On 1 September, Électricité du Laos Generation Public Company (EDL-Gen) signed an agreement with private firms from Singapore to develop the pumped-storage hydropower (PSH) project.
According to EDL-Gen, the partnership will explore opportunities to boost electricity generation efficiency and ensure long-term grid stability.
Pumped-storage hydropower, which stores and releases energy by moving water between reservoirs at different elevations, is recognized globally as a proven technology to stabilize renewable energy systems by balancing intermittent sources such as wind and solar.
This is not EDL-Gen’s first step toward pumped storage.
On 20 May, the company signed an agreement with PSG Corporation to explore retrofitting existing hydropower plants of EDL and its affiliates into pumped-storage hydropower facilities, as well as integrating solar and wind projects. That feasibility study will take two years to complete, according to state media.
Earlier, in October 2024, Laos and France signed an agreement to study a pumped-storage project near the Nam Theun 2 Hydropower Plant in Khammouane Province. With a planned capacity of up to 2,000 megawatts (MW) of storage, it would rank among the world’s ten largest pumped hydro energy storage systems, according to the French electricity company.
The existing Nam Theun 2 Hydropower Plant, one of Laos’ most significant energy projects, has a capacity of 1,075 MW and began commercial operations in 2010. It diverts water from the Nam Theun River to the Xe Bang Fai River to generate electricity, largely for export to Thailand.
In addition, Laos is advancing innovative mixed clean energy projects.
The development of the Nam E-Moun 1 and 2 complex projects in Sekong Province, agreed in September 2023, will combine regular hydropower , pumped-storage hydropower , and floating solar panels . With an estimated investment of USD 450 million, the project remains in the feasibility stage as of September 2025.
Globally, pumped-storage hydropower has been deployed for decades as a backbone of energy security. China operates the world’s largest PSH capacity, with hubs in Japan and the United States, where the world’s most powerful pumped hydro facility is located.
