The NT2 investment group acknowledges that its evacuation of the sixteen villages from the reservoir area has not gone on as quickly as planned because of repeated delays in the construction of new resettlements and the search for farming lands for the villagers.
So far only eight villages have been evacuated, of which only two have been resettled in areas that have farmlands, while members of the other six villages still live on temporary land.
The Nam Theun 2 hydro-power station, in Khammouane Province, is scheduled to start operating in 2009 to transmit 995 megawatts of electricity a year to Thailand for 25 years under an agreement signed with Thailand's EGAT. During that time, Laos stands to receive two billions dollars a year.
The Lao government has said it will used the money toward its poverty reduction efforts to fund comprehensive integrated rural development projects, as pledged to the World Bank.
Listen to our Laos Today report for more details.