Construction for Controversial Mekong Dam near Luang Prabang has progressed

Another interruption of the free flow of Mekong river and the way for its fish population; more than 1200 families are forced to move their homes and income resources, and the earthquake risk for the historic town of Unesco-protected Luang Prabang is rising: The construction of a highly controversial hydropower project in Laos has begun. The energy shall be delivered to Thailand.

See the location of Luang Prabang hydropower project on Google Map by #treasuresoflaos and on Mekong River Hydropower Dams and Plants Google Map

The development cost of the 1,460-Megawatt facility is estimated at U.S. $ 3 billions. The run-of-the-river dam is planned about 25 kilometers upstream from Luang Prabang, at Houygno village according to the website of Mekong River Commission, located by the upstream Pak Beng hydropower project and the downstream Xayaburi project. The energy will be produced by 7 turbines or generators, each delivering 200 Megawatt. See this introduction video:



Who is behind the Luang Prabang hydropower project?
The Luang Prabang Power Company Limited (LPCL), a company established by Lao PDR and PetroVietnam Power Corporation, is the project developer, finances it and will operate it. In late 2020 an ownership change occurred with the stock ownership of Luang Prabang Power Company Limited changed to the following: PT Sole Co., Ltd. 38 percent; Petro Vietnam Power Corporation 10 percent; CK Power Public Company 42 percent and CH. Karnchang Public Company Limited 10 percent. CK Power Plc (CKP) is the power generation arm of the Thai construction firm CH Karnchang Plc, which built the Xayaburi Dam. So a Thai company is the major shareholder . in July 2021 LPCL signed the Concession Agreement of the LPHPP with the Government of the Lao PDR, for a concession period of 35 years. LPCL has signed a tariff Memorandum of Understanding with the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT). EGAT shall be the off-taker of all electricity generated by the Luang Prabang hydropower plant from the Scheduled Commercial Operation Date (January 1, 2030).

What happens tro the people living around the dam area?
More than 1,200 families in Oudomxay province will be forced to move to make way for the project. The dam will flood a dozen villages on the bank of the Mekong River in Nga district, including Lath Han, Khok Phou, Yoiyai and Phonsavang. Also residents of Houei Yor village, Chomphet district, in Luang Prabang province are affected. Residents of Nga district in Oudomxay province and Chomphet district in Luang Prabang province say authorities are shortchanging them for the land and other property they would lose. Oudomxay officials offered 100 million kip (U.S. $8,500) per hectare of farmland to locals, said a Nga district resident. Read more in a report by th.boell.org.

What happens to the historic town of Luang Prabang and ist famous temples - a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
Unesco has demanded a Heritage Impact Assessment, because there were concerns. Dams will encircle Luang Prabang’s urban area. " I can see a nightmare scenario where dam operators aren’t talking to each other, a massive weather event pours through northern Laos and sudden dam releases from these dams cause an unnecessary flooding event around Luang Prabang,” said Brian Eyler, director of the Stimson Center’s Southeast Asia programme. “The Xayaburi dam would act like a plug in the bathtub, not allowing the water out to the downstream if its flood responses weren’t ready for those sudden upstream releases. It’s a complicated but possible scenario.” The Luang Prabang dam would be the first in the Lower Mekong Basin to encounter water discharged from the 11 mainstream Chinese dams, including the massive 5,850 MW Nuozhadu dam. Upstreams of Luang Prabang the Mekong also merges with the Nam Ou, a river with a cascade of seven hydropower dams built by PowerChina.
By signing the World Heritage Convention, countries pledge “not to take any deliberate measures which might directly or indirectly damage the natural and cultural heritage” of a site and to “ensure the protection and conservation of their Outstanding Universal Value and other heritage values.”
The dam will be built in an earthquake-prone zone. “We are very worried about the seismic fault only 8.6 kilometers from the Luang Prabang dam site,” said leading Thai seismologist Punya Churasiri. “It is too dangerous to go ahead with this project.”

How is the progress of the construction works so far?

