Low Carbon News in Laos in October 2014
23 October 14
Laos Officials visit Korea to bolster knowledge of electricity industry
Some 21 government officials departed Vientiane on October 18 for the Republic of Korea, where they will undergo a capacity building training programme to enable them to better manage Laos’ electricity industry. The training programme is sponsored by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and will run from October 19 to November 1.
The programme will provide participants with up-to-date information on the power sector, including power generation, transmission, distribution and retailing to improve the efficiency of the power system. They will also discuss current systems used in the power industry by sharing Korea’s own experiences. Programme participants include senior officials and technical staff from the Ministry of Energy and Mines, Electricite Du Laos (EDL), and EDL-Gen
Newspapers/vientianetimes/2014-10-23.pdf
23 October 14
Laos enters negotiation on EU FLEGT
Assurance of the legality of Lao timber is a step closer after negotiations with the European Union (EU) regarding forestry law enforcement, governance and trade commenced. The three day training workshop on timber legality assurance has been co-organized by the ministry, the Asean Secretariat and the EU FLEGT Facility hosted by the European Forest Intitute. The workshop aims to enhance capacity, facilitate an exchