Completed overhaul boosts Theun-Hinboun output
Completed overhaul boosts Theun-Hinboun output
A major energy generator in Khammuan province, Theun-Hinboun Power Company (THPC), now has an overall generating capacity of 520 megawatts (MW) following the recent completion of a major overhaul; it recently had only 500MW.
Efficiency tests conducted on a second new turbine installed at the company's Theun-Hinboun powerhouse confirmed the overhaul has added at least 20MW of production capacity, while the plant uses the same volume of water as before the upgrade.
THPC's Deputy General Manager, Mr Soulideth Baomanikhoth, said capacity was up due to the company's replacement of turbines and maintenance of generators for the TH1 and TH2 units.
�The turbines replacement and generators maintenance for the two TH units were done because they had been used for over 18 years and the turbines' capacity was reducing,� Mr Soulideth said.
�Previously the two units had the installed capacity of 110MW each, but they are now 120MW each at full load,� he said, adding that the upgrade had cost about 79.77 billion kip (US$9.7 million).
Work on the TH1 Unit was undertaken between December last year and February this year by staff from THPC, alongside engineers from Rainpower and GE in Norway.
It was completed one week ahead of schedule, allowing the upgraded unit to go into production in late February, alongside the TH2 unit, which received a similar upgrade last year.
The two units, now rated at 120MW each at full load, first began operating in March 1998. With the 220-MW TH3 unit and the two 30-MW units at the project's upstream Nam Gnouang powerhouse, installed as part of the Theun-Hinboun Expansion Project in 2012, THPC now has a maximum operating capacity of 520MW with a total of five TH units.
Mr Soulideth congratulated the company team and contractors for finishing the work ahead of tight deadlines and with a perfect safety record.
�This investment increases both the long-term efficiency and safety of our plant,� he said. �We can now increase our contribution to the Lao economy by exporting more power while using no more water�.
He said the company would offer the two former turbines to the National University of Laos' Faculty of Energy in Vientiane for the students to study or learn from the real machines.
THPC has so far contributed over US$465 million to the government since starting operations. With 60 percent of its shares owned by EDL-Gen while Nordic Hydro (Statkraft) and GMS Thai each hold 20 percent, THPC is the only independent power producer in the country under Lao majority control, and 99 percent of the company's workforce is Lao.
First established in 1995, THPC was the first independent hydropower company in Laos and has operated successfully since 1998.
Laos currently has 42 operational power plants with an installed capacity of 6,391MW, which generate about 33,822.4GWh annually.
The number of power plants will increase from 42 to 50 as the government and private energy developers try to complete the construction of 12 new power plants which will start to generate electricity this year.
The 50 power plants will be able to generate about 30 billion kWh, of which 21,103 billion kWh will be exported and the rest will be supplied to the local grid.
Laos is aiming for a total installed capacity of about 12,000MW by 2025. The abundant resources of the Mekong River and its tributaries give Laos the potential to produce more than 25,000MW of electricity.
