Nam Ou River hydropower project in Laos starts 2nd phase operation
By Sun Guangyong
People's Daily app
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出席仪式嘉宾共同启动发光球,见证南欧江二期工程实现首机发电.jpg

(Photo: Sun Guangyong/People's Daily)

Luang Prabang (People's Daily) - A ceremony to start the first power generation unit of Nam Ou River Cascade Hydropower Project's second phase was held on Thursday, in Luang Prabang, Laos.

Lao Minister of Energy and Mines Khammany Inthirath and Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong pressed a crystal ball button at the ceremony, thus jointly launching the power generation of the second phase's first unit, on the largest tributary of the Mekong River in Laos.

The Nam Ou River Cascade Hydropower Project, developed by Power Construction Corporation of China (PowerChina) under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative. This is also the first Chinese company-run project to win the development rights of a whole river basin in the country, is highly valued by the Chinese and Lao governments and people.

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(File photo: Power Construction Corporation of China)

The operation of the second phase's first unit indicates that the construction of the project has reached a new level, marking the delivery of high-quality clean power for Laos' socio-economic development and injecting new momentum into the development of China-Laos comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.

The project is developed in two phases, with a total installed capacity of 1.272 million kilowatts and an average annual generating capacity of about 5.064 billion kilowatt-hours. When completed, it can guarantee 12 percent of the electricity supply in Laos.

Minister Khammany pointed out that the project is an important livelihood project in northern Laos, which will help improve local production conditions, address local issues of power supply and poverty alleviation, and bring more investment.

The minister said the project has strategic significance in the country's energy industry, and is a green, environment-friendly and sustainable development project, which will bring a large amount of high-quality and sustainable power to Laos.