Country energy profile · South-Eastern Asia · latest data 2024

Laos energy mix & electricity

Power plants in Laos produced 52.3 TWh of electricity in 2024. More than half of it, 76.5%, came from hydropower; coal was a distant second with 23.3%.

Hydro 76.5%Coal 23.3%

Renewable electricity

76.7%

76.7% low-carbon incl. nuclear

#32 of 158

Carbon intensity

232g/kWh

World 458 g

#50 of 158 cleanest

Electricity per person

6,733kWh

World 3,860 kWh

#33 of 158

Generation

52.3TWh

+37.2 TWh vs 2014

#55 of 213

Net exports

37TWh

235% of demand

#2 of 45 exporters

Electricity generation by source in 2024

Share of electricity generation by source, with the change in percentage points over the last ten years.

Laos electricity mix 2024

Source	TWh	Share	10-yr Δ pp
Hydro	40	76.5%	−23.5
Coal	12.18	23.3%	+23.3
Solar	0.09	0.2%	+0.2
Bioenergy	0.04	0.1%	+0.1
Total	52.31	100%

Laos: electricity in context

Power plants in Laos produced 52.3 TWh of electricity in 2024. That is similar to Oman. More than half of it, 76.5%, came from hydropower; coal was a distant second with 23.3%.

Renewables supplied 76.7% of the electricity, which ranks Laos 32nd of 158 countries (in the top quarter). This puts it 43 points above the world average of 33.8%. It is also above the average for Asia (27.3%). Generating one kWh emits about 232 g CO₂e here (world average: 458 g). The grid is comfortably cleaner than the world average. On carbon intensity, Laos ranks 50th of 158 from the cleanest.

Since 2014, hydropower has added the most generation in absolute terms (+24.9 TWh), yet its share of the mix fell by 23.5 percentage points because other sources grew even faster. Measured by share of the mix, coal gained most, up 23.3 percentage points. The net effect: renewables lost 23.3 percentage points of share since 2014. Total generation grew by 37.2 TWh over the same period. Carbon intensity, however, rose from 24 to 232 g/kWh (+875%).

Against the global trend, coal’s share has risen by 23.3 percentage points in ten years, to 23.3%.

Wind and solar remain marginal in Laos, together supplying under 1% of electricity.

Laos generates 6,733 kWh of electricity per resident each year, 1.7 times the global average. Laos is a net exporter, selling 36.7 TWh more electricity abroad than it imports (235% of domestic demand).

How the power mix has changed

Electricity generation by source since 2000. Switch to shares to see the structural shift independent of demand growth.

Electricity generation by source, 2000–2024

Renewables and carbon intensity

Laos against the world and Asia averages.

Renewable share of electricity (%)

Carbon intensity (g CO₂e/kWh)

Solar and wind share of electricity since 2000 (%)

Total energy: beyond electricity

Primary energy covers transport, heating and industry too. Per person, that is 10,100 kWh a year (world: 21,654).

Fossil fuel production (TWh)

Domestic extraction of coal, gas and oil, in energy terms.

Power plants in Laos

The WRI Global Power Plant Database lists 20 utility-scale plants in Laos with a combined capacity of 5 GW. Hydro plants account for the largest slice (62% of listed capacity). The biggest single plant is Hongsa (1,878 MW, Coal). The database was last updated in 2021, so newer wind and solar farms and rooftop PV are under-represented.

Listed capacity by fuel (MW)

Map of the largest plants loads when you scroll here…

Largest power plants

#	Plant	Fuel	Capacity MW	Commissioned	Owner
1	Hongsa	Coal	1,878	2016	Hongsa Power Company Limited
2	Nam Theun 2	Hydro	1,070	2010	EDF
3	Nam Ngum 2	Hydro	735	2011	—
4	Theun Hinboun	Hydro	280	2012	Electricite de Laos (EDL)
5	Xekaman 3	Hydro	250	2012	Xekaman 3 Power Company Limited
6	Houay Ho	Hydro	157	1999	Suez Energy
7	Nam Ngum 1	Hydro	155	1990	Electricite de Laos (EDL)
8	Xeset 1	Hydro	121	1990	—
9	Nam Lik 1-2	Hydro	100	2010	Nam Lik 1-2 Power Company Limited
10	Nam Leuk	Hydro	60	2000	Electricite de Laos (EDL)
11	Nam Ngiep 3A	Hydro	44	—	Phongsubthavy Road and Bridge Construction Company Ltd.
12	Nan Mang 3	Hydro	40	2011	Electricite de Laos (EDL)
13	Nam Pha Gnai	Hydro	19	—	Nam Pha Gnai Hydropower Company Ltd.
14	Xe Namnoy 2 - Xe Katam !	Hydro	15	—	SV Group Co. Ltd.
15	Xenamnoy 1	Hydro	15	—	Phongsubthavy Road and Bridge Construction Company Ltd.

