Nam Ou 3 Dam Hydropower Info by Hobo Maps - Go to Hydropower Projects Page - - Home

Nam Ou 3 hydropower project is located in Muang Ngoy district of Luang Prabang Province on the Nam Ou (river) about 112 km upriver from the junction with the Mekong River. The project is 68 km above the Nam Ou 2 dam site and 20 km upriver from Nong Kiew town and only 2 km north of Muang Ngoy village..

Nam Ou 3 dam images below:

The Nam Ou cascade hydropower project is a series of seven hydroelectric dams along the Nam Ou (river) in Phongsaly and Luang Prabang provinces of northern Lao PDR. The project is managed by PowerChina and the Lao government under a build, operate and transfer (BOT) agreement signed in April 2011.

The Nam Ou 3 hydropower project commenced commercial production in 2020. Some of the Nam Ou cascade projects have franchise periods of 25 years while others have 29 year periods.

Nam Ou 3 was built by Nam Ou Power Co., Ltd. (Nam Ou Power) which is a joint venture between Power-China Resources Ltd. (PowerChina) and the Lao state electricity corporation, Electricite du Laos (EDL).

Construction of the project was managed by Sinohydro Corporation, a subsidiary of Power China. Total estimated cost was 395.00 million US dollars.

The feasibility study report of this project was approved by the Lao Government in February, 2014. The EIA report was approved by the Lao Government in October, 2014. In August, 2014, the first draft of the PPA Agreement was submitted to EDL. We are not sure if or when a final PPA was executed.

Nam Ou 3 hydropower project location image below at coordinates 20°49'15.1"N 102°39'59.7"E (20.820849, 102.666590):

Nam Ou 3 has a concrete gravity dam with a height of 59.5 meters and crest length of 272 meters.

The reservoir has 181 million cubic meters total capacity with 24 million cubic meters regulating capacity stored 360 meters above sea level.

The reservoir is 59.7 km long and covers an area of 13.3 square kilometers.

Nam Ou 3 powerhouse has 210 MW installed capacity from 3 turbines with about 811 GWh annual output capacity.

Nam Ou 3 hydropower project satellite images below:

Nam Ou 3 hydropower project facility below:

Nam Ou 3 control room image below:

Nam Ou 3 powerhouse images below:

Nam Ou 3 area images below:

Nam Ou 3 construction image below:

Nam Ou 3 as primary Black Start plant

Since the new Laos-China Railway system is reliant in part on power generated by the Nam Ou Hydropower Plants, these plants have been designated, designed and equipped as the main units for a restart of the Laos grid system when it crashes. See our full Black Start web page HERE .

The Nam Ou 3 hydropower plant has a large single-unit capacity and self-starting ability so it has been designated as the key unit to restart a failed grid system.

Image below of Officials from Nam Ou 3 and EDL conducting a black start test March 2021:

In July 2023 & March 2024 we see a mass of floating debris and green growth on the upriver side of the dam structure in the images below. The photos were posted on a Google Maps page by different Lao persons and seems to indicate the mass has been present over an eight month period.

It seems the log and debris boom has almost no effect in holding back this mass while a satellite image also shows this mass across the entire width of the reservoir.