Xeset 2 Dam Hydropower Info - Xeset II Dam - by Hobo Maps - Go to Hydropower Projects Page - - - Home
Xeset 2 Hydropower Project is part of a cascade of power plants on the Set River. The project is located in the Bolaven highlands of Saravan Province, southern Lao PDR. Xeset (river) is a tributary of the Xedon (river) which in turn is a tributary of the Mekong River. All 3 Xeset hydropower projects are located within the Xeset watershed drainage basin.
Xeset 1 & 2 projects are only 2 km apart and seen together at the location in image below:
The closest large township is Saravane approximately 35 km north east of the project. The project is about 80 km east of Pakse on National Road 20.
Xeset 2 project commenced construction on August 8, 2005 and was completed on August 7, 2009. Xeset 2 project was originally owned and operated by Electricite du Laos (EDL) but ownership was later transferred to EDL GEN.
The project was developed through a loan from the China ExportImport Bank of $108 million in 2004 along with a contribution from Electricite du Laos.
China-based Norinco Intl. was lead contractor of the Project.
Xeset 1 & 2 hydropower project sites in image below:
Xeset 1 & 2 Hydropower Projects are connected and share the same flow of water in part coming from the diversion of water from the Houay Tapuong and other streams. These diversions pass thru the Xeset 2 powerhouse and then the Xeset 1 powerhouse generating electricity twice as shown in the image below.
Satellite image view of Xeset 1 & 2 hydro projects layout below:
Xeset 2 power plant satellite image below at coordinates - 15°29'15.8"N 106°17'01.0"E (15.487722, 106.283611). The blue roof is a new expansion of the powerhouse that added 10 MW capacity in 2023.
Xeset 2 dark blue original turbines below followed by tourquoise color expansion turbines in 2023.
The Xeset 2 project is a run-of-river hydropower project on the Set River above the existing Xeset 1 hydropower project in Saravane Province. Included within the Xeset 2 project is the diversion of the Houay Tapoung to the Set River to improve the power generation capacity of the Xeset 1 and Xeset 2 projects.
The $135 million Xeset 2 dam is located at the six metre-high Tat Teuay (Tad Teuay) waterfall on the Set River near the village of Ban Da Sia Nhay. The 16 metre-high dam creates a reservoir that covers 1.6 sq km.
The Xeset 2 project also includes a 12 meter-high dam built on the Houay Tapoung stream near Dong Noi village, Lao Ngam district that diverts the Houay Tapoung’s water through a 1.6 km-long canal and 6.8 km-long tunnel to the Xeset 2 reservoir.
Diversion of the Houay Tapoung supplements the flows for both Xeset 2 and Xeset 1. The diversion canal captures and diverts the upper Houay Pao stream (another Xeset tributary) to the Xeset 2 reservoir. The canal or tunnel also crosses the lower Houay Dok.
Xeset 1 and Xeset 2 hydropower project locations in map below:
The Xeset 2 project comprises main dam, reservoir, diversion channel, pressured inlet tunnel, shaft, powerhouse, switchyard, transmission line and substation as well as upstream trans-basin diversion works. The original Xeset 2 Project has two vertical Francis turbines with total installed capacity of 76 MW as seen in the chart below.
A 10 MW expansion of Xeset 2 was completed in Feb. 2023 which brings the total capacity now to 86 MW. The expansion included a new powerhouse and two new turbine/generator sets of 5 MW each. The 86 MW project now has an annual energy output potential of 309 GWh.
Xeset 2 Dam & Reservoir images below:
The total length of the dam crest is 647 meters and width of the overflow dam is approximately 114 meters. The dam is designed as a spillover dam without gate control. The Xeset 2 Dam will be self-flushing. The normal reservoir storage level elevation is at 813 meters above sea level.
The headrace system of Xeset 2 Power Station is mainly comprised of a 1,531 meter-long intake canal, power intake, a 6,806 meter-long pressured headrace tunnel, a surge shaft and a 1,529 meter-long pressure pipe (penstock).
Xeset 1 & 2 Hydropower dam locations shown below along with Houay Tapoung and Dam (at the bottom):
The Xeset 2 Dam and Power Station consists of a low concrete intake dam, an intake pond with a live storage of 800,000 cubic meters, a 1.5 km long headrace canal intake, a 6.9 km long unlined low pressure headrace tunnel, an underground surge chamber, a 1.15 km long penstock with a 3 meter diameter and a surface power house with a short tailrace canal leading to the Xeset 1 intake pond.
Xeset 2 powerhouse image below:
The intake canal elevation is 806 meters above sea level with a length of 1,531 meters. The intake pond of the Xeset 2 project is designed for daily peaking. A minimum downstream release of 0.5 cubic meters per second is to maintain some water flow in the lower sections.
The Xeset 2 project is connected to the existing 230 kV transmission line from Houay Ho. It has been proposed that the Houay Ho and Xeset projects be operated as one power unit to complement each other.
The Xeset 1 and Xeset 2 powerhouses are connected via a 37 km long double-circuit 115kV transmission line from the switchyard of Xeset 2 to the Paksong substation.
Xeset 2 switchyard image below:
Houay Tapouang diversion canal images below:
Xeset 2 Dam is located at mid section of map below:
The expansion project is described in a new 2024 YouTube video HERE .
Older but nice video of Xeset 1 & 2 hydropower projects HERE .
Xeset 2 Hydropower Project was the first hydroelectric power project in Laos to qualify as a clean green project under the Kyoto Protocol and receive carbon-reduction credits under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). View or download their CDM application HERE .
NOTE: “Xeset” translates as “Set River”. In Southern Laos "Xe" means “River”. Xeset is pronounced as "say set".
Xeset River Hydropower map below shows Xeset 1, 2 & 3 hydropower projects in the lower area plus Houay Por project at the top - all on the Xeset (river):
Click to see larger scale version of this map below - Xeset Dams Map Large Scale