อัปเดต 2023, โครงการก่อสร้างเขื่อนหลวงพระบาง ห่างจากมรดกโลกหลวงพระบาง ประมาณ 25 กม. **โดยทุนไทย**
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Update 2023, Construction work has begun on the Luang Prabang hydropower dam on the Mekong River in Laos.#เขื่อนหลวงพระบาง #แม่น้ำโขง pic.twitter.com/o4QkhN5Q6y

— Phetric 🥸 (@PHETSIAM) February 7, 2023

In March 2021 Xinhua reported that the preparatory work was already 80 per cent complete. Among the work was the construction of an 11-km access road, a 500-metre bridge over the Mekong River, three temporary ports, as well as some transmission lines and a small electricity station. Bangkok Tribune shows pictures of the construction progress.

What could stop the construction of Luang Prabang hydropower plant?
The dam has been criticised by environmental groups and the government in Thailand, which will feel the effects on its Mekong border with Laos and beyond. “Surely effects for Thailand include fish loss, the fluctuations of dams cutting the river ecology, the unnatural water flow and the sediment loss until the water becomes blue,” said Niwat Roykaew of Thailand’s Chiang Khong Conservation Group, adding that it will impact fishing communities. Thailand’s authorities have received pressure from environmental groups to not purchase power from the Luang Prabang dam and other projects. But: "Environmental and heritage reviews are unlikely to stop the Lao government forging ahead with its hydroelectric plans", wrote Milton Osborne.


Updated informations about Luang Prabng hydropower plant you can find on Hobomaps.


Read also:
Luang Prabang Mekong Dam: Completed by 2030?
Another controversial Mekong Dam in Luang Prabang raises Fears
Laos - the Battery of Asia: Hydropower Dams and Consequences

Luang Prabang Mekong Dam: Completed by 2030?

At a recent conference the Deputy Director of the Ministry of Energy and Mines in Laos, Mr. Daophet Phothivanh stated, the construction of the Luang Prabang hydropower project is expected to be completed by 2030, as Laotian Times reports. According to him the dam will have a height of 79 meters. Seven turbines will generate a total power of 1.460 MW and the dam’s annual output will be around 6,854 GWh.

The technology group ANDRITZ has received an order from CH. Karnchang (Lao) Company Ltd. to supply the electro-mechanical equipment for the Luang Prabang run-of-river hydropower plant, as they informed the media. ANDRITZ has to deliver seven large Kaplan turbine-generator units (203 MW output each) and three smaller units (18 MW each).

Read more:
Another controversial Mekong Dam in Luang Prabang raises Fears

Another controversial Mekong Dam in Luang Prabang raises Fears

See the location on Luang Prabang Google Map by #treasuresoflaos


Luang Prabang Dam - illustration in MRC project overview

Vietnam's rice bowl, the Mekong Delta, severly damaged? Luang Prabang World heritage town inundated and destroyed? Such fears have been raised, after the Lao government has announced another massive dam project on Mekong river: the Luang Prabang dam. Laos has formally notified the Mekong River Commission (MRC) of its intention. The 1460 MW Luang Prabang dam is the fifth dam to be submitted for consultation. The earlier hydropower projects were Xayaburi (operational now), Don Sahong (in the final testing phase), Pak Beng and Pak Lay.

Luang Prabang dam is planned approximately 25 km upstream of Luang Prabang ancient town, at the village Ban Houaygno, and about 4 km upstream of the confluence between Nam Ou and Mekong, with a 90 sq km reservoir. The Luang Prabang Power Company Limited (LPCL) has been established to develop the project by PetroVietnam Power Corporation (PV Power). Petrovietnam Power Corporation is a subsidiary of Vietnam Oil and Gas Corporation. The dam will have a navigation lock so that boats still can navigate up- and downstream. Fish could use two fish locks as well as the ship lock to migrate upstream. To protect Luang Prabang town from the flood of a dam failure the structures shall be designed to withstand extreme seismic and flood events. That is necessary: Luang Prabng province is located in a high earthquake hazard region.