Source: WRI Global Power Plant Database v1.3 (CC BY 4.0). Explore all 20 plants on the interactive power plant map.

Solar & wind farms: Laos

30 utility-scale facilities tracked by Global Energy Monitor (2026): 1.1 GW of solar and 0 MW of wind operating, plus 9.5 GW under construction or planned.

See them on the map Largest solar & wind farms: Laos →

How does Laos compare?

Laos next to 6 neighbouring countries, plus regional and world averages. Click a column to sort; use “Compare” for full side-by-side charts.

Country	Renewable %	Low-carbon %	Fossil %	gCO₂/kWh	kWh / person	Generation TWh
Laos	76.7%	76.7%	23.3%	232	6,733	52.3	—
China	37%	41.7%	58.3%	525	7,474	10,583	Compare
Vietnam	45.4%	45.4%	54.6%	461	3,051	310	Compare
Thailand	16.6%	16.6%	83.4%	546	2,628	188	Compare
Myanmar	47.9%	47.9%	52.1%	503	398	21.7	Compare
Cambodia	40.9%	40.9%	59.1%	499	995	17.8	Compare
Macau	30.8%	30.8%	69.2%	474	1,083	0.8	Compare
Asia average	27.3%	32.1%	67.9%	573	3,749	18,015	Compare
World average	33.8%	42.6%	57.4%	458	3,860	31,772	Compare

Calculators for Laos

Solar panel outputHow much a rooftop PV system would produce in Vientiane, using NASA weather data.Prefilled for Vientiane →Wind turbine energyAnnual energy and capacity factor of a turbine near Vientiane.Prefilled for Vientiane →Electricity CO₂Emissions of your electricity use. The grid here averages 232 g/kWh.Calculate emissions →Compare countriesPut Laos side by side with China or up to three others.Open comparator →

Laos energy: frequently asked questions

What percentage of electricity in Laos is renewable?

In 2024, 76.7% of the electricity in Laos came from renewable sources (hydro 76.5%). The world average is 33.8%. Laos ranks 32nd of 158 countries; see the full ranking.

What is the main source of electricity in Laos?

Hydropower is the largest source of electricity in Laos, providing 76.5% of generation in 2024, followed by coal (23.3%).

How clean is the electricity in Laos?

Electricity in Laos has a carbon intensity of about 232 g CO₂-equivalent per kWh (2024), against a world average of 458 g/kWh. That is relatively clean. Charging an electric car that uses 15 kWh/100 km therefore emits around 35 g CO₂e per km from electricity.

Does Laos have nuclear power?

No. Laos generated no nuclear electricity in 2024; its low-carbon electricity comes entirely from renewable sources (76.7% of generation).

How much electricity does Laos use per person?

Laos generates about 6,733 kWh of electricity per person per year (2024), compared with a world average of 3,860 kWh. Including all fuels for transport, heating and industry, primary energy use is about 10,100 kWh per person.

How much solar power does Laos produce?

Solar panels produced 90 GWh in 2024, 0.2% of the electricity in Laos. The solar share is up 0.2 percentage points in ten years. You can estimate what a rooftop system would produce at your address with our solar panel calculator.

Does Laos import electricity?

On balance, no: Laos was a net exporter in 2024, selling 36.7 TWh more electricity abroad than it bought.

Sources & references

Our World in Data: Energy dataset (CC BY 4.0) — compiled from the sources below
Ember: Yearly Electricity Data — generation, shares, carbon intensity
Energy Institute: Statistical Review of World Energy — primary energy, fossil production
U.S. Energy Information Administration: International Energy Data — gap-filling for smaller countries
World Resources Institute: Global Power Plant Database v1.3 (CC BY 4.0) — power plant locations and capacity

Electricity data: Ember and Energy Institute Statistical Review via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0); latest year 2024. Power plants: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). Rankings exclude systems under 1 TWh and values older than 2020. Figures may be revised by the original publishers.