By Phetsamone

(KPL) The construction of the Pak Beng Hydropower Project is expected to begin in early 2017, according to a senior official.

The Pak Beng Hydropower Project is located in the upper reaches of the Mekong River in Pak Beng district, Oudomxay Province. It is one of the five mainstream Mekong projects in the northern territory of Laos, the Deputy Minister of Energy and Mining, Mr Viraphon Viravong said yesterday.

It is a run-of-river project and is approximately 14-km upstream from the district centre. The total capacity will be 912 MW with average annual generation of 4.775 GWh, said the Director General of the Energy Policy and Planning Department, Mr Daovong Phonekeo.

“The purpose of this project is to utilise the great hydropower resources that Laos has been blessed with in order to produce power for domestic supply and export,” Mr Daovong said yesterday in Vientiane Capital during a meeting with editors from National Television, Pasaxon, the Vientiane Times, the Lao News Agency and relevant sectors.

Construction is expected to be complete by 2023 with commercial operations beginning in early 2024.

Revenues generated by this project will strengthen national budget and contribute to national development with the ultimate aim being to graduate from Least Developed Country status.

Moreover, it will provide a strong impetus for immediate and long-term industrialisation and modernization.

The Pak Beng Hydropower Project is located on the Mekong, so it will adhere to the principle of the 1995 Mekong Agreement, especially the process of prior consultation, which will require at least six months before decisions can finalized on development, Mr Viraphon said.

KPL