Lao People’s Democratic Republic moves towards sustainable energy production

To reverse the effects of climate change before the point of no return, continuing to derive energy from non-renewable resources is not a viable option. Countries around the globe are heeding the warning by replacing greenhouse gas-emitting energy sources with sustainable alternatives. International company CS Energy Company Limited (CSE), energy sector leader in Laos,  has recently embarked on a green energy initiative in Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR): the Nam Phak hydropower plant.

Cross-border collaboration for a sustainable future

Tractebel’s teams from Thailand, France and Tractebel company Hidro Dizayn in Turkey are collaborating to bring clean energy production to Lao PDR. On behalf of the client, we will oversee the procurement and construction phases of the Nam Phak hydropower plant. CSE chose Tractebel due to the solid reputation we earned while working alongside the client on past projects and the technical and commercial merits of our proposal.

The Nam Phak site, located on the Bolaven Plateau in Lao PDR’s southern region, takes advantage of the area’s existing topography: runoff from streams on the plateau will be diverted through conveyance tunnels and channels to an upper reservoir. The water will be released through an 8 MW power plant to generate electricity before flowing into a lower reservoir. From there, the water will be discharged through a headrace tunnel and penstock conduit to the larger 120 MW power plant located at the base of the plateau escarpment, using the 700m drop in elevation to produce electricity.

The project began in March 2021 and is scheduled for completion in September 2024.

Good for the environment, good for society

Once operational, the Nam Phak plant will replace up to 586 GW per year of electricity produced from combined cycle natural gas power plants in the region. Not only will the project produce a substantial amount of clean energy, it is also part of the strategy to become the “Battery of Asia,” the Government of Lao PDR’s initiative to sustain economic growth and alleviate poverty.

In parallel with implementing the Nam Phak hydropower project, CSE is performing studies to boost clean energy production even further by equipping the reservoirs with floating solar power plants.

“Tractebel is proud to contribute to this important sustainable development project in Lao PDR. Not only does the Nam Phak project deepen our global footprint as hydropower experts, but more importantly, it gives us the opportunity to be a part of an initiative to sustain economic growth in the country and enhance quality of life in rural areas. Creating clean energy to benefit the environment and the community is an ideal way to drive our purpose of engineering a carbon-neutral future.”   Pratoomkhuan SARITANON, Vice President Water, Tractebel in Thailand