As of April 18, the eight hydropower stations invested, built and operated by Power Construction Corporation of China (POWERCHINA) in Laos had generated nearly 1.1 billion kilowatt-hours of power in 2023, a year-on-year growth of about 18 percent.
Accounting for about 31 percent of the total power output in the country, the hydropower stations have effectively relieved power shortages in Central and North Laos during the dry season and supported safe and stable operation of the country's power grid.
The eight stations include seven cascade hydropower stations over the Nam Ou River and the Nam Ngum 5 Hydropower Station.
Located in Luang Prabang and Phongsali provinces in North Laos, the Nam Ou River Cascade Hydropower Project is the first overseas project that obtained development rights over a whole river basin and was invested and developed by a Chinese company.
With a total installed capacity of more than 1.27 million kilowatts, the cascade hydropower stations have an average annual power output of about 5 billion kWh.
As for the Nam Ngum 5 Hydropower Station, it is the first build-operate-transfer (BOT) project invested and developed by POWERCHINA in Laos.
Sitting over the Nam Ting River, the station has an installed capacity of 120,000 kW and an average annual power output of about 500 million kWh.
Given full play to the resource optimal allocation and the co-built and sharing mechanism, POWERCHINA has effectively guaranteed water and power supply based on the eight stations and the company's Nam Ou River power operation, maintenance and management center.
The stations and the center also played a role in peak regulation and power backup in Central and North Laos, which improved safe, economic and reliable operation of the country's power grid.
A bird’s-eye view of the cascade hydropower stations over the Nam Ou River in Laos [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
