Deal #6524

At Full Supply Level the surface area of the surface area of the reservoir is 27.5 square km (2,750 ha). Nam Ngum 3 dam’s catchment area is 3,769 square km (376,900 ha) [Source: CS Energy company & Hobomap]

The Nam Ngum 3 hydropower project is being executed by Chinese contractors as it is considered a key project under China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). [Source: NS Energy] The Nam Ngum 3 hydropower project has been revised with new developers and owners around year 2014 The old project was 440 MW capacity while the new revised version is 480 MW. [Source: Hobomap]

The Project was identified by the Mekong Secretariat in the 1970s. Developers were selected to develop the site under a Memorandum of Understanding signed with GoL in 1994. The feasibility study, including environmental studies, was finalized by Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation Limited and Southeast Asia Technology Company Limited in 1995. Resource Management and Research was engaged in 1998 to carry out an Impact Analysis to provide the Developer with detailed Social Action and Environmental Management Plans. These documents were used as a basis for two rounds of public workshops in 2002 and resulted in environmental approval by STEA allowing the Developer to start construction. However the SE Asia financial crisis interrupted the development until 2006. By that time, the environmental and social baseline situation had changed and required an update of the environmental and social documentation, which was undertaken from 2007 to 2009 by EcoLao and Norplan, and later by NN3PC.

The construction works on the project were started in November 2015 with commissioning expected by 2022. [Source: NS Energy]

Estimated cost of the project is US $1.4 billion with funding from Chinese EXIM Bank. [Source: Hobomap] On November 5, 2021, the Thailand National Energy Policy Council (NEPC) agreed to purchase electricity from the Nam Ngum 3 hydropower project. It approved an expansion of the electricity power cooperation framework between Thailand and Lao PDR and set the tariff for electricity purchased from the Nam Ngum 3 hydropower project at the rate of 2.8934 baht per unit (assumed to be per kilowatt hour). [Source: Hobomap]