Innosea has joined the owner’s engineer team as technical advisor for one of the world’s largest floating solar projects, to be built in south-east Asia Laos.

The Nam Theun 2 hydropower plant reservoir in Laos will host a 240MW floating solar plant covering an area of about 3.2 sq km.

The hydropower dam’s solar extension will increase existing electricity generation with minimal use of space and no land intrusion.

Innosea, which is part of ABL Group, will provide support for wave and anchoring studies, during the course of the development of the project where hydro and floating solar plants will be mutually beneficial.

The floating solar islands are expected to reduce water evaporation that will in turn increase annual power production of the hydropower plant.

Benoit Briere, senior project manager at Innosea, said: “The Nam Theun 2 solar project is exciting as it can demonstrate cost and energy potential from integrating floating PV with existing power plants and technologies.

“Energy clustering of solar with hydropower is believed to potentially boost electrical output of existing plants by 10%, without occupying land space.”