Xekaman 1 Dam Hydropower Info - by Hobo Maps - Go to Hydropower Projects Page - - - Home

Xekaman 1 Hydropower Project is on the Xekaman river in Sanxay district, Attapeu province, Lao PDR. It contains 2 subprojects: Xekaman 1 hydropower plant in the upper section of the river and Xekaman-Sanxay hydropower plant in the lower section. The Xekaman River is fed from Nong Fa Lake.

XeKaman is pronounced like "Say ka mahn".

Xekaman 1 Dam and Powerhouse images below:

Xekaman 1 hydropower and Xekaman-Sanxay hydropower have combined power output capacity of 322 MW. 20% of the output is planned to be used for Lao domestic consumption and 80% exported to Vietnam through a 230 kV transmission line connecting Ban Sok in Lao PDR to Pleiku Gia Lai in Vietnam. 

Xekaman 1 Dam and reservoir images below:

The Project is located in both Sanxay and Sayxetha districts of Attapeu province about 80 kilometers away from the Laos-Vietnam border post of Phu Cua, Laos and Kon Tum, Vietnam.

Xekaman 1 Hydropower Project developer is Xekaman 1 Power Company Limited. Main contractor is Song Da Corporation. Construction period was from 2011-2016.

The Xekaman 1 hydropower project represents an investment of over US$ 541 million including over US$ 54 million that was spent on the 230 kilovolt power transmission lines.

Xekaman 1 site shown in satellite image below with powerhouse at coordinates - 14°57'33.6"N 107°09'05.8"E (14.959333, 107.151611):

The project operates under a Concession Agreement between the government of Laos and Xekaman 1 Power Company Limited for a term of 25 years from the commercial operation date. The Power Purchase Agreement with Electricite Du Laos (EDL) was signed on October 28, 2010 and the purchase agreement with Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) was signed on March 02, 2011.

Other funding for the project may have been provided by the Vietnam government’s “Development Assistance Fund” and by Vietnamese commercial banks.

In April 2023, partial debt refinance was sought for the existing loans of Xekaman 1 & 3. Not sure of the outcome for this refinancing.

Xekaman 1 powerhouse and tailrace image below:

Xekaman 1 hydropower project has designed capacity of 290 MW consisting of two turbine units of 145 MW each. Xekaman-Sanxay hydropower plant has designed capacity of 32 MW with two turbine units 16 MW each. Together they have an average annual output potential of 1,220 GWh.

The Project catchment area is 3,580 square kilometers. The reservoir full supply level surface is 230 meters above mean sea level with low supply level at 218 meters above mean sea level.

The large reservoir has 3,120 million cubic meters total storage volume with active storage volume of 1,683 million cubic meters. The reservoir covers an area of 149.8 sq km at normal operating level.

The dam structure is 335 meters long and 120 meters high.

Xekaman 1 penstock length is 183.2 meters with a diameter of 6.8 meters.

Xekaman 1 Dam site location is at coordinates 14°57'36.2"N 107°09'19.9"E (14.960041, 107.155538)

Xekaman 1 and XeKaman-Sanxay hydropower plant locations shown in satellite image below:

Xekaman 1 reservoir shown in satellite image below:

The large Xekaman 1 reservoir has a substantial seasonal regulating effect on the XeKaman River below the Xekaman-Sanxay power plant. This reservoir dominates regulation of the river and is large enough to capture most of the monsoon rains except in very wet years.

Andritz Hydro provided complete electro-mechanical equipment for the Xekaman 1 hydropower plant in December 2013 which included two Francis turbine-generator sets, governing system, automation and protection system, auxiliary systems and the complete switchyard.

Xekaman 1 project details below:

Xekaman 1 project has developed 2 resettlement areas in Xanxay district, Attapeu province. The Souksavang-Dakbou resettlement area with a total area of 1,273 hectares, a total of 158 households, and more than 800 people, was completed and handed over at the end of 2015, with a total investment cost of 3.307 million USD. Also the Houydoum resettlement area with a total area of 1,155 hectares on March 15, 2020 with a total investment of 4.427 million USD for a total of 98 households with 559 people.

Xekaman 1 hydropower switch yard image below:

Xekaman 1 stator at factory below:

Xekaman 1 powerhouse images below:

Xekaman 1 powerhouse rotor installation image below:

Xekaman 1 control room below:

Xekaman 1 and Xekaman-Xanxay power plants are located within 2 km of each other and operate together. Xekaman 1 was completed in 2016 and Xekaman-Xanxay in 2018. Power from both is exported along a 230 kV transmission line with a 70 km section from Xekaman 1 Hydropower Plant to the Vietnam border (invested by Viet-Lao Power Joint Stock Company) and a 119 km section from Bo Y border gate in Kon Tum Province, Vietnam to Pleiku 2 substation in Vietnam (invested by EVN).

XeKaman 1 & Xekaman-Sanxay export power to Vietnam as seen in images below:

Xekaman 1 and Xekaman-Sanxay hydropower projects are located at right side of map below:

In June 2018, US-based ACO Investment Group and and its company Convalt Energy agreed with the Viet Lao Power Joint Stock Company to co-invest in three hydropower projects and co-develop solar power projects and a transmission backbone in Laos. The 3 hydropower projects were Xekaman 1, Xekaman 3 & Xekaman Sanxay. Not sure of the outcome of this agreement.

Viet-Lao Joint Stock Company, in partnership with Convalt Energy, in 2018 proposed floating solar power as a potential addition to the HPP at Xekaman 1 reservoir. A press release indicated that 250 megawatts (MW) of ground-mounted solar and 280 MW of floating solar could be developed which presumably could be exported to Vietnam through existing transmission lines.

The Lao words "Xe" and "Nam" both mean "river" and a term such as "Nam XeKaman" is not normally used.