The China Southern Power Grid (CSPG) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that confirms their commitment to helping develop the Laos national power grid. It was signed in Vientiane, the capital of the country, confirming their assistance on a feasibility study to build and develop the said grid.
Lao Deputy Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone witnessed the signing. Board chairman Li Qinkui was there to sign the document on behalf of CSPG. Lao Minister for Planning and Investment Souphanh Keomisay and Managing Director of Electricite du Laos Boun Oum Syvanpheng were also there to witness the signing, per Xinhua Net.
The project, which is done with the cooperation of the two sides, will help build a complete national power grid. This is meant to complete the power requirements of the nation in terms of power transmission as well as electric supply. In turn, this will also complete the power requirements of the nation as they push forward on developing infrastructure and critical projects.
This is in line with the government's plan to have more households in Laos powered and to continue to spur developments in far-flung areas. Asia News Network reports that, so far, the government spending for the national power grid was in the billions.
In the Ministry of Energy and Mines' report, the funding was set at 142.82 billion Laotian kips (USD 17 million), which will be distributed for the development of new transmission lines. The first nine months of 2017 was allotted for the development of the energy sector. So far, the government has spent 106.74 billion kips (USD 12.5 million) for the energy sector, which was good for 73.19 percent of the projects.
So far, this improvement has yielded 68 substations powering its neighboring households. It was up from 58 in 2016, powering about 1,092,611 families. This is almost 100 percent-94.23 percent, to be exact-of families that need electricity. The others, around 7,032, used renewable power sources like solar energy.
The aim of the project is to maximize the potential of Laos' natural tributaries and use it to power the entire nation. As of the present, the Mekong River has been accounted for 25,000 MW power production. The government eyed at least 12,000 MW of power produced through the harnessing of the Mekong River's flow by 2025.
