Nam Kong 1 Dam Hydropower Info - by Hobo Maps - Go to Hydropower Projects Page - - - HOME

Nam Kong 1 Dam is on the Nam Kong (river) in Phouvong District, Attapeu Province, southern Lao PDR near the border with Cambodia.

Nam Kong 1 Dam & Reservoir images below:

China Three Gorges Corporation is the owner of the US $335.8 million project. Shareholders are China International Water & Electric Corp., with 65 percent, Electricite du Laos (EDL) with 20 percent and Lao-owned Investment and Hydro Power Consultant Sole Co., Ltd. with 15 percent.

Prior to year 2007, Russian Region Oil Co. Ltd. had permission to develop the Nam Kong 1 project but that was cancelled and between 2007 & 2017 there was a period of inactivity before China Three Gorges Corporation started construction as the new developer. Website postings of info prior to 2007 are not reliable and confusing.

There are two other hydropower plants on the Nam Kong river - Nam Kong 2 & 3 and all three locations are shown in the satellite image below.

Nam Kong 1 Dam hydropower project was completed and went online in late 2021.

The Nam Kong 1 hydropower plant has an underground powerhouse with a tunnel about 3,100 meters long leading to the entrance.

The project has an 80-meter-high dam and a reservoir expected to flood 21.8 sq km of land and extend for 30 km behind the dam creating a long deep reservoir.

The Project catchment area is 1,250 square kilometers. The reservoir full supply level surface is 320 meters above mean sea level with low supply level at 287 meters above mean sea level. Reservoir capacity is 579 million cubic meters while active storage is 505 million cubic meters.

The gross head of the project is 190 meters. The penstock length is 600 meters with a diameter of 5.8 meters.

The project installed capacity is 160 MW from two turbine-generator sets with 633 GWh annual capacity. The power generated is planned to be sold to Vietnam.

China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG) was a project developer and its subsidiary China International Water & Electric (CWE) was selected to render engineering procurement construction services for the project.

Nam Kong 1 dam site coordinates are - 14°32'47.6"N 106°44'27.7"E (14.546556, 106.741028). The underground powerhouse in the image below is at 14°34'26.8"N 106°44'10.3"E (14.574111, 106.736194) while the discharge location is - 14°34'58.0"N 106°44'02.1"E (14.582778, 106.733917).

Nam Kong 1 construction site area image below:

Nam Kong 1 secondary dam image below:

Nam Kong 1 controls image below:

Nam Kong 1 generator image below:

Nam Kong 1 apparatus image below:

Nam Kong 1 tunnel construction image below:

Nam Kong 1 intake structures image below:

Nam Kong 1 statistics below:

Normal reservoir operating surface level elevation is estimated at 306 meters above sea level.

Nam Kong 1 Dam is located at lower area of map below:

Nam Kong 1 Reservoir is shown below:

Prior Developer of Nam Kong 1 - Russian Region Oil Co.

Project History: In 2003, the Lao National Committee for Energy reported that Nam Kong 1 was only marginally viable but that the project was attractive because no resettlement was expected.

In December 2005, Russian Region Oil Co. Ltd. signed an MoU with the Government of Laos (GoL) to conduct an 18-month feasibility study on the Nam Kong 1 and 3 Dams.

In October 2006, Russian Region Oil Co. Ltd. signed an MoU with the GoL to proceed with construction of the 240 MW Nam Kong 1 Dam.

Not sure what happened between 2006 & 2017 with Russian Region Oil Co. out of the project and replaced by China Three Gorges Corporation via its subsidiary China International Water & Electric Corp.

On October 31, 2017 China Three Gorges Corporation as new developer commenced construction.

On June 29, 2021 all of the projects generators were officially put into operation after its second power unit completed a 72-hour trial operation.

The project has been in safe operation since then.

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Power Transmission:

The transmission line project connecting Nam Kong 1, 2, 3 Hydropower Plant Cluster (Laos) to the Vietnamese power system was constructed in Ngoc Hoi district, Kon Tum province, Vietnam.

The project was expected to be completed and energized in 2023 but has been delayed. The switching substation includes ten 220kV bays, five feeder bays and one linking switching bay.

The transmission project is invested by Vietnam Electricity.

Maps below show 220 kV export transmission line routes to Vietnam.

Nearly all of the hydropower plants planned in southeastern Laos are expected to be synchronized with the south Vietnamese grid and day-to-day management of power generation and dispatch for many projects in Laos may be made by the offtake entity in Vietnam.