Illustration in MRC project overwiew

The US$ 2,000 million project is expected to have a direct impact on 26 villages in three provinces: Luang Prabang, Oudomxay and Xayaburi, with an estimated 840 households3 and 9,974 people. These villages would be in the submerged area and/or the backwater area and their inhabitants would have to be relocated, either to new resettlement sites or higher ground in the same villages. The impacts foreseen are loss of agricultural and forestry land, houses and public infrastructure. The report notes that lost land cannot be replaced as all the productive land is already being used.

The generated electricity is foreseen to be exported the neighboring countries Vietnam and Thailand.

See overview of Luang Prabang Hydropower Project.

The decision by Petrovietnam to invest in the Luang Prabang dam, "has caused confusion and dismay for many Mekong experts, civil society groups, and some government officials in Hanoi", writes The Diplomat. The critcal voices argue, that the Mekong delta is highly vulnerable to downstream impacts by the dams in the river. They could block nutrient-rich sediment from reaching the fragile ecosystem of the delta, Vietnams rice bowl. Back in 2011, the former Vietnamese prime minister called for the stop of the construction of the Xayaburi dam. "Now, however, the Vietnamese government has switched sides and slipped into bed with the dam developers", analyzes The Diplomat. Dr. Philip Hirsch, the former director of the Mekong Research Center at Sydney University, commented that “the involvement of a major state owned company in developing hydropower on the Mekong mainstream undermines earlier official positions that such development poses great risks to the millions of people living, farming and fishing in the Mekong Delta.” According to a report by the Mekong River Commission, before the first dam in 1990, the Mekong was releasing 160 million tonnes of sediment on average per year. Now it is only 80 million tonnes per year, notes vietnamnews.vn.

The Save the Mekong coalition, a coalition of non-government organisations, community-based groups and concerned citizens within the Mekong region, recently has expressed her concern over the Luang Prabang project with these words: “If built, Luang Prabang dam, combined with Pak Beng, Xayaburi and Pak Lay dams, would complete the transformation of the Mekong River along the entire stretch of northern Laos into a series of stepped lakes, resulting in major and irreversible damage to the health and productivity of the river. This means that the wide range of economic and social benefits that the river provides to society will be lost, and the river will become a water channel for electricity generation, primarily benefiting hydropower companies.”

Read also:
Laos - the Battery of Asia: Hydropower Dams and Consequences

Between heaven and earth: The Temples in Luang Prabang

See the locations on Luang Prabang Google Map


Picture by marhas


About the details of Luang Prabangs most important temples you can read at orientalarchitecture.com, which has a lot of pictures.


Until the beginning of the twentieth century all buildings in Luang Prabang were made of wood. The only exception: The temples were built of bricks and mortar. Today only three - Wat Xieng Thong, Wat Pak Khane and Wat Khili - have retained their original structure and decoration.

Each monastery in Luang Prabang is demarcated by a peripheral masonry wall. Doors in the form of prasat - a small, square, tiered and crowned tower, perforated on opposite sides by two large arched bays connected by a continuous passageway allow access to the sanctuary and its building annexes.

Almost always confined to the northern part of the viharn is a building without walls and sometimes on stilts. By token of the shape of its roofing, it resembles a plain sanctuary which is used as a shelter for the pagoda’s great drum. Like the gong, the drum is used for the call to prayers as well as to announce holy days, to mark important events like the Laotian New Year, village festivities, bereavements and festivals. The drum is made from a single piece of tree trunk of about 1 meter in diameter. It is hollowed out and covered at both ends with taut cowhide.

The temples of Luang Prabang are characterized by immense two- or even three-layered roofs covered with flat tiles, sometimes with a change of roof gradient. Another characteristic is the existence of a peripheral nave.

Roof ornamentation, which is very varied in Luang Prabang, is overall characterized by horned ridge-tiles portraying a naga’s upper torso; these may be richly decorated or sometimes reduced to a simple schematic contour. A medial spike, often with three, seven or nine small prasat rises from the top. Depending on the number of spikes, the prasat represent Mount Sinew (the most important mountain in the Buddhist cosmology, with seven annular chains on either side.

