A signing ceremony was held yesterday for the development of a floating solar power plant on the surface of the Nam Ngum 1 dam reservoir.
The Floating Solar Power Project at Nam Ngum 1 will be a public-private partnership, with the Government of Laos holding a 20% share, while the private sector will hold 80% over a 25-year concession.
The Project Development Agreement (PDA) was signed between Ms. Khamchan Vonseneboun, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment, and Mr. Sinava Souphaouvong, Deputy Minister of Energy and Mines, and Mr. Chanthanome Vongsomchith, Head of The Xaysomboun Provincial Office of Planning and Investment, and the President of China’s Hangzhou Safefound Technology, along with Sengthongphachan Sivongxay, Director of Lao PPA Accounting Consultancy.
The solar project at Nam Ngum 1 is to have an installed capacity of 1,200 MW, covering an area of over 1,500 hectares, making it potentially the world’s largest project upon completion.
40 kilometers of transmission cable will be constructed, stretching from the project site to the Sengsavang Substation.
Floating solar, or photovoltaic floating (PVF), is a solar array that floats on a body of water. The solar panels are mounted on a buoyant frame to hold them above the surface of the water and are typically situated on relatively calmer water bodies such as rivers, lakes and human-made reservoirs.
China, which leads the world in floating solar, currently has the largest array located in Panji District, Huainan City, developed by China-based Three Gorges New Energy, a subsidiary of Three Gorges Corporation.
India plans to develop a 1000 MW floating solar array in the state of Madhya Pradesh, which would be the world’s largest if completed prior to the array at Nam Ngum 1.
