Dams and reservoirs in Laos are the cornerstone of the Lao government's goal of becoming the "battery of Asia".

Hydroelectric power is a significant resource in Laos, with an estimated technically exploitable capacity of 18,000 megawatts (MW). In fiscal year September 2013–October 2014, Lao hydro power plants generated almost 15.5 billion kWh. Of this amount, nearly 12.5 billion kWh was exported, earning the country over US$610 million.

thumb|250px|right|A section of the Theun-Hinboun Dam © Laurence McGrath, 2005

By November 2014, just over 3,240 MW of the country’s hydro power potential had been commissioned. The initial project featured a relatively small dam and reservoir, transferring water from the Theun River to the neighbouring (and lower) Hinboun River by tunnel, producing 220 MW. Theun-Hinboun provided substantial economic benefits to Laos through energy sales to neighboring Thailand at a time when the country had few exports, and its success encouraged other international investments in the country, including the Theun-Hinboun Expansion Project. This project added another 220 MW turbine at the Theun-Hinboun powerhouse and also built a 60 MW powerhouse on the Gnouang River, a tributary of the Theun River. The water for this expanded power generation is supplied by a new 105 km<sup>2</sup> reservoir on the Gnouang River, created by construction of the 65 m high Nam Gnouang Dam.

In 2012 construction began on the 1,285 MW Xayaboury hydroelectricity power plant, the first dam to be built in Laos on the mainstream of the Mekong River. The plant is scheduled to begin operations in 2019 and will be the biggest hydro power station in the country. Its dam is to be 32.6 m tall, stretching 820 m across the Mekong. The project is designed to be run-of-the river and as such will not create a large reservoir. However, both the Xayaboury and Don Sahong Dams have attracted international attention due to the trans-boundary effects of the Mekong River on people and the environment downstream in Cambodia and Vietnam. The governments of both countries have challenged Laos to justify the construction of the projects through the Mekong River Commission.

Construction of a 290 MW project that will build two dams and two reservoirs on the Ngiep River in Bolikhamsai Province began in October 2014. The Nam Ngiep 1 hydropower plant, scheduled to begin operations in January 2019, will be the second project on the Ngiep River. An additional 21 dam projects in Laos have been granted power development agreements by the Lao government, which expects to open two new power plants in the country every year from 2012–2022. An additional 31 projects are in planning stages.

The controversy of dam building mirrors that concerning globalization. Proponents argue that the dams provide a sustainable source of foreign currency vital for economic growth, achieved primarily by selling electricity to neighbouring Thailand. Opponents argue that local people who suffer upheaval never get properly compensated, that flooding and water diversion adversely affect the environment, and that projects can end up less profitable than expected due to silting and/or market changes.

Dam collapse

In July 2018, Saddle Dam D, one of the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy (PNPC) hydroelectric power project dams, collapsed. At least twenty-seven people were confirmed killed with many more of the missing feared dead.

References

  • EDL-Generation: Nam Ngum 1 Hydro Power Plant
  • Poyry Consulting & Engineering: Nam Ngum 2 Hydroelectric Power Project, Lao PDR
  • Theun-Hinboun Power Company (THPC)
  • Nam Ngiep 1 Power Company