A 2.7 MW Saloung dam feasibility study being conducted

 

 (KPL) Governor of Saravane province had made a decision on studying the development of small hydropower plant on the Houaysaloung river proposed by the P&P Road and Bridge Construction Company.

Following the decision, an agreement on the feasibility study was signed in the province on May 15 between Director of the Provincial Planning and Investment Service of Saravane, Mr. Sayadath Vongsalavanh, and Director of the P&P Road and Bridge Construction Company, Mr. Bounthit Phaichit and Head of the Provincial Energy and Mines Service of Saravane, Mr. Bounma Keo-onsa.

The signing was witnessed by local authorities and officials of relevant parties.

THE proposed project is the development of a small scale hydropower dam with an installed generation capacity of 2.7 mw on the Saloung dam at Tamong village, Ta-oy district, Saravane province. 

By Soulaphone Kanyaphim 

http://www.kplnet.net/english/news/edn10.htm

10 people die during Huaphan spirit relocation

Ten people died in Xamneua district, Huaphan province, last week, after attending a ceremony to relocate the spirits of their former village to their new dwelling place.

The incident occurred on the evening of May 12. Natang villagers had gone together to conduct the spirit relocation ceremony when tragedy struck, according to a report received from the provincial authorities yesterday.
After the ceremony they went back to their village but as they walked along a hillside path, one of their party, Mr Amphone, stumbled and rolled down the mountain to his death.
The village security guard Mr Singphone ran to fetch a gun from his house and fired it into the sky to inform the other villagers that something grave had happened.
Unfortunately the gunfire brought down the 22kV electricity cable overhead, causing it to hit the ground where a group of villagers was standing. Another nine people, eight of them children, were killed after being electrocuted, including the owner of the gun.
The nine people who died were Mr Singphone, 42, his son Boun aged 16, Ms Pheng aged 14; Ms Chan aged 7, Mr Manh aged 9, Ms Bong aged 13, Ms Van aged 9, Mr Chan aged 17, and Ms Vone aged 15. They were all from Natang village.
Director of the Huaphan provincial Department of Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr Khamla Bounmixay, told Vientiane Times yesterday these people moved to the new village about 2 or 3 years ago so they could be closer to the main road, but they had yet to organise a ceremony to relocate the spirits of their former village.
He explained that according to local custom, when anything bad happened the villagers would fire guns into the sky to inform others, who would then come running.
“The village security guard Mr Singphone died after trying to pull the live cable away, but it electrocuted him as well,” Mr Khamla said.
“This is the worst incident of its kind in the province. We've had electrocutions before but on those occasions only one or two people were killed.”
Mr Khamla said electricity was installed in the village a year ago as part of efforts to improve people's living conditions.

By Times Reporters
(Latest Update May 16, 2012)

http://www.vientianetimes.org.la/FreeContent/FreeConten_10%20people.htm

Hot weather sees energy usage soar

Electricity consumption in Vientiane reached a record high in March after several days of high temperatures in the city.
A peak load of 216.7MW was recorded on March 19 when the maximum temperature that day was 34.2C.

Workers load a new aircon unit for delivery to a customer.

“The reason for the high load was the greater use of electrical equipment, especially fans and air conditioners,” said Deputy Director General of Electricite du Laos for the Vientiane Region, Mr Soukhonh Chanthone.
Temperatures rose to 35.8C on March 23, and then to 38.2C on April 25.
One major retailer of air conditioners said workers were installing about four 4,800 BTU air conditioners every day. Last year, some 20 large retailers and other small businesses installed an estimated 45,000 air conditioners in Vientiane.
The heat has also resulted in a higher demand for ice. Some ice makers have installed more refrigeration units and are running them for longer to keep pace with demand. Many factories and offices have also installed water coolers for their staff which has also added to the load.
The peak load this year was up 6.28 percent on the same month in 2011 when it peaked at 203.9MW on March 21.
Mr Soukhonh said that at times of peak consumption, power generation was sometimes unable to meet demand. This resulted in insufficient or low voltage, or even an overload and a temporary power outage.
The electricity authorities have assigned extra maintenance teams to stand by to quickly respond in these situations. These measures were implemented early last month and are expected to continue until the end of next month when cooler weather is expected to arrive.
As high temperatures drive up electricity usage, Mr Soukhonh called on members of the public to be on the alert for danger. Consumers should regularly check their electrical equipment and make sure it is in safe working order.
He also advised minimising the use of electricity as much as possible to save energy and avoid hazardous consequences.
 


By Somxay Sengdara
(Latest Update May 7 , 2012)
http://www.vientianetimes.org.la/FreeContent/FreeConten_Hot.htm