BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Yunnan Provincial Energy Investment Group lately signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Electricite du Laos (EDL) in Kunming for the Xelalong Class I hydropower plant in Laos.
This has been the largest hydropower plant project of Yunnan’s provincial enterprises in Laos.
The Xelalong Class I hydropower plant, located in Savannakhet Province in South Laos, is designed to have an installed capacity of 70MW.
Involving total investment of 163 million U.S. dollars, it follows the Build-Operate-and-Transfer investment mode with a franchise period of 30 years.
Construction on the project will be completed within 41 months, and the first operating unit is expected to start operation in June, 2020.
The Xelalong Class I hydropower plant is a key project of Yunnan Energy Investment Group for participating in Belt and Road construction, and also a key project of Laos for improving power supply in southern area.
The project is expected to radically change the power supply shortage in east Savannakhet, and transmit electricity power to Vietnam via power grid, creating stable economic benefit and regional influence for Laos.
The EDL is the state corporation of Laos that owns and operates the country's electricity generation, electricity transmission and electricity distribution assets. Enditem (Edited by Li Xiaohui, lixh@xinhua.org)
A single purchase
