The cascade units are being developed in two phases with a cumulative capacity of 1,272 MW. Nam Ou 2 installed capacity: 120 MW Nam Ou 5 installed capacity: 240 MW Nam Ou 6 installed capacity: 180 MW Nam Ou 1 installed capacity: 180MW Nam Ou 3 installed capacity: 210MW Nam Ou 4 installed capacity: 132MW Nam Ou 7 installed capacity: 210MW

The Nam Ou River Cascade Hydropower Project is part of Laos’s bid to become the ‘battery of Southeast Asia’—a bet on rapid hydropower development as a way to generate much-needed income while also increasing electrification within the country. The cascade units are being developed in two phases with a cumulative capacity of 1,272 MW. Nam Ou 2 installed capacity: 120 MW Nam Ou 5 installed capacity: 240 MW Nam Ou 6 installed capacity: 180 MW Nam Ou 1 installed capacity: 180MW Nam Ou 3 installed capacity: 210MW Nam Ou 4 installed capacity: 132MW Nam Ou 7 installed capacity: 210MW

25-year build, operate and transfer (BOT) agreement

25-year build, operate and transfer (BOT) agreement The Nam Ou River Cascade Hydropower Project was initiated by Sinohydro but completed by PowerChina Resources Limited (PCR) after the companies merged. PCR, a subsidiary of Power Construction Corporation of China (PowerChina), developed the project through two subsidiaries: 1) Nam Ou River Basin Hydropower Company Limited (85% owned by PCR and 15% by Électricité du Laos). There are also other non-PowerChina Companies have been involved in the development of these dams, including: Toshiba Hydro Power Hangzhou, Multiconsult Group, Earth Systems Lao (ESL) and KKS Construction Building Company Limited (KKS)

Phase one of the project consisting of three units with a total installed capacity of 540MW was commissioned in January 2017. The construction work on phase two, which comprises of four units with a total installed capacity of 732MW, began in April 2016. The first unit of phase two was commissioned in December 2019, while the remaining units are expected to be commissioned by 2020.

The cascade includes two phases. Phase One consists of Nam Ou 2, 5, and 6 hydropower plants. Construction for Phase One formally began in December 2012 and it was fully operational by October 2016. Phase Two consists of Nam Ou 1, 3, 4, and 7 hydropower plants and became fully operational in September 2021. Phase one of the project consisting of three units with a total installed capacity of 540MW was commissioned in January 2017. The construction work on phase two, which comprises of four units with a total installed capacity of 732MW, began in April 2016. The first unit of phase two was commissioned in December 2019, while the remaining units are expected to be commissioned by 2020.

The Nam Ou Cascade Hydropower Project is a series of seven hydroelectric dams along the Nam Ou river which are located in the provinces of Phongsaly and Luang Prabang in northern Laos. The project is managed by the Power Construction Corporation of China (PowerChina) and the Lao government. The construction of the hydropower project is being completed in two phases. Phase I of the dams, including Nam Ou 2, Nam Ou 5, and Nam Ou 6 while Phase II include Nam Ou 1, 3, 4, and 7. The whole project is expected to be completed in 2020 but Phase 1 operations already began in 2017. Phase I is funded by China Development Bank. Phase II is funded by China Development Bank, China Exim Bank and China Construction Bank. The project is owned by Laos State Electricity Corporation, Electricite du Laos (EDL). It is being developed by a joint venture of EDL (20%) and Sinohydro (80%), a subsidiary of Power China, under a 25-year build, operate and transfer (BOT) agreement signed in April 2011

The Nam Ou Cascade Hydropower Project is a series of seven hydroelectric dams along the Nam Ou river which are located in the provinces of Phongsaly and Luang Prabang in northern Laos. The project is managed by the Power Construction Corporation of China (PowerChina) and the Lao government. The construction of the hydropower project is being completed in two phases. Phase I of the dams, including Nam Ou 2, Nam Ou 5, and Nam Ou 6 while Phase II include Nam Ou 1, 3, 4, and 7. The whole project is expected to be completed in 2020 but Phase 1 operations already began in 2017. Phase I is funded by China Development Bank. Phase II is funded by China Development Bank, China Exim Bank and China Construction Bank. The project is owned by Laos State Electricity Corporation, Electricite du Laos (EDL). It is being developed by a joint venture of EDL (20%) and Sinohydro (80%), a subsidiary of Power China, under a 25-year build, operate and transfer (BOT) agreement signed in April 2011

According to the plan for the Nam Ou River project, 28 immigrant villages have been built for resettlement of more than 2,300 households, involving more than 12,600 people. Nam Ou 6 alone requires the resettlement of 2,500 people in eight villages while Nam Ou 2 Cascade has the largest resettlement impact and displaced 2,297 households from 25 villages.

According to the plan for the Nam Ou River project, 28 immigrant villages have been built for resettlement of more than 2,300 households, involving more than 12,600 people. Nam Ou 6 alone requires the resettlement of 2,500 people in eight villages while Nam Ou 2 Cascade has the largest resettlement impact and displaced 2,297 households from 25 villages In interviews conducted at the cascade by International Rivers with PowerChina Resources, the company said the project had caused the relocation of approximately 9,748 people from 127 villages. This has also undermined the existing livelihoods of tens of thousands more villagers within the basin according to cumulative impact assessment reports.

Environmental Degradation: The Cumulative Impact Assessment for the Nam Ou Cascade is not publicly available and suggests that the Nam Ou Cascade will significantly alter flows reaching the Mekong confluence, trap 70 percent of sediment which is usually transported into the Mekong River and reduce fish biodiversity by 66%. Other: flooding, community divide “When they closed the dam gates on 21 November, many families brought fishing nets here with high hopes, but only a few caught anything. Today, we can only find small fish,” said Muansy quietly. “When the fish disappeared, the local ferry was abandoned and we began to experience the opposite of the prosperity we had been promised.”

Environmental Degradation: The Cumulative Impact Assessment for the Nam Ou Cascade is not publicly available and suggests that the Nam Ou Cascade will significantly alter flows reaching the Mekong confluence, trap 70 percent of sediment which is usually transported into the Mekong River and reduce fish biodiversity by 66%. While CIA is never available publicly, there is a short presentation about the CIA of Nam Ou hydropower cascade available on IFC’s website (the presentation made in 2016). The IFC’s Basin Profile predicts the disappearance of critically endangered and endangered species due to construction of the dams. Other: flooding, community divide “When they closed the dam gates on 21 November, many families brought fishing nets here with high hopes, but only a few caught anything. Today, we can only find small fish,” said Muansy quietly. “When the fish disappeared, the local ferry was abandoned and we began to experience the opposite of the prosperity we had been promised.”