Sinohydro Nam Khan II & III HPP

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Sinohydro was planning the development of the 126 MW Nam Kan 2 and the 47 MW Nam Khan 3 hydropower plants, and a 230kV Hin Heup to Luangprabang Transmission Line Project of 164 kilometer. The MOU was signed October 2006 and expired April 2008. In August 2009 Sinohydro and EDL signed a contract to build the two plants. Nam Khan 2 was expected to generate 556 million kWh annually, and Nam Khan 3 222 million kWh annually. The contracts for the three projects were signed between Sinohydro and EDL on August 11th 2009. On February 9th 2012 another MOU was signed between Sinohydro and EDL regarding the Nam Khan 3 project. Nam Khan 3 capacity was reported as 60 MW, producing 241 million kWh annually and commissioning was expected for 2016, after 3.5 years of construction. Construction for the Nam Khan 2 started in December 2011. The generated electricity was to be sold to EDL. Expected investment costs were $559 million, of which $129 million was for the transmission line and $430 million for the two hydropower plants. Nam Khan 2 was valued at KIP 2.4 trillion ($308 million), of which 95% was financed via a loan from Exim Bank of China (tenor of 15 years) - the remainder was financed by EDL (5%). In February 2012, it was announced that the Lao government was to invest 1 trillion kip ($127 million) in the project via a low interest loan from Exim Bank of China. EDL was to hold 15% of the shares. http://eng.sinohydro.com/en/idems/newsShow.asp?ArticleID=146&ClassID=2 http://damsandalternatives.blogspot.com/2012/02/laos-nam-ou-hydropower-projects-to.html http://indochinapowersector.wordpress.com/category/nam-khan-2-hydropower-project/ http://laovoices.com/khan-river-to-be-dammed-in-luang-prabang/ Laos, Nam Ou: Hydropower projects to light up northern provinces Laos, Nam Ou: Hydropower projects to light up northern provinces February 9, 2012 Vientiane Times Electricite du Laos (EDL) and Sinohydro Corporation Ltd of China yesterday signed a contract and memorandum of understanding (MOU) on four hydropower development projects in two northern provinces. Among the documents signed were an engineering procurement and construction contract for the Nam Khan 3 hydropower project in Luang Prabang province, and a tariff MOU for the Nam Ou 2, 5 and 6 hydropower projects in Phongsaly and Luang Prabang provinces. The signing was witnessed by Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad, Chinese Ambassador to Laos Ms Bu Jianguo, energy developers, and officials from various ministries. The Nam Khan 3 dam, located in Xiengngeun district, will have an installed capacity of 60MW and will be able to generate 241 million kWH of electricity per year, according to a press release provided at the signing ceremony. The dam will take about 3.5 years to build, with developers expecting it to be fully operational in 2016, the press release noted. "The Lao government will invest about 1 trillion kip (US$127 million) in the project through a low interest loan from the Exim Bank of China," EDL representative Mr Komonchanh Phet-asa said, adding that the project will provide farmers in Luang Prabang with more access to water for irrigation. Nam Ou projects 2, 5 and 6 will have a combined installed capacity of 540MW and will be able to generate 2,092 million kWH of energy per year. "The energy generated from the three power plants will be sold to EDL starting in 2018," Mr Komonchanh said, explaining that negotiations regarding a power purchase agreement will take place in the future. He said the electricity generated will mainly supply the northern provinces and the high speed Laos-China railway project, while the rest will supply the central and southern provinces. "The three projects are expected to require investment of about 8 trillion kip (US$1,000 million) and EDL will hold 15 percent of shares," Mr Komonchanh said. Investment in hydropower projects in the northern provinces is growing rapidly, which is helping the government to meet its plan to supply mains power to over 90 percent of families in the area by 2020. Construction of three new projects officially began in December, namely the Nam Long project in Luang Namtha province, the Nam Ngiep 2 project in Xieng Khuang province and the Nam Khan 2 project in Luang Prabang province, with many more set to be built soon. "Only 65 percent of families in the northern provinces currently have access to electricity," Deputy Minister of Energy and Mines Mr Khammany Inthirath said recently. "About 802,400 families living in 5,934 villages in 139 districts nationwide have access to electricity, which represents 76.9 percent of the total households in the country." "By 2015 we want to increase the number of households with access to electricity to about 85 percent. We hope we can increase this number to more than 90 percent by 2020." http://indochinapowersector.wordpress.com/category/nam-khan-2-hydropower-project/ http://indochinapowersector.wordpress.com/category/nam-khan-2-hydropower-project/