Nam Phay (Phai) Dam Hydropower info by Hobo Maps - Go to Hydropower Projects Page - - Home

Nam Phay Hydropower Project is also spelled Nam Phai. Nam Phay is pronounced like "Nam Pie".

The project is located in Longchieng (Longtieng) district of Xaysomboun Province, Lao PDR. The dam site is located in a valley upstream of the Nam Phay (river), a tributary of the Nam Ngum (river).

Nam Phay reservoir is located at coordinates 19°05'51.6"N 102°42'53.0"E (19.097663, 102.714718).

Nam Phay Dam reservoir location shown on satellite image below before impoundment:

The project started construction in 2014 and commercial operation began Nov. 2017 under a 25 year concession agreement with government of Lao PDR.

Total investment of the project is about US $218 million. China-based Norinco International Cooperation Ltd. (Norinco) owns 85% of the project and Electricite du Lao (EDL) owns the remaining 15%.

The project is a medium-scale inter-basin diversion project.

Nam Phay Power Company Ltd. is responsible for construction and will operate the project. The project contractor is PowerChina Resources Ltd, a branch of Power Construction Corporation of China.  

Nam Phay (Phai) Dam image below:

Nam Phay Powerhouse below:

The Nam Phay Hydropower Project has a 720 meter head. It includes a concrete-face rock-filled dam that impounds Nam Phay (river) creating a reservoir with a surface area of 8.92 square km.

The powerhouse is located on the right bank of Nam Louk (river). The penstock length is 1,507 meters.

Chongqing Water Turbine Works provided 2 electric generators and 2 pelton turbines at 43 MW capacity each for 86 MW total capacity with annual power output potential of 419 GWh.

Power generated from the project is to be sold to Electricite du Laos under a power purchase agreement for distribution to Xaysomboun and Xieng Khouang provinces through a 115-kV transmission line connected to Thongkhoun II substation.

Nam Phay hydropower project layout image below. The powerhouse is over 6 km south of the reservoir intake structure and we are assuming there must be an underground conduit connecting them although we haven't seen any info confirming this. The powerhouse has been confirmed as being on the right bank of the Nam Leuk (Louk) river south of the reservoir.

Nam Kap & Nam Phay hydropower projects are close together in satellite image below:

Nam Phay Hydropower Project sites shown in map below:

Nam Phay dam reservoir images below:

Nam Phay dam intake area view below:

Nam Phay dam intake structure image below:

Nam Phay dam intake tunnel image below during construction:

Nam Phay powerhouse image below:

Nam Phay intake structure image below:

Nam Phay powerhouse site satellite images below at coordinates 19°02'00.0"N 102°44'39.4"E (19.033333, 102.744280):

Nam Phay Dam community image below:

Nam Phay Reservoir and access Road 9308 image below:

Nongpou resettlement village image below.

Nam Phay dam shown in central part of map below - the Powerhouse is below it on Nam Louk:

The Nam Phay hydropower project has qualified as a greenhouse-gas-reducing Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project under the Kyoto Protocol and has a 7-year renewable crediting period. Estimated CO2 emission reductions during this crediting period are 222,121 tons per year.

Click HERE to view/download CDM application PDF file.