Forum summary . 7-8 May 2026 . Thavisouk Hotel, Vang Vieng

The 7 main challenges
facing Lao hydropower

Ranked by how serious they are and how many dam operators they affect.

After the May 2026 forum, we read every operator and regulator presentation and grouped what they said into seven challenges. Each one is scored from 1 to 80. Click any challenge to see the details.

Source
20 presentations
Dams covered
93 nationally, 16 operators briefed
Period
2025 wet season + 2026 outlook
Convened by
Department of Energy, MoIC

Key numbers from 2025

01 / 06

A quick read on the year that just ended. These are the figures everyone at the forum kept coming back to.

4
typhoons in 90 days
11,775
m3/s peak inflow at Nam Ngiep 1
586
GWh of electricity wasted
35/93
dams with an approved emergency plan

The 7 challenges, ranked

02 / 06

Each challenge is scored by multiplying how serious it would be if left alone (1 to 5) by how many of the 16 operators are affected. Maximum score: 80. Click any card to read more.

Most urgent
Score 50 or more
Fix now
Important
Score 30 to 49
Fix within 12 months
Watch
Score under 30
Keep an eye on it
!

How the problems connect

03 / 06

The weather sets things off. Operational gaps make it worse. Government capacity is the one thing the country can fix that helps everything else. Everything else is the damage.

The starting problem
What goes wrong
The fix that fixes everything else
Where the damage shows up

Why it matters and what must change

04 / 06

Why it matters

    What must change

      Dams covered by the forum

      05 / 06

      Sixteen operators presented at Vang Vieng. Click any dam to see capacity, river, and the issues raised.

      What happened in 2025

      05b

      The four typhoons and the events that followed.

      The 7-step flood management plan

      06 / 06

      Presented at the forum by the Mekong River Commission Secretariat. To be approved by the National Water Management Committee. Click any step to read the full description.

      MRC