Laos has developed hydropower at national scale, with 10.16 GW of installed hydropower capacity in 2024 and an estimated national development potential of 23,000–26,000 MW. Hydropower accounted for about 83.06% of total energy production in 2024, while the country’s 2021 electrification figures reached every district and 95% of households.
Table of contents
- National hydropower capacity and potential
- Plants, generation, and electrification
- Targets and projects under construction
- EDL-Gen’s operating portfolio
- Major operating hydropower projects
- Nam Theun 2: infrastructure, ownership, and exports
- Projects in development
National hydropower capacity and potential
The Lao PDR BTR1 estimates the country’s national hydropower development potential at 23,000–26,000 MW. This is a potential range, not a measure of currently operating capacity. In 2024, installed hydropower capacity was 10.16 GW, or 10,160 MW, according to the same source.
The capacity figure shows how much hydropower infrastructure was installed by the stated year. The 2024 total came from 90 installed hydropower plants. In the same year, hydropower represented about 83.06% of Laos’s total energy production. These figures describe the national electricity system and should not be confused with the narrower portfolio figures reported by EDL-Gen.
The BTR1 also records a major increase between 2018 and 2024. Laos had 4.5 GW of total installed hydropower capacity in 2018, while the 2024 figure was 10.16 GW. The two measurements come from different years, so the comparison indicates the change across that period rather than a single-year addition.
| Measure | Figure | Measurement period or status |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated national hydropower potential | 23,000–26,000 MW | Estimate, Lao PDR BTR1 |
| Installed hydropower capacity | 4.5 GW | 2018 |
| Installed hydropower capacity | 10.16 GW | 2024 |
| Installed hydropower plants | 90 plants | 2024 |
| Hydropower share of total energy production | 83.06% | 2024 |
Plants, generation, and electrification
The Lao PDR BTR1 provides a separate 2022 snapshot for power plants of at least 1 MW. Laos had 94 operating power plants in that category, with total installed capacity of 11,661.12 MW. Those plants generated 58,700.61 GWh per year.
Hydropower made up most of that 2022 plant group by count and by the reported generation figures. There were 81 hydropower plants with total capacity of 9,615.14 MW. Their reported generation was 45,703.25 GWh per year. The figures are annual generation measures associated with the 2022 operating-plant snapshot; they are not a new estimate for 2024 output.
The same BTR1 reports nationwide electrification progress through 2021. Electrification reached 100% of Laos’s 148 districts. At village level, 93.3% of the country’s 8,450 villages were electrified. Household electrification reached 95% nationwide.
These percentages use different geographic units. The 100% figure applies to districts, the 93.3% figure applies to villages, and the 95% figure applies to households. They should therefore be read as three separate indicators rather than combined into one rate.
| 2022 operating-system measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Operating power plants of at least 1 MW | 94 |
| Total installed capacity | 11,661.12 MW |
| Reported annual generation | 58,700.61 GWh/year |
| Operating hydropower plants | 81 |
| Hydropower capacity | 9,615.14 MW |
| Hydropower generation | 45,703.25 GWh/year |
Targets and projects under construction
The Lao government’s unconditional Nationally Determined Contribution target for energy is 13 GW of installed hydropower capacity, according to the Lao PDR BTR1. The same source reports about 70 hydropower projects over 5 MW under construction during its reporting period.
Together, those projects provided 9.7 GW of capacity and had potential electricity production of 46,045 GWh per year. The BTR1 states that the hydropower sector still had about 3.3 GW remaining to reach the 13 GW NDC target.
The construction figures describe projects above a stated size threshold and their potential or planned contribution. They are distinct from the 2024 count of 90 installed hydropower plants and from the 2022 count of 81 operating hydropower plants. In particular, “under construction,” “installed,” and “operating” describe different project statuses.
The stated 13 GW target also differs from the broader national development potential of 23,000–26,000 MW. The potential range is an estimate of development potential, while the NDC figure is an unconditional energy target.
EDL-Gen’s operating portfolio
EDL-Gen’s 2024 annual report records 15 hydropower projects and one solar project in its portfolio. At the end of 2024, EDL-Gen’s total operating installed capacity was 1,736.72 MW. This is an EDL-Gen portfolio measure, not the capacity of all hydropower plants in Laos.
Within that portfolio, EDL-Gen’s wholly owned hydropower projects totaled 717 MW at the end of 2024. Its equity-stake independent power producer capacity totaled 1,019.72 MW. EDL-Gen’s wholly owned hydropower plants generated 2,558.17 GWh in 2024.
The company’s 2024 report also references an earlier 2023 invitation report in which its wholly owned hydropower plants totaled 13 plants with 944 MW. Because the report identifies this as a previous figure, it should be treated as a historical portfolio reference rather than as the end-2024 total.
Nam Ngum 1 illustrates how a single project can change over time. EDL-Gen’s Nam Ngum 1 opening report states that the project expanded from 30 MW at construction start to 275 MW today. The same report gives December 2, 1971 as the original commissioning date and describes the plant as operating for 55 years from 1971 to 2026.
Major operating hydropower projects
Several project-level sources provide capacity and annual-energy figures for individual Lao hydropower projects. Nam Ngum 2 has installed capacity of 615 MW and average annual energy of 2,310 GWh per year, according to EDL-Gen’s Nam Ngum 2 HPP information. The source also identifies two units associated with the project’s 615 MW scale.
Nam Ngum 5 has installed capacity of 120 MW and average annual energy of 421 GWh per year, according to EDL-Gen’s Nam Ngum 5 HPP information. Nam Theun 1 has installed capacity of 650 MW and average annual energy of 2,555.5 GWh per year, according to EDL-Gen’s portfolio page.
Theun-Hinboun has multiple reported capacity figures tied to different project descriptions. EDL-Gen’s project information states that its expansion added 280 MW, including 220 MW from a new turbine and 60 MW at the new dam. A World Bank REEPS appendix reports the power plant capacity as 210 MW and average annual generation potential as 1,645 GWh. The figures should remain associated with their respective project descriptions and sources.
Xayaburi has installed capacity of 1,285 MW. Its average annual energy generation is reported as about 7,400 GWh by the XAYABOURI HPP and CKPower impact report, while Lao Hydropower’s project page gives 7,370 GWh per year. Xayaburi is described as a run-of-river plant in the XAYABOURI HPP and EDL-Gen project information.
| Project | Installed capacity | Reported annual energy |
|---|---|---|
| Nam Ngum 2 | 615 MW | 2,310 GWh/year |
| Nam Ngum 5 | 120 MW | 421 GWh/year |
| Nam Theun 1 | 650 MW | 2,555.5 GWh/year |
| Xayaburi | 1,285 MW | About 7,400 GWh; another source: 7,370 GWh/year |
Nam Theun 2: infrastructure, ownership, and exports
Nam Theun 2’s current project page reports installed capacity of 1,080 MW and average annual energy produced of 6,000 GWh. The project’s Nakai Dam height is 39 m, its catchment area is 4,039 km2, and its reservoir storage volume is 3.53 billion m3, according to Nam Theun 2 project information and its site map.
The EIB project brief gives additional structural measurements: a reservoir area of 450 km2, a dam height of 48 m, and a dam length of 325 m. The two dam-height figures are retained because they are presented in different project sources and descriptions. Nam Theun 2 is also expected to supply around 3 million households, according to the EIB brief.
The EIB project brief reports an ownership split of 35% EDF, 25% EGCO, 25% the Government of Laos, and 15% Italian-Thai Development. The Nam Theun 2 project background states that the watershed management authority receives US$1.3 million from project revenues annually.
The project’s environmental and social programs cost more than US$200 million over the 25-year concession period, according to a Nam Theun 2 press release. The same project reporting states that 95% of output was exported to Thailand and 5% supplied Lao domestic use. A Nam Theun 2 project report gives US$1.9 billion in revenue generated for the Government of Laos.
Projects in development
The Luang Prabang Hydroelectric Power Project has installed capacity of 1,460 MW, according to LPCL. The project is located about 25 km upstream of Luang Prabang town and about 4 km upstream of the Nam Ou confluence. LPCL also places it about 2,036 km upstream from the Mekong mouth in Vietnam and describes it as a run-of-river project without a significant reservoir.
Pak Lay Hydropower Project has installed capacity of 770 MW, with contracted capacity of 763 MW, according to Pak Lay Power. Its annual supply target is 3,246 GWh. The project’s scheduled commercial operation date is March 2032, and its concession term is 29 years.
Pak Lay Power reports ownership of 60% Sinohydro (Hong Kong) Holding Ltd. and 40% Gulf Energy Development Public Company Limited. These ownership, supply, timing, and concession figures describe the Pak Lay project specifically. They should not be added to national operating totals, because the project is presented with a future commercial operation date.
Theun-Hinboun’s overhaul added at least 20 MW of production capacity, according to a KPL report. This is an incremental project figure and is separate from the 280 MW expansion figure reported by EDL-Gen and the 210 MW plant-capacity figure in the World Bank appendix. Keeping the source and project description attached to each number avoids treating distinct capacity measures as one total.