Laos dam leaks normal, says Thai partner

Reported leaks on the sides of the Nam Theun 1 Hydropower dam underneath building in Laos weren’t a trigger for concern and have been regular when a dam started storing water, Electrical energy Producing Plc president Thepparat Theppitak stated on Monday.

EGCO, a subsidiry of the Electrical energy Producing Authority of Thailand, has a 25% stake within the challenge.

The corporate president was responding to experiences of the leakage and worries expressed on social media over the weekend.

Mr Thepparat stated such leaks have been regular when a dam began to retailer water.

Through the building of a roller-compacted concrete dam, water may very well be discovered leaking from the rocky crevices within the aspect partitions, he stated.

“It’s repeatedly inspected to make sure its safety throughout preparation for a test-run earlier than its business operation in August,” ECGO stated in its assertion to the Inventory Alternate of Thailand.

The leaks had no impact on the primary building and security of dam, it stated. 

Mr Thepparat stated the dam was effectively designed and constructed and met engineering requirements. EGCO had a 25% stake within the challenge with a contracted capability of producing 644.30 megawatts (MW) of electrical energy.

The challenge was within the final stage of growth and was in compliance with worldwide requirements and the dam’s construction was sturdy and safe, he stated.

Nam Theun 1 is a hydroelectric energy plant underneath building in Bolikhamxay province of Laos.

The US$1.3 billion challenge is a three way partnership of Phonesack Group (PSG) with a 60% stake, EGCO with 25%, and Electricite Du Laos (EDL) with 15%.

Building began in 2017 and it started storing water in June final yr.

The hydroelectric facility is predicted to supply as much as 2,638 gigawatt-hours  of electrical energy a yr.

State-run energy utility Electrical energy Producing Authority of Thailand signed a long-term energy buy settlement to take 514.3MW of electrical energy from the challenge in September 2017.

EDL has a separate settlement to buy 130MW of electrical energy from the dam.