Nam Theun 2 delivers first local electricity

The Nam Theun 2 Hydroelectric Project has made its first delivery of electricity for domestic use in Laos .

According to a press release from the Nam Theun 2 Power Company (NTPC), the project began delivering electricity for domestic use on August 6, 2009, when the first of two Pelton Unit turbines was successfully synchronised with the local substations of Electricité du Laos (EDL).

Engineers from the project and EDL watched the turbine produce 2 megawatts (MW) of power during the first test.

The electricity was transmitted to the EDL substation at Mahaxay and then on for consumption by local customers in Khammuan province. Further tests were conducted the following day, with delivery rising to full power.

The Nam Theun 2 Power Station houses two Pelton Units, each able to deliver 42 MW when running at full power output. The project operator, the NTPC, will supply 300 gigawatt hours of electricity per annum to EDL from next year.

This accounts for 5 percent of the project's output, with the remaining 95 percent to be exported to Thailand via a separate generation and delivery system.

According to the Director of EDL's Transmission and Substation Department Mr Khene Thepvongsa, this power is very important for Laos and for people in the project area.

“When the two Nam Theun 2 Pelton generators are available for full power delivery, Khammuan province will be able to stop importing electricity from Thailand ,” said Mr Khene.

The province currently imports 55-60 MW from across the Mekong .

Mr Khene said the team of EDL engineers were happy to be on hand to see the first domestic power come from Nam Theun 2. “The NT2 engineers were able to smooth some initial problems on the test and then proved to us that the unit can run at full capacity” he said.

EDL purchased this test energy from NTPC at a special low rate and hopes to start buying electricity regularly from September.

The second Pelton generating unit at the NT2 Power Station is expected to come on line in November 2009.

NTPC successfully tested its first export of power to Thailand in June.

NT2 is located in Khammuan province. The 1,070 MW project is the biggest power project in Laos and will generate around US$2 billion of revenue for the country during its first 25 years of operation. According to Nam Theun 2's website, construction began in the middle of 2005.

By Times Reporters
(Latest Update August 11, 2009)

Savannakhet residents access to electricity

(KPL) More than 200 households in Songkhon district, Savannakhet province have accessed to permanent electricity.
They live in five villages of Ban Nonekhamsong, Ban Khanthayath, Ban Nongphue, Ban Nongkong and Ban Noneborkeo.
The expansion of electricity network access to these villages, conducted by Electricite du Laos branch of Savannakhet province, commenced in 2007 and completed in recently this month.
The expansion work is over 1.7 billion kip in which 80 percent was granted Norath (International donor organization) and the rest was the World Bank.
Last week the Electricite du Laos branch of Savannakhet province held an official opening ceremony of electricity in these villages that draw a lot of senior officials in the province.

Laos plans to become battery of ASEAN by 2020

(KPL) Laos has a plan to transform itself to become the battery of ASEAN by 2020 and so rid itself of the status of least developed country.
"According to a government estimate it would be selling 7,000 megawatts of hydroelectric power to Thailand by 2015 and 5,000 megawatts to Vietnam by 2020", said Mr Saypaseuth Phopsoupha, Director of Energy Promotion and Development of the Ministry of Energy and Mines.
"The purpose of the production and sale of such a high volume of electricity is to earn millions of US dollars and put them into the coffer of the country," added Mr Saypaseuth.
He also said that the electricity would come from a slew of hydropower dams nationwide, like Nam Thuen 2,
This plan was reviewed at an annual meeting of Ministry of Energy and Mines in Luang Prabang province, last week.
Mr Saypaseuth said that if all the hydropower electricity development projects of the government came on stream and on schedule, the revenue they would generate would get the country out of the least developed country status by 2020.
Many hydropower projects were under the construction and feasibility studies were carried out on quite a few, such as Nam Ngum 2, Nam Lik 1-2 and Sekaman 3.
"Nam Thuen 2 is a good pilot project and it would come on stream at the end of the year," Mr Saypaseuth confirmed.
The Nam Lik 1-2 and Sekaman 3 hydropower construction projects would commence to generate electricity by 2010 and Nam Ngum 2 would be operational by 2011.

99.8 per cent of households in Vientiane access to electricity

(KPL) Over 120,000 households in 500 villages entire Vientiane Capital has been accessible to electricity.
While over 190 households are reported to be used solar cell, according to a report of Vientiane Energy and Mining Division.
Currently the installation of transmission lines work in Vientiane Capital was almost achieved. It counted for 99.8 per cent of households in Vientiane accessed to permanent electricity.
Only Vangma village in Sangthong district was staying in dark which the Energy and Mining Division confirmed that the transmission lines work to this area would be achieved by at the end of this year.
This work is one out of many development activities is strongly contributing to socio-economic development and poverty reduction programme.

Householders to pay more for electricity from 2009 to 2015

(KPL) Householders would be paying more money for domestic electrical consumption as the main electricity company, Electricite du Lao declared a 15 per cent increase for household electricity in 2009.
According to a tariff study report that was made public at a workshop on 19 May, the increase would be implemented some time this year.
The report further stated that the there would be a gradual annual increase in the price of electricity so that by the year 2015 it would hit the maximum price of 25 per cent.
EDL report said that the price increase would be adjusted to the cost of production, capital expenditure and distribution.
This report also argued that there is a need for price increases at different price levels for this year and the next two years: 10 percent for 2009, 17.3 per cent in 2010 and 16.4 percent in 2011.
Deputy Minister of Energy and Mines Mr Somboun Rasombath said that the rationale for higher electricity charges is closely related to the social and economic growth of Laos.
The EDL, he added, the provider of sustainable electricity service to the users gets cash from them, which would be channeled to the development of electrical infrastructure and to the building of networks to give electricity to rural areas.
He projected that the average annual rate of increase in the usage of electricity would be as high as 19.5 per cent till 2016 and this situation is exacerbated by high electrical demand in the industrial and mining sectors
The price increase for these two sectors, he said, would be six per cent in 2009, 15 per cent for 2010 and 10 per cent for the next two years, 2011 and 2012.
Regarding this year's increase, Mr Somboun said that an announcement would be made at the end of this year.