WLE Mekong
  • About Us
    • About us
      • Our objectives
      • Our team
      • Contact us
    • Our partners
        • Cambodian Partners
        • Chinese Partners
        • International Partners
        • Lao Partners
        • Myanmar Partners
        • Thai Partners
        • Vietnamese Partners
    • Close
  • Changes
    • Where We Work
      • Irrawaddy River Basin
      • Mekong River Basin
      • Red River Basin
      • Salween River Basin
      • View all projects
    • Our Work
      • Benefit-sharing
      • Catchments & Landuse
      • Gender & Diversity
      • Research for Development
      • River Food Systems
      • River Monitoring
      • Water Governance
      • Capacity Building & Professional Development
    • Our Research
      • Greater Mekong Dams Observatory
      • State of Knowledge Series
      • Water Knowledge Series
      • Irrawaddy River Basin
      • Mekong River Basin
      • Red River Basin
      • Salween River Basin
    • Close
  • Dialogue
    • Stories
      • Irrawaddy River Basin
      • Mekong River Basin
      • Red River Basin
      • Salween River Basin
      • Mekong Citizen
    • Greater Mekong Fora
      • 2018 Greater Mekong Forum
      • 2017 Greater Mekong Forum
      • 2016 Greater Mekong Forum
      • 2015 Greater Mekong Forum
    • Close

Mekong Blog

  • Mekong River Basin

Don Sahong dam to boost power supply in southern Laos

  • Stories
  • Greater Mekong Forums
  • Mekong Citizen

Don Sahong dam to boost power supply in southern Laos

cpwf.mekongJune 16, 2013Uncategorized, Vientiane Times

Vientiane Times, June 14, 2013

Amid rising demand for power, the proposed Don Sahong dam will play a significant role in securing the supply of electricity for domestic and industrial use in the southern part of Laos.

The project will have an installed capacity of 256 MW and be capable of generating more than 2,000 GWh of electricity per year, according to a senior electrical engineer of Mega First Corporation Berhad (MFCB), a Malaysian company that is seeking to develop the run-of-river dam on a branch of the Mekong.

The hydropower plant will supply energy to the Electricite du Laos (EDL) grid for Champassak and surrounding provinces, a part of the country facing a rapid increase in demand for electricity due to economic growth. The region is becoming a hub of economic development in the south of Laos.

Most of the hydropower projects built in the Lao PDR with foreign investment are designed to export electricity to Thailand. The Don Sahong project is one of the first in which the Lao government is encouraging investors to produce clean energy for domestic consumption.

The proposed Don Sahong dam is located in the Siphandone area where the Mekong River splits into six channels and plunges into natural waterfalls before reaching Cambodia. The hydropower project would lie entirely within one of the six channels, the Hou Sahong, a 5km long passage between Don Sadam and Don Sahong islands.

The run-of-river dam will extend across the Hou Sahong from bank to bank, according to MFCB Senior Environmental Manager, Dr Peter Hawkins. It will not block the main channel of the Mekong, which means the river flow will be uncontrolled, so that water, sediment and fish can all follow many alternative pathways downstream, bypassing the dam, he said.

“The Don Sahong Hydropower Project is in a unique site because it will cover 100 metres but the width of the Mekong in this area is about 10,000 metres,” he explained to senior Lao energy officials on Sunday. “It will have a very small reservoir, which will behave much like existing deep pools in the Mekong and not alter water quality,” Dr Hawkins said.

A study begun in 2006 found the number of fish migrating through the Siphandone area had declined over the past 20 years largely due to manmade barriers and overfishing.

The developer enlisted the aid of local authorities and residents to clear blocked channels and remove fish traps that have prevented fish from reaching spawning grounds. According to the project developers, no manmade fish ladders or fish lifts are needed for the Don Sahong project because other channels of the river will function as “a natural fish ladder.”

Previous
Story
Next
Story

Related Stories

  • mekong
    March 12, 2014
    More power plants to begin commercial operation
  • mekong
    August 25, 2013
    Workshop discusses livelihood concerns in Nam Ngum River Basin
  • mekong
    March 25, 2015
    NA President visits Nam Ngiep1 hydro project
  • mekong
    March 10, 2015
    Laos Faces Pressure to Stall Decision on Lower Mekong River Dam
  • mekong
    July 11, 2013
    Study on new dam in Xayaboury
  • mekong red
    April 26, 2016
    Small is worrying: tributaries, ‘small’ hydro and the Mekong hydropower debate
    Water Governance
  • mekong
    January 19, 2016
    Impressions from a study trip to Laos - Le Phuoc Thao
    River Food Systems
  • mekong
    October 30, 2013
    Hydro plant in the pipeline for Champassak
  • mekong
    May 15, 2014
    Nam Ngum 5 provides assistance to affected villagers
  • mekong
    February 4, 2015
    Stage 2 of Xayaboury dam set to begin
  • mekong
    October 14, 2012
    Officials set plans for energy consumption
    Water Governance
  • mekong
    April 24, 2014
    Hydropower has future potential in national development
  • mekong
    October 31, 2012
    Xayaboury dam simulation model unveiled
  • mekong
    March 28, 2013
    Fish passage not a problem, dam builders say
  • mekong
    August 25, 2013
    Xayaboury dam developers pledge ‘well-being' of relocated villagers
  • mekong
    April 24, 2014
    Study documents being processed for Nam Theun 2 expansion
  • mekong
    March 21, 2014
    Tonle Sap Lake fisheries a concern for dam project
  • mekong
    May 2, 2013
    Laos leads the way for fish futures in Asean
  • mekong
    June 3, 2014
    IFC empowers Lao firms to develop sustainable hydropower plants
  • mekong
    May 14, 2013
    Learning by Seeing

The sustainable development of the Greater Mekong depends on the fair and equitable governance of its water.

ABOUT WLE

  • Our objectives
  • Our team
  • Our partners
  • Terms of use
  • Newsletters
  • Contact us

CO-SUPPORTED BY

WLE Greater Mekong is funded in part by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

Water, Land & Ecosystems Mekong - footer logos
© All rights reserved - WLE CGIAR
Subscribe to our newsletter SIGN UP
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkPrivacy policy