Haw Pha Bang: Also: Ho Pha Bang. The Chapel of the Royal Palace, built from 1963 to 1993, lies in the northeastern corner of the ground of the Royal Palace. It has been constructed as the home for the Pha Bang. This is a golden statue (83 cm tall) brought to Luang Prabang in 1359. Then the Khmer king gave the Pha Bang to his son-in-law, the first Lang Xang king Fa Ngum. Read more details an orientalarchitecture.com








This altar is intended to hold the Pha Bang.


Wat Xieng Thong: The "feast for the eyes and the soul" has been built around 1560 by King Setthathirat. It is one of the most important monasteries in Laos. The Lao kings have been coronated here and it was the center of numerous annual festivals honoring the Buddha and various folk spirits. During the 1960s it has been renovated and redecorated. The roof was repaired. The entrance was gilded. The interior and the exterior walls were covered with black, glossy lacquer and decorated with figures and symbols in gold leaf. On the back wall a large flame tree, a tree of life, was set in colored glass mosaics. So it became the temple we admire today.



Where the guests used to arrive from the water way: Stairs leading from the Mekong up to Wat Xieng Thong.




The sim (temple hall): The exterior and the interior are decorated by a rich grandeur. The stenciling on the façade recounts scenes from the jataka and shows images of the punishment of evil-doers. Read a detailed description on orientalarchitecture.com.






The "Dok so fa" with seventeen elements. The more elements this decoration on top of the roof has, the more important is the monastery.







The Tripitaka Library: This chapel from 1828 has many names: Haw Kawng, Haw Trai or Hor Tai. Here the Tripitaka, the 'three baskets' of the Theravada Buddhist canon of scriptures, were stored. Outside colorful glass mosaics show scenes of local life and traditions. Read a detailed description on orientalarchitecture.com.


Picture by marhas






The Red Chapel (Haw Tai Pha Sai-Nyaat): On the outside you see a red stucco inlaid with glass mosaics that illustrate religious and everyday life. The mosaics were added during the restoration in 1957. The original date of the construction of the chapel is not known. The bronze reclining Buddha inside, dating from the 16th century, is one of the most valuable of Lao Buddhist images (see picture). Read more details on orientalarchitecture.com. See also a picture taken in 1973 by Gert Holmertz.



Picture by marhas
The flame tree, the tree of life in mosaic, you find on the back of the sim.




The Carriage House (Hóhng Kép Mien or Hor Latsalat): Built 1962 it contains the funeral chariot of King Sisavang Vong (1885-1959), King of Luang Prabang, 1904-46, and King of Laos, 1946-59. The sculpted and gilded teakwood panels on the exterior show the Lao version of the Ramayana, the Pha Lak Pha Lam. Read more on orientalarchitecture.com. See also this foto taken 2001 by Gert Holmertz.






Seven nagas dominate the royal chariot. It was used to carry the remains of King Sisavang Vong to the field near Wat That Luang for his cremation in April 1961. There are three ornate gilded sandlewood urns, that contained the remains of the king's father (in front) and mother (in the rear); Sisavang Vong's remains are given the central place of honor under the canopy. Read more on orientalarchitecture.com.


Wat Siri Moung Khoung: Also: Wat Si Muang Khun. It has been built in the 18th century.



The Sim of Wat Siri Moung Khoung.




He looks quite wild.


Wat Sop Sickharam: Right next to Wat Sensoukharam. It has been built by King Theng Kham (1479-86).






Wat Sensoukharam: Also: Wat Sene. Sakkarine Road. Built in 1714, surrounded by 11 small stupas.





Wat Sensoukharam has richly decorated windows, on both side you see apsaras standing on beasts. See more picturey on asiaexplorers.com





Wat Mai Souvannaphoumaham: Sisavangvong Road. Across from the Royal Palace, the biggest Buddhist temple in Luang Prabang. Its name means "The new monastery of the golden land". It has been constriucted 1796-1797 by King Anourout. King Manthatourat (1817-1836) has renovated it. During Pimay, the Laotian new year, the Phra Bang is exposed in the temple for three days and the people from Laos come to splash water onto the holy statue for the ceremonial cleansing. Outstanding are the walls of the front verandah. They show scenes from the Ramayana and Buddha's penultimate incarnation. Lacquered columns that are elaborately stenciled. It served as a temple for the royal family and has been the residence of the Pra Sangkharat, the highest Laotian Buddhist dignitary, for longtime. Read more at orientalarchitecture.com.







