Ground broken on Nam Tha 1 hydropower plant
Ground broken on Nam Tha 1 hydropower plant
Construction has now commenced on the Nam Tha 1 hydropower project, based in Pha-oudom district of Bokeo province and Nalae district of Luang Namtha province.
A ground-breaking ceremony took place at the project site on Saturday, with the power generated to supply power to the domestic grid.
Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad, Governor of Luang Namtha province, Mr Phimmasone Leuangkhamma, Governor of Bokeo province, Mr Khamman Sounvileuth, Deputy Minister of Energy and Mines, Khammany Inthilath, Managing Director of the Electricite du Laos, Mr Sisavath Thiravong, Chinese Ambassador to Laos, Mr Guan Huabing and other senior government officials were in attendance at the ceremony.
To be operated under the ‘build-operate-transfer' model, construction is expected to take five years to complete. The project will be jointly owned by China Southern Grid International (CSGI) and Electricite du Laos.
At Saturday's ground-breaking ceremony, Mr Sisavath said the Nam Tha 1 hydropower project has an installed capacity of 168 MW and would generate 759 GWh each year.
Electrici ty should be being generated for sale by the end of 2017, he said, noting that “All electricity produced will be transferred to the Electricite du Laos grid and will be sold domestically.”
Mr Sisavath said Electricite du Laos (EDL) holds a 20 percent stake in the project while CSGI holds 80 percent.
“Nam Tha 1 hydropower project is one of many projects that the government has commenced to supply electricity to northern Laos, especially Bokeo and Luang Namtha provinces,” he noted.
The government is aiming to increase that number to 85 percent by 2015 and more than 90 percent by 2020.
The residents of Pha-oudom and Nalae districts of Bokeo and Luang Namtha provinces expect to be amongst those who benefit from the electricity project.
vientiane times
