Khammany Inthirath, the Minister of Energy and Mines of Laos, paid a visit to the Nam Ou River Cascade Hydropower Project on July 19, as the critical period of COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control and the main flood season in Laos both begin to wane.
The project is being undertaken by POWERCHINA.
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The Minister of Energy and Mines of Laos Khammany Inthirath and representatives of POWERCHINA at a meeting. [Photo/POWERCHINA] |
At present, the hydraulic facilities of operating power plants are safe and reliable, with maintenance of power generation equipment in place and completed automatic hydrological measurement and reporting system patrol inspections underway.
Minister Khammany praised the project's significant contribution to solving the energy shortage in Laos, as a key project in the construction of the Belt and Road.
“The positive practices of POWERCHINA in project quality control, dam safety management, flood control, and joint reservoir dispatching are impressive. Under the circumstances of the many unfavorable factors affected by the epidemic, POWERCHINA can still guarantee the quality and quantity and complete the construction on time. It is a very reliable Chinese enterprise," said Khammany.
With regard to issues like the project's current restrictions on electricity consumption, delays in electricity payment and payment currency, commissioning of the second-phase power plant units, and entry of personnel and equipment during the epidemic prevention and control period, Khammany said that he would report to the higher authorities as soon as possible.
The total installed capacity of the project reaches 1.27 million kilowatts, accounting for 20 percent of the total installed capacity in Laos.
The Nam Ou 1, 2, 5 and 6 plants that have been put into operation are continuously delivering high-quality and stable clean energy to the Laos power grid, with cumulative power generation of over 5 billion kilowatt hours. The average annual power generation accounts for 13 percent of Laos' domestic electricity demand.
The remaining Nam Ou 3, 4, and 7 plants are planned to be put into operation successively this year and next.
