French energy company Electricide de France (EDF) will build a 240 MW floating solar power plant in Laos under a project development agreement (PDA) with the federal government. It will be located on the reservoir of Nam Theun 2 Hydropower Project.
The company set up to build and operate the facility, called Nam Theun 2 Power Company Limited (NTPC) said on completion, the project would be the largest hybrid floating solar project in the world. It will be set up on 3.2 sq. km surface area of the reservoir or less than 1% of the reservoir's area at full supply level.
Nam Theun 2-Solar or NT2-Solar will be a hybrid project wherein the 240 MW floating PV facility will complement the existing 1.08 GW hydropower project. According to the NTPC, solar power will be used during the day and save hydro power, meaning less water is used.
EDF, that's a co-owner of the NTPC, will co-develop the project with Laos Holding State Enterprise (LHSE) and Thailand's Electricity Generating Public Company (EGCO). Construction is targeted to start in 2022, and it will become operational by 2024.
"The Nam Theun 2-Solar project will provide clean, safe, reliable, and competitive electricity, with no major environmental or social impact. The water saver concept, which allows to turn variable solar energy into additional and stable hydroelectricity, is an innovation to generate renewable electricity in a more reliable manner," said EDF's Vice-President Asia, Jean-Philippe Buisson.
In July 2021, Singapore's Sunseap said it will build the world's largest floating solar PV project in Indonesia with 2.2 GW capacity and 4,000 MWh energy storage (see World's 'Largest' Floating PV Project Planned In Indonesia).