Xekaman 3 Hydropower Plant

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Song Da Corporation was planning the development of the 250 MW Xekaman 3 hydropower project, along the Nam Pagnou River, part of the Xekaman River, in the South of Laos. The project was expected to generate 977.5 GWh annually and was to consist of a storage reservoir, tunnel, penstock and powerhouse. Xekaman 3 Power Company Limited, the project company, was a joint venture between the Lao government (15%) and Song Da Corporation, which will be responsible for the operations over the project lifespan. Construction of the project started with the award of the concession agreement in April 2006, and was initially expected for commissioning in 2009, but later expected to be completed in April 2012. The project holds two vertical shaft Francis turbines. Expected operating hours per year was 3,910 hours. Turbines were to be produced by Va Tech Hydro GmbH, as well as the generators. The output was to be delivered to the Vietnameze and Laos national grid and was to be connected to the Vietnameze grid via a 92 km 230 kV transmission line. Project life was expected to be 29 years. 25 MW of the project was to be used for the Laos market and the remaining capacity was to supply Electricity of Vietnam (EVN). In 2011, the project was reported as 96.18% completed by the Laos government. Commissioning was expected for late-2011. Construction started in 2006. Total investment was expected at VND 3,863,429 million ($182.4 million), though the Saigon Times reports a more realistic total cost of $310 million. Initial cost estimates were made at VND 2.4 trillion, which was raised to VND 2.7 trillion. Financial close was reached in April 2006. http://cdm.unfccc.int/filestorage/7/N/K/7NKIHW6G2L9D83U0CSVA1OXRP5TZ4B/PDD.pdf?t=aER8bHlva3R0fDAinHlF7gcWkD-AKdwbY8pJ http://www.poweringprogress.org/download/News/news_criping/Lao%20Media/Vientiane%20Times/2008/august/VientianeTimes_14thAug2008_Xekhaman3_construction_costs_rise.pdf http://www.mtnforum.org/sites/default/files/pub/6229.pdf Total investment inconclusive - entered $310 million here as other amounts (2.7 trillion VND) don't seem realistic.