Thailand
Laos hydropower plant begins operation
A major hydropower plant built in Laos has started commercial operation.
With two power stations, the Nam Ngiep 1 plant generates about 1.6 billion kilowatt-hours of energy per year, Japanese utility Kansai Electric Power Co said on Friday.
Nam Ngiep 1 Power Co, the operator of the plant, will supply electricity from the main station to Thailand, while the other will provide power to the domestic market, both for 27 years, the statement said.
The plant is located about 150 kilometres northeast of the country’s capital, Vientiane. It has two dams on Nam Ngiep River, a tributary of the Mekong River, which flows through the border of Laos and Thailand.
Nam Ngiep 1 Power Co, a joint venture established in 2013, is owned 45% by a Kansai Electric subsidiary, 30% by EGAT International, a subsidiary of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, and 25% by Lao Holding State Enterprise, the Lao government’s wholly-owned investment vehicle, according to the Japanese utility.
The construction of the hydropower plant began in October 2014 with financing from Japan Bank for International Cooperation, the Asian Development Bank as well as seven other Japanese and Thai lenders.
Including the Lao facility, Kansai Electric operates 11 power generation plants in nine economies, mainly in Asia, and five projects in the pipeline, Kansai Electric said.
Source: https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/1746264/laos-hydropower-plant-begins-operation