Laos: Completed Overhaul Boosts Theun-Hinboun Output

Laos: Completed Overhaul Boosts Theun-Hinboun Output

The Theun-Hinboun Power Company (THPC) now has an overall generating
capacity of 520 megawatts (MW) following the recent completion of a major
overhaul.

Efficiency tests conducted on a second new turbine installed at the
company's Theun-Hinboun Powerhouse in Khammouane province confirmed that the
overhaul has added at least 20 MW of production capacity, while the plant
uses the same volume of water as it did before the upgrade.

Replacement of the turbine and maintenance of the generator for the TH1 Unit
was undertaken between December 2016 and February this year by staff from
THPC's Operations and Maintenance Division (OMD), alongside engineers from
Rainpower and GE in Norway.

The work was completed one week ahead of schedule, allowing the upgraded
unit to go into operation in late February, alongside the TH2 unit, which
received a similar upgrade last year.

The two units, now rated at 120 MW each at full load, first began operating
in March 1998. With the 220-MW TH3 unit and the two 30-MW units at the
project's upstream Nam Gnouang Powerhouse, installed as part of the
Theun-Hinboun Expansion Project in 2012, THPC now has a maximum operating
capacity of 520 MW.

THPC's Deputy General Manager, Mr Soulideth Baomanikhoth, congratulated the
company's OMD team and the contractors for finishing the work ahead of tight
deadlines and with a perfect safety record.

"This investment increases both the long-term efficiency and safety of our
plant," said Mr Soulideth. "We can now increase our contribution to the Lao
economy by exporting more power while not using more water".

THPC has so far contributed over US$465 million to the government since
starting operations. With 60% of its shares owned by EDL-Gen, THPC is the
only independent power producer in the country under Lao majority control,
and 99% of the company's workforce is made up of Lao nationals.

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Link to Original Article: http://kpl.gov.la/En/Detail.aspx?id=23278

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John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.

www.aptthailand.com