Laos looks for CTG’s continued investment in its clean energy sector, minister says

Laos hopes power giant China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG) will continue to invest in its clean energy sector as well as power transmission and transformation projects as part of its efforts to improve its energy mix, the country’s energy minister said.

CTG has invested in and built three hydropower plants in Laos and constructed three power transmission and transformation projects through EPC model, making significant contribution to the country’s social and economic development, Lao Minister of Energy and Mines Khammany Inthirath said at the sideline of the 2019 Annual Conference of Chinese National Committee on Large Dams (CHINCOLD) held in mid-November.

The minister expressed hope that CTG will continue to make investment in the country’s power as well as power transmission and transformation projects.

He said that most of Lao’s hydropower projects are located in the north and south of the country due to its geographic features, while its domestic power consumption is mainly concentrated in the central regions.

Lao boasts unique geographic advantages among ASEAN countries and the country has signed power purchase agreements with a number of neighboring nations. However, the country’s transmission and distribution network is not fully developed. The Lao government is currently conducting research on clean energy options such as wind and solar power.

The resource-rich Laos boasts an exploitable energy source of 27000MW, of which nearly 10,000MW has been developed with hydropower taking a lion’s share of 80 percent. The Lao government is currently studying how to replace part of hydropower with thermal, solar, wind and biomass power so as to address the power shortfall during dry seasons.

The strong power demand in neighboring countries creates a favorable market prospect for Laos’ electricity export and the government is now working hard to devise an optimized energy mix that fits the country, according to the minister.