Nam Ou hydropower project in Laos generates 10 bln kWh

VIENTIANE -- The Nam Ou River Cascade Hydropower Project developed by the Power Construction Corporation of China (PowerChina) has generated over 10 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity.

A project manager said at an event on Wednesday that as of Tuesday the total electricity generated by the seven cascade hydropower stations along the Mekong tributary has exceeded 10 billion kWh.

The event was held in PowerChina's Nam Ou River cascade hydropower operation and maintenance center in Luang Prabang, some 220 km north of the Lao capital Vientiane.

Li Zhigong, Chinese consul general in Luang Prabang, said that the Nam Ou Cascade Hydropower Project is a successful case of PowerChina, giving full play to its own advantages and participating in the cause of the Belt and Road Initiative with high quality.

The Nam Ou project includes seven cascade hydropower plants along the Nam Ou river which is the largest tributary of the Mekong river in Laos. The project has a total installed capacity of 1.272 million kilowatts and an average annual generating capacity of 5 billion kilowatt-hours.

On the same day, the Association of the Chinese Power Generation Enterprises in Laos was unveiled at the operation and maintenance center in Luang Prabang.

The association is composed of 13 Chinese power generation enterprises, which have invested in the construction of 18 hydropower stations in Laos, with a total installed capacity of 2,256 MW in operation, accounting for 49.7 percent of the installed capacity of the Lao national power grid.