadxaifong, as well as Pakxon district in Borikhamxay province.
After agricultural use, the remaining water will be used by the hydropower project for energy generation and local supply.
An initial report noted that the hydropower plant will have an installed capacity of 5 megawatts.
“I think that the plant will have a higher installed capacity than the initial report,” he said. “However we have to wait and see the study results before we can be sure what the installed capacity of the plant will be.”
The government needs electricity for use in nearby communities, including for small and medium industries.
This project will be a model of the efficient use of water and will irrigate many thousand hectares of dry land and farms.
The government is promoting the rapid development of small and medium d power plants for local supply, to reduce the need to import electricity. Small and medium d power plants have installed capacities ranging from 2-100MW.
vientiane times
