Nam Khan 2 energy generation commences in Luang Prabang
Nam Khan 2 energy generation commences in Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang province: Energy generation at the Nam Khan 2 hydropower project in Luang Prabang province officially commenced on Saturday in Xieng Ngeun district, after a four year construction phase.
The dam is on the Khan River and was built by a Chinese company, Sinohydro Corporation Ltd; the project is managed and operated by Electricite due Laos (EDL).
The Energy and Mines Minister, Dr Khammany Inthilath said that the Nam Khan 2 is an important project under the master plan of the government. It has an installed capacity of 130 megawatts (MW) and will be able to generate 558 GWh of electricity per year.
“The project involves total investment of about 2.4 trillion kip (US$308.5 million),” Dr Khammany said at the opening ceremony, which was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Mr Somsavat Lengsavad and officials from Luang Prabang, the Ministry of Energy and Mines, along with the Chinese Ambassador to Laos, Mr Guan Huabing and company representatives.
“The opening of the project is a present to celebrate the 40 year anniversary of Laos,” Dr Khammany said.
The Nam Kh an 2 dam is a government project and the entirety of the investment money for the project has been borrowed from the Exim Bank of China.
T he project construction included a 115kV transmission line that links to a substation in Xieng Ngeun district of Luang Prabang that will supply the generated electricity to the northern provinces and Vientiane.
The dam will particularly benefit people in northern Laos and remote areas who are still waiting for electricity to be supplied to their villages.
The reservoir will also be developed as a tourist attraction, which will provide a boost for the local economy.
The government is promoting the rapid development of power plants for local supply in a bid to cut electricity imports.
Dr Khammany said that prior to national liberation in 1975 there were only three hydropower plants in Laos with a total installed capacity of just 33MW.
“So far we have 38 power plants with a total installed capacity of 6,264 MW, which are able to generate electricity of more than 33,400GWh annually,” he said.
“In 1975, there were only 19,000 families or 3 percent of the total population that had electricity use in Laos; however these days about 89.6 percent of the total population can access the power grid. Laos is aiming for a total installed capacity of about 12,000MW by 2025, a report from the Ministry of Energy and Mines states.
The abundant resources of the Mekong River and its tributaries give Laos the potential to produce more than 25,000MW of electricity.
