Construction of the Nam Ou 2 dam in Luang Prabang province could begin next year following reviews of the environmental and social impact assessments.
A national consultation workshop on the environmental and social impact assessments of the dam was held in Vientiane last week, attended by government representatives, provincial authorities and members of the public whose lives are likely to be impacted by the project.
The dam is planned at a location 53km from the mouth of the Nam Ou river, spanning the two districts of Ngoy and Nambak and measuring 49m in height and 300m in length.
The proposed plant would have a capacity of 120MW and would be able to produce 546 KWh of electricity per year. The site will span 16 square km with construction costs estimated at US$15.6 million, according to a government report.
The project is expected to benefit people in the northern provinces by supplying electricity to households and for further development.
The government has agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Sinohydro Corporation to study the possibility of seven dams on the Nam Ou river. The project has commissioned Earth Systems Lao to carry out a feasibility study and make environmental and social impact assessments.
At present, Sinohydro Corporation plans to build only three dams, the Nam Ou 2 in Luang Prabang province and the Nam Ou 5 and 6 in Phongsaly province, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Mr Sisavath Vithaxay told the workshop.
The government has signed an MOU to supply 7,000MW of electricity to Thailand after 2015 and 5,000MW to Vietnam by 2020, he said.
To reach these targets, Laos needs 30 small, medium and large hydropower plants, he added.
The government has also signed an agreement to sell 20MW of electricity to Stung Treng province in Cambodia.
The government has promised it will use the income earned from the sale of electricity to develop the economy and alleviate poverty.
The first benefits for Lao people will be improvements in health, education, social services, transport, and water and electricity supply.
“As we are aware, the energy sector, particularly hydropower, has contributed to socio-economic deve-lopment and through this workshop I hope we can overcome any environmental and social problems so that the project can go ahead and run smoothly,” Mr Sisavath said.
