Nam Kong 3 Hydropower Info - by Hobo Maps - Go to Hydropower Projects Page - - - HOME
Nam Kong 3 Hydropower Project is in Phouvong District, Attapeau Province, southern Lao PDR on the Nam Kong (river) which is a branch of the Xekong (SeKong) (river) that eventually merges with the Mekong.
All three Nam Kong Hydropower project site locations are shown in the satellite image below.
Nam Kong 3 is near coordinates 14°34'22.8"N 106°54'32.4"E (14.573, 106.909).
Nam Kong 3 project layout images below.
Nam Kong 3 Powerhouse site image below under construction.
Nam Kong 3 Dam and Reservoir images below:
A memorandum of understanding for development of the Nam Kong 3 hydropower project was signed in 2009 between the government of Lao PDR and Hoang Anh Gai Lai Mineral Joint Stock Company of Vietnam.
There was a construction contract signed November 2017 for the project with China Gezhouba Group Co. as contractor.
There seemed to be problems with progress by the developer and in December 2019 Lao-based Chaleun Sekong Energy Co. Ltd. (CS Energy) fully bought up Hoang Anh Gia Lai Hydro Power JSC which was a subsidiary of Hoang Anh Gia Lai Group (HAGL) that was developing the Nam Kong 3 project.
CS Energy became the full owner and took over the project construction along with Poyry as the engineering services contractor.
China Gezhouba Group Co. remained as main contractor after the ownership change in 2019 and in November 2023 delivered the finished project to the new owner CS Energy. The project may have a COD date sometime in 2024.
Nam Kong 3 Hydro Power Project has a 60 meter high Roller-Compacted Concrete dam with a gated spillway and a river diversion bottom outlet in the dam structure.
The project benefits from head of 96 meters.
The surface powerhouse has three compact vertical axis Francis turbines of 18 MW each for a combined capacity of 54 MW. Annual output may reach 204 GWh.
Impounding of water in the reservoir began in November 2020.
Nam Kong 3 Hydropower Project dam is 65 meters high and 486 meters in length.
The reservoir has storage capacity of 471 million cubic meters while active capacity is 430 million cubic meters.
Nam Kong 3 hydropower project includes a dam, spillway, plunge pool, headrace tunnel, power house, tailrace channel, switchyard and a new 115 kV transmission line.
On Dec 2, 2018 Laos and Vietnam entered into an Agreement on the Cooperation and Investment (MOU) for the Nam Kong 2, Nam Kong 3, Nam Y Mun and Na An hydropower projects between Chaleun Sekong Company and Song Da 5 Joint Stock Company.
In early 2020, CS Energy entered into a Power Purchase Agreement with Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) for purchase and export of all power output from Nam Kong 3 to Vietnam. In May 2023 the transmission line to Vietnam was completed and energized.
Nam Kong 3 hatistics below
Normal reservoir operating surface level elevation is estimated at 528 meters above sea level.
Poyry Energy Limited was owner's engineer, China Ghezuba Group Company was civil contractor, Whessoe as hydro-mechanical contractor and ANDRITZ as the contractor for the entire electro-mechanical equipment.
The water intake structure for the headrace waterway is at a different location on the reservoir to minimize the length of the waterway. The intake consists of a headrace tunnel part concrete-lined and part steel-lined.
The Nam Kong 3 Project with its water storage management will also help the downriver Nam Kong 2 Hydropower Plant to increase its energy production by 30 percent.
CS Energy currently has a 27-year concession period for the project.
Nam Kong 3 Dam intake structure image below:
Nam Kong 3 Hydropower Project site images below:
Nam Kong 3 switchyard image below:
Nam Kong 3 reservoir images below:
Nam Kong 3 controls below:
Nam Kong 3 plant and turbine-generator set below:
Nam Kong 3 spiral case below:
The underground works on Nam Kong 3 include a diversion tunnel and a 470 meter long headrace tunnel.
Nam Kong 3 Dam is located at lower area of map below:
Nam Kong 2 and Nam Kong 3 hydropower joint substation map below at coordinates 14°31'47.7"N 106°51'53.2"E (14.529917, 106.864778).
Nam Kong 2 and Nam Kong 3 hydropower site locations below from older satellite image:
History of Nam Kong 3 Hydropower Project below from CS Energy website Nov. 2021:
Power Transmission:
The transmission line project connecting Nam Kong 1, 2, 3 Hydropower Plant Cluster (Laos) to the Vietnamese power system at Bo Y in Ngoc Hoi district, Kon Tum province, Vietnam was completed and energized in May 2023. The Bo Y switching substation includes ten 220 kV bays, five feeder bays and one linking switching bay.
The transmission line project on the Vietnam side is invested by Electricity of Vietnam (EVN). Not sure who constructed and financed the 220 kV transmission line on the Lao side but it could have been CS Energy.
Nam Kong 1 hydropower project was finished in June 2021.
Nam Kong 2 hydropower project was completed in 2018 and began selling power to Electricite du Lao (EDL) for domestic consumption at that time. In early 2020, CS Energy entered into a Power Purchase Agreement with Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) for sale and export of output from Nam Kong 2&3 power plants to Vietnam. This requires the EDL purchase contract to be terminated and replaced with the new export contract. Not sure exactly when the sale of output to EDL was terminated.
Nam Kong 3 was finished in November 2023.
In 2025 it seems that:
Nam Kong 1 sends its power output about 21 km via 220 kV line to Nam Kong 2&3 combined substation.
Nam Kong 2 sends its output about 7 km to Nam Kong 2&3 combined substation along 110 kV line.
Nam Kong 3 sends its output about 9 km to Nam Kong 2&3 combined substation.
Power from all 3 Nam Kong projects is sent from Nam Kong 2&3 combined substation about 86 km along 220 kV line to Bo Y substation about 6 km inside Vietnam near the Bo Y border gate.
The chart below shows power transmissions from Nam Kong 1,2&3 plants before the Nam Kong 2&3 combined substation was planned and needs to be adjusted.
