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Saravan to build more hydropower plants
Local small-scale energy developer, Agricultural Promotion and Construction Co, is conducting a feasibility study for a 2 megawatt (MW) hydropower plant on the Xeset River in Lau-ngam district, Saravan province.
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| Officials and businesspeople visit the Xeset 2 hydropower plant in Saravan province in 2009. |
The company signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the project with the provincial departments of Planning and Investment and Energy and Mines on January 9 and expects to complete the study within 18 months.
The MOU allows the investors to conduct studies including assessments of the potential social and environment impacts of the plant.
“If the project goes ahead, it will require an investment of 32 billion kip (US$4 million), and the energy generated will be sold to Electricity du Laos,” company Manager Mr Keopraseuth Boulommavong said yesterday.
The study will also include surveys of rain, reservoir levels and the feasibility of construction taking place at the project site including the building of a powerhouse.
Provincial Energy and Mines Department Director General, Mr Bounmakeo Onesa, said “About five or six years ago, a local company conducted a study for this project, but there has been no progress.”
Mr Keopraseuth said the project will be free of the environmental impacts associated with large-scale projects due to its run-of-river design, which doesn't require a large dam or storage reservoir.
Instead, run-of-river projects generate electricity by diverting only part of the stream. This produces relatively little change in the stream channel and flow, and minimises the impact on fish migration, water quality, and wildlife habitats.
The government is promoting the rapid development of small and medium sized power plants for local supply to reduce the need for imported electricity. These plants have installed capacities ranging from 2-100MW.
“We are also building another power plant in the province, Xeset Banbaeng, that will have a 5MW capacity and requires an investment of about 112.4 billion kip (US$14 million),” Mr Keopraseuth said.
The province currently has two other projects underway, Houay Kapeu 2 and Houay La-ai, which are being carried out by local developers and are progressing well.
They have generating capacities of 3.5 and 5MW, according to a recent report from the Saravan provincial Energy Section.
Mr Bounmakeo said the province will also soon have another project, Houay Por, which will also be locally owned by the National Consulting Group, after a project development agreement was signed between the group and Saravan provincial authorities recently. The plant will generate 5MW and requires an investment of 134 billion kip (US$16.7 million).
According to a recent provincial energy section study, Saravan province will soon have 17 or 18 small-scale power plants.
Currently, Saravan has two main hydropower plants – the 45MW Xeset 1 and the 76MW Xeset 2 - which generate electricity for local supply and export to Thailand.
vientiane times
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