Sino-Lao joint venture delivers assets to remote Laos' community

New school classrooms, a clinic and a community hall were among assets handed over by a major China-backed hydropower project to a remote community in Laos' northern province of Xiengkhouang on Friday.

Nam Ngum 5 Hydropower Company General Manager Song Huihong officially handed over the assets to Phou Khoun district Governor Viengthong at a ceremony attended by company representatives and villagers held at the new school building.

The company is a joint venture between majority stakeholder Sinohydro Resources, a 100 percent subsidiary of Power China, and Electricite du Laos (EDL), the country's largest power enterprise.

Nam Ngum 5 Power Company General Manager Song told Xinhua that the asset transfer was undertaken as a result of the project agreement as well as in response to subsequent requests from the local community as part of the company's social responsibility efforts.

He said one of the keys was effective communication channels between the operating company and society at local, district, provincial and national levels.

"After two years of project operations so far, we are proud to have been able to supply stable and cheap power to EDL and contribute to the socio-economic development of Laos," Song said.

Nam Ting primary school principal Khamphouey said the new buildings, located closer to the village and with the benefit of electric power, represented improvement for both teachers and students, approximately 10 percent of whom are not yet able to converse in the national language at time of commencement.

He told Xinhua the current school campus was located across a river from the village, which had presented challenges particularly during the rainy season, especially prior to the construction of a better bridge linking both sides of the Nam Ting River also funded by the company.

"The old school site is a little far, so the new one will be closer to their homes than the old one. The new building will also give us extra space and the school enrollment is expected to jump to 150 students next year," Khamphouey said.

Deputy village chief Thongpanh said the asset transfers were a welcome contribution to the ongoing development of the village of 519 and a wider area which is home to a multiplicity of ethnic groups.

"Since we have had access to electricity and refrigeration, we no longer have to go fishing every day for subsistence. Now we are more free to do other things as well."

The village, home to 103 households, was first connected to the power grid in 2013 by Electricite du Laos, prior to which it relied on expensive and more polluting diesel power generation. Endi