Nam Ma Cascade Hydropower Info by Hobo Maps - Go to Hydropower Projects Page - - - HOME

Nam Ma Cascade is also called Nam Nha Hydropower by some sources since parts of the project are in the Nam Nha National Protection Forest.

The Nam Ma Cascade hydropower project is proposed as seven new dams to be located in Houaphan Province of Lao PDR. The project would have a combined capacity of 238 megawatts (MW) with annual output of about 1,000 GWh planned to be exported and sold to Electricity of Vietnam (EVN).

We don't have precise locations for the project facillities yet but the seven dams would probably be spread out along the Nam Ma river as seen in the satellite image below. Laos National Road 6A follows along beside the Nam Mo river all the way from Sop Bao town to the Vietnam border as seen in image below.

The hydropower cascade development is persuant to the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the governments of Laos and Vietnam on 9 August 2021 designed to enhance bilateral energy cooperation and cross-border electricity trade.

The Nam Ma cascade hydropower project is invested and developed by Nam Ma 1 Power Co., Ltd. (a member of Lao-based Phongsubthavy Group).

The website of Duangchalern Development Construction Group Sole Co., Ltd. (DDC) lists them as being involved with the Nam Ma 1 to 7 hydropower project.

On the morning of 9 June 2026 in Vientiane, the Department of Environment (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment of Laos) in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Houaphanh province and Nam Ma 1 Power Co., Ltd. held a key consultation conference for the project. The same day, Nam Nha 1 Company Limited held a central-level public consultation to review the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report for a proposed power transmission line and substation that would link the planned Nam Ma Cascade hydropower project in Laos to Vietnam.

Seems as if Nam Nha 1 Company Limited is developer/owner of the proposed transmission line.

The transmission project involves the construction of 115-kV and 220-kV transmission lines over 75.03 kilometers. The transmission corridor would pass through 32 villages in Et, Xiengkhor and Sop Bao districts of Houaphanh Province and cover a total area of 198.03 hectares, including 24.69 hectares within the Nam Nha National Protection Forest. The project would have 176 transmission towers and an expected operational lifespan of 25 years.

Chart below was prepared by government of Vietnam in 2025 to show electricity power projects in Laos that have requested approval for sale and export of their output to Vietnam. EVN is apparently still studying the feasibility.

The 220 kV Son La electric station referred to in the above chart is located in Muong La District of Son La Province, about 250 km northwest of Hanoi.