Deal #6603 Version #76310

Construction site visible on Google Maps satellite imagery

Accessed on 31/12/2014

Accessed on 31/12/2014

2015-04-21

Vientiane Times report from 21/04/2015: "Nam Khan 2 hydropower plant expects to start energy generation within the next five months after construction began in 2011 in Luang Prabang province. The project conducted an impoundment ceremony on April 18 that took place on a platform at the entrance to the diversion tunnel, attended by Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad and officials from the province, Energy and Mines Ministry and Electricite du Laos (EDL). The ceremony was to begin water storage in the reservoir to supply the power plant for electricity generation in Xieng Ngeun district, according to a press release from EDL yesterday. Some of many million cubic metres of water will be used for energy generation with the rest going towards agricultural enterprises and other uses. EDL Managing Director Mr Sisavath Thiravong said in his statement that Nam Khan 2 was a government project that was handed over to EDL to operate and manage. The project involves a total investment of about 2.4 trillion kip (US$308 million) that has been borrowed from Exim Bank of China. The Nam Khan 2 power plant project is on the Khan River, with commercial operation expected to commence this year. Construction is being carried out by a Chinese company, Sinohydro Corporation. The project has an installed capacity of 130 megawatts and will be able to generate 558 GWh of electricity per year. The electricity generated will be transmitted via a 115kV transmission line to the substation in Xiengngeun district to supply the northern provinces and Vientiane. Nam Khan 2 is a large power plant project that will supply electricity for local consumption. It will particularly help people living in the northern part of Laos or remote areas who are still waiting for electricity to be supplied to their villages. The project’s large reservoir will also be developed as a major tourism site in the future helping to improve living conditions of people in the area. The project states it will lessen environmental impacts with gas, petroleum and energy producer Gazprom Marketing and Trading Singapore Pte., Ltd agreeing with EDL on an Emissions Reduction Purchase Agreement in 2012 to buy carbon credits from the project via a clean development mechanism. Laos still has many other hydropower plants with the potential to sell carbon credits, and energy developers have already been contracted to sell carbon to other overseas companies. Twenty-seven power plants are currently operational with installed capacity of about 3,304MW in Laos. Laos is aiming for total installed capacity of about 12,000MW by 2025, a ministry report has noted. The abundant resources of the Mekong River and its tributaries give Laos the potential to produce more than 25,000MW"

2015-08-31

Vientiane Times report from 31/08/2015: "Energy generation at the Nam Khan 2 dam in Luang Prabang province is expected to get underway in September after the reservoir that supplies water to the dam began filling in April. “We have finished all the hard work and are now making final checks of the details,” Deputy Project Manager Mr Thongphanh Thongsa said on Friday. The dam is on the Khan River and is being built by a Chinese company, Sinohydro Corporation. Construction began in 2011 in Xieng Ngeun district and “is now 99.44 percent complete”, he said. “Based on current progress, we will start testing energy generation on September 25.” The testing will take about three months or until the end of December, after which the dam will be handed over to Electricite du Laos (EDL). “We plan to have a handover ceremony on December 31,” Mr Thongphanh said. Following the handover ceremony, project developers will consider a date for the official energy generation opening ceremony. “We can’t say when power generation will officially begin as it depends on government officials from Laos and China,” he said. The Nam Khan 2 dam is a government project that will be managed and operated by EDL. The project involves total investment of about 2.4 trillion kip (US$308 million) which has been borrowed from the Exim Bank of China. It has an installed capacity of 130 megawatts (MW) and will be able to generate 558 GWh of electricity per year that will be transmitted via a 115kV transmission line to a substation in Xiengngeun district to supply the northern provinces and Vientiane. The dam will particularly benefit people in northern Laos and remote areas who are still waiting for electricity to be supplied to their villages. The large reservoir will be developed as a tourist attraction, which will be a boost to the local economy. Potential environmental impacts will be lessened under an agreement between EDL and gas, petroleum and energy producer Gazprom Marketing and Trading Singapore Pte., Ltd. In 2012 they drew up an Emissions Reduction Purchase Agreement under which Gazprom will buy carbon credits from the project via a clean development mechanism. Laos also has many other hydropower plants with the potential to sell carbon credits, and energy developers have already been contracted to sell carbon credits to other overseas companies.[..]"

2015-12-01

Vientiane Times report on 01/12/2015: "Energy generation at the Nam Khan 2 hydropower project in Luang Prabang province officially commenced on Saturday in Xieng Ngeun district, after a four year construction phase. The dam is on the Khan River and was built by a Chinese company, Sinohydro Corporation Ltd; the project is managed and operated by Electricite due Laos (EDL). The Energy and Mines Minister, Dr Khammany Inthilath said that the Nam Khan 2 is an important project under the master plan of the government. It has an installed capacity of 130 megawatts (MW) and will be able to generate 558 GWh of electricity per year. “The project involves total investment of about 2.4 trillion kip (US$308.5 million),” Dr Khammany said at the opening ceremony, which was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Mr Somsavat Lengsavad and officials from Luang Prabang, the Ministry of Energy and Mines, along with the Chinese Ambassador to Laos, Mr Guan Huabing and company representatives. [...] The Nam Khan 2 dam is a government project and the entirety of the investment money for the project has been borrowed from the Exim Bank of China. The project construction included a 115kV transmission line that links to a substation in Xieng Ngeun district of Luang Prabang that will supply the generated electricity to the northern provinces and Vientiane. The dam will particularly benefit people in northern Laos and remote areas who are still waiting for electricity to be supplied to their villages. [...]"