Gold facade with the central door. Nak Naga figures join the colums to the roof.



Gilded stucco near the entrance.












Stupa and chapels.




Picture by Lorna87. And see also the picture by trekearth.com


Wat Hosiang: Also called Wat Hosian and Wat Hoxian. Adjoining to Wat That. Ho Siang was founded by Khouane Sene Muxa in 1705 or early 1706. The wat was destroyed by a storm in 1900 and rebuilt. The octagonal pillars and the verandas on the northeast and southwest sides of the sim were added in 1952. More details on orientalarchitecture.com










See pictures by laomeow.blogspot.com and by orientalarchitecture.com and wallpaintings by Dany and Maryse


Wat Mahathat: Also: Wat Pha Mahathat or Wat Si Mahatat. Founded by King Say Setthathirath in 1548. The sim collapsed during a storm in 1900 and was rebuilt between 1907 and 1910. Here are also the ashes of the revered Prince Phetsarath, who declared Laos independent in 1945, and Prince Souvanna Phouma, his younger half-brother, who served as prime minister and sought to retain Lao independence in negotiations with the Pathet Lao. More details on orientalarchitecture.comWat Phra Mahathat is one of the most important places in Luang Prabang for the celebration of the Lao New Year. On the third day of Phimai (the day when the deity of the year arrives), the abbots of Wat May, Wat Xieng Thong, Wat Aham and Wat Wisun arrive in a solemn procession to attend a sacred dance of the town's guardian spirits, Phou Nheu and Nha Nheu.



The stairway from Fa Ngum Road shows Thai influence. It reminds of the stairway to Wat Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai.











Picture by Viv and Matt's Travels

See pictures by laomeow.blogspot.com and by orientalarchitecture.com



Wat Aham: This means „The temple of the flourishing heart“, it has been built at the beginning of the ninetenth century and is a centre of meditation.



Entrance to Wat Aham, picture by Hanoi Mark. See more pictures by davieshongkong. See also Banyan Tree and Wat Aham, picture by Esther Kalandjai. And more details by orientalarchitecture.com


Wat Pha Phon Phao:



Picture by Hanoi Mark


Wat Wisunarat: The oldest operating temple in Luang Prabang is also called Wat Visounnalat or Wat Visounlalat. Visoulalat is the name of the King who built it in 874 of Burmese calendar, which is 1512 in international calender. After a fire 1887 set by the black bandits it has been rebuilt from 1896 to 1898. In front of the temple you find the Makmo stupa. It looked like the half shape of the watermelon, so it was called That Makmo. In the temple you see the 835 years old Lao Manuscript, six stones with writing in Lao an Dharma Language. read more.







Jade Buddha at Wat Wisnunarat, pictures by Kleinmatt66




That Makmo (Watermelon Stupa), picture by Kleinmatt66


Wat Saen: Picture by Esther Kalandjai


Santi Chedi This place has many names: Wat Phol Phao, Wat Phom Phao or Wat Phra That Khong Santi Chedi. It lies on top of a hill, from where you have a good view over Luang Prabang. The stupa has been completed in 1988. Inside you find heavenly and apocalyptic paintings.



Picture by annamatic3000. See also pictury by sgtowns.com and frescoes inside by biggworldphotography.com


Wat Long Khun: Before Lao kings were coronated, they spent three days in this wat. See pictures by orientalarchitecture.com and by backpackers-around.com




Pictures by 5 mois de voyage en asie du Sud Est


Wat Nong Sikhounmuang: It has one of the biggest pagodas in Luang Prabang. It has been constructed in the style of vientiane.



Picture by travelling-mirko.de

See pictures by Mai An Hoa, by Alain Travels.


Wat Sen in Luang Prabang, picture by tinsan.net