LUANG PRABANG – RUN-OF-RIVER POWER PLANT, LAOS

The Luang Prabang hydropower plant is a 1,460 MW run-of-river plant on the Mekong in the Lao People's Democratic Republic, developed to supply around 6,577 GWh of renewable electricity per year to the Thai market from 2030.

The project includes some of the world's largest Kaplan turbines, with runners 9.1 m in diameter, as well as a 51 m-high roller-compacted concrete (RCC) dam, seven turbine-generator units, an 8-bay spillway, a two-chamber navigation lock and state-of-the-art fish passage facilities.

Together with TEAM Consulting Engineering, BauCon International ZT GmbH (BCI) is responsible for the detailed design of the project's main concrete structures, including the powerhouse, spillway, navigation lock and cofferdams. The services cover civil and structural design, hydraulic and hydrological modelling, project management and BIM coordination.

A highly detailed LOD 400 BIM model serves as the central coordination platform, enabling seamless collaboration between the international design teams and the local project office. The project demonstrates the integration of state-of-the-art engineering, digital design and sustainable river infrastructure in a landmark hydropower project.

GENERAL PROJECT DATA

  • Client: Ch. Karnchang Lao PDR

  • Location: Mekong mainstream, Lao PDR

  • Start of construction: 2021

  • Planned commissioning: 2030

  • Installed capacity: 1,460 MW

  • Annual generation: 6,577 GWh

  • Scope of services: Design management and detailed design for the EPC contractor (lead designer)

MAIN STRUCTURES

  • Powerhouse: 7 vertical Kaplan turbines of 200 MW each, discharge of 765 m³/s per unit, plus 3 × 20 MW auxiliary Kaplan turbines

  • Navigation lock: 2 chambers, total lift of 34 m

  • Spillway: 5 radial gate bays + 3 stoplog bays, total capacity 38,300 m³/s

  • Powerhouse side bays: Erection bays for the main powerhouse and channels for upstream and downstream fish migration

  • RCC dam: 51 m high

    •    Sets the state of the art for fish passage facilities on large rivers.