Work on Nam Ou 2 Hydropower Project begins
Work on Nam Ou 2 Hydropower Project begins
Luang Prabang province: The expected 504 GWh of electricity produced by the Nam Ou 2 Hydropower Project each year will be available for domestic consumption by the end of 2016, a senior official said yesterday.
At yesterday's river closure ceremony for the project the Managing Director of Electricite du Laos (E DL), Mr Sisavath Thiravong, said the Nam Ou 2 was one of seven hydropower dams that will be constructed on the Nam Ou River.
All seven will be developed under the ‘build-operate-transfer' model, whereby the private company that constructs the dam runs it for a concession period of 29 years before handing it over to government owner ship.
He said the Nam Ou 2 had a capacity of 120 MW and would generate 504 GWh each year. Electricite du Laos (EDL) holds 15 percent of the shares in the project while Sinohydro holds 85 percent.
Yesterday's river closure ceremony took place at the project site in Ngoi district, Luang Prabang province and the first phase of construction is now underway.
Attending were Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Somsavat Lengsavad; Deputy Minister of Energy and Mines, Mr Viraphonh Viravong; EDL Managing Director, Mr Sisavath Thiravong; Vice President of Sinohydro Group Ltd, Mr Liu Mingjiang; and other officials from the government and local authorities.
“The Lao government considers the project a key factor in the socio economic development of the northern provinces, especially Luang Prabang itself,” Mr Sisavath said.
Mr Sisavath also said the electricity produced would help grow the tourism sector in the province and encourage the expansion of industry into northern Laos.
He called on leaders in the Party, government and local authorities to continue advising the project operators to ensure they reach their goals.
Senior energy officials recently reported about 802,400 families living in 5,934 villages in 139 districts have access to electricity, which represents 76.9 percent of the total households in the country.
The government is aiming to increase that number to 85 percent by 2015 and more than 90 percent by 2020.
According to Sinohydro, the completed seven dams that will make up the Nam Ou Hydropower Project will have a combined capacity of 1,156 MW and be capable of an annual electrical output of 5,064 GWH.
vientiane times
