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Hydropower projects to spark northern development
Investment in hydropower projects in the northern provinces is growing rapidly, and this will help to meet the government's plan to supply mains power to over 90 percent of families in the region by 2020.
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| Mr Khammany Inthirath. |
Three new projects officially got underway this month and plans are on the table for the construction of many more hydropower plants in the northern provinces, by both local and foreign investors.
The three new dams that have officially commenced construction are the Nam Long project in Luang Namtha province, the Nam Ngiep 2 project in Xieng Khuang province and the Nam Khan 2 in Luang Prabang province, with many more set to be built soon.
Many of the proposed plants are small scale and will generate electricity largely for local consumption, particularly in rural communities.
“Currently, only 65 percent of families in the northern provinces have any electricity supply,” Deputy Minister of Energy and Mines Mr Khammany Inthirath said recently, and the proposed plants will see this number increase.
Many companies proposing to build power plants in the north have announced recently that they expect to begin construction soon, and some may be completed ahead of schedule. In Huaphan province, construction of the Nam Sim hydropower plant is expected to start soon, with a completion date in 2013.
The Nam Sana hydropower project will see a dam built on the Sana River in Kasy district, Vientiane province, with commercial operation set to begin in early 2014. Construction work on the Nam Pot small-scale hydropower project in Xieng Khuang province is also expected to begin some time in 2013.
A further seven hydropower plants are being proposed on the Nam Ou River which runs south from Phongsaly to Luang Prabang province, with a Phase 1 completion date set for 2016.
Luang Prabang provincial Deputy Governor Dr Bouakhong Nammavong said yesterday the province now has a population of over 430,000 people in about 73,000 families. Currently, 71 percent of the families in the province have access to electricity, he said.
Provincial authorities had previously planned to provide electricity to 75 percent of families in the province by 2015. “However we now hope to provide 85 percent of families with access to power by 2015 and we are very confident we can do so because energy development in the province is growing rapidly,” Dr Bouakhong said.
In Xieng Khuang province meanwhile, Deputy Governor Mr Khampiene Sinuanethong said the population now numbers around 365,000 people and only 62 percent of families or households have access to electricity. “We still face a massive task to provide power to over 90 percent of families by 2020,” he said.
However, the province has great potential for hydropower development, with the Nam Ngum 4, Nam Ngum 5, Nam Seum, Nam Ngiep 3, Nam Thea and Nam Nyuan dams either planned or proposed for future development.
Deputy Minister of Energy and Mines Mr Khammany Inthirath said that currently around 802,400 families living in 5,934 villages in 139 districts nationwide have access to electricity, which represents 76.9 percent of the total households in the country.
Laos currently has 16 hydropower plants with an installed capacity of 2,559.7 megawatts, which have the potential to generate 12,821 million kWh of electricity per year.
Laos also has 37 small-scale hydropower plants, which have installed capacities not exceeding 1MW, and a total generation capacity of 6.59 megawatts annually.
“By 2015 we will attempt to build enough hydropower plants to give the country an installed capacity of 3,856MW, and produce around 19,184 million kWh of electricity per year. Domestically, we want to increase the number of households with access to electricity to about 85 percent. We hope we can increase this number to more than 90 percent by 2020,” Mr Khammany said.
vientiane times
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