Nam Bi Dams Hydropower Info by Hobo Maps - Go to Hydropower Projects Page - - - HOME

The Nam Bi hydropower plant is planned to be a three-dam cascade hydropower project located near Bron Mai (Brong Yai?) village, Dak Cheung District, Sekong Province in southern Lao PDR.

The project is a cascade of three run-of-the-river hydroelectric power plants on the Nam Bi river.

The satellite images below show the three Nam Bi locations not far from the Vietnam border.

Two dams would be concrete gravity type while one is planned as an earth-fill dam (heights - 37.6 meters, 55 meters and 35.5 meters).

Nam Bi 1 is planned for 50 MW (maybe 52) capacity and 210 GWh annual output with location at coordinates - 15°14'00.7"N 107°30'09.5"E (15.233538, 107.502640)

Nam Bi 2 is planned for 68 MW (maybe 71) capacity and 288 GWh (maybe 292) annual output with location at coordinates - 15°12'19.7"N 107°31'57.6"E (15.205481, 107.532661)

Nam Bi 3 is planned for 12 MW capacity and 51 GWh annual output with location at coordinates - 15°11'32.7"N 107°30'06.7"E (15.192403, 107.501854)

The project includes the construction of dams, powerhouses, substations, penstocks, transformers, generators, turbines, control gates and transmission lines. The project is to operate through public-private-partnership under a 25 or 30 year build-operate-transfer concession period.

Initial project owner was Nam Bi Power Company Ltd., a joint venture between EDL-Generation Public Company (EDL-Gen) (80%) and Chanthavone Bridge, Road Construction and Maintenance Company Ltd (20%).

In 2014, EDL-Gen signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Chanthavone Bridge, Road Construction and Maintenance Company Ltd and Hydrochina Chengdu Engineering Corporation to develop the project.

On November 18, 2015, an official engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract was signed between Nam Bi Power Company Ltd. and Hydrochina Chengdu Engineering Corporation. Pre-construction works were reportedly started.

The project was to have a cost of about US$ 272 million and a combined capacity of 135 MW with ability to generate 554 GWh annually for sale to Electricite du Laos (EDL) and for export.

Not sure what happened but construction never seemed to progress under this agreement and from 2016 to August 2022 the project remained uncertain.

In early August 2022, a technical team from the provincial and district levels coordinated with village organizations to survey and measure the boundaries of the land area that the project will use permanently.

On November 1, 2022 a ceremony of handing over the land title for the Nam Bi 1, 2, 3 hydroelectric project was held at the Department of Natural Resources and Environment in Sekong Province which officially gave the land title to Nam Bi Power Company Limited for 13 plots of land covering an area of over 98 hectares (approximately 613 rai).

It seems that all is clear for construction to begin in year 2023.

Construction cost is estimated at 276 million US dollars.

Power China Chengdu Engineering Co., Ltd. received a construction concession.

In year 2024 EDL GEN seems to remain as the majority owner while looking for other investors.

The initial 135 MW combined capacity may have been scaled down to 130 MW capacity.

The original design was for 3 powerhouses. Each was to contain two horizontal Francis turbine-generator sets with design heads of 196.8 meters, 348.3 meters and 110.1 meters.

Nam Bi 1,2 &3 project conceptual images below:

Nam Bi Power Co. Ltd. corporate offices seem to be in Dak Chung town at coordinates - 15°27'56.0"N 107°16'05.6"E (15.465556, 107.268222).

Nam Bi hydropower project location shown at right side of map below:

Nearly all the hydropower projects in southern Laos intend to sell their output to Vietnam and we suspect the Nam Bi projects will follow that trend, especially since they are not far from existing high voltage transmission lines such as at XeKaman 1 or Xekaman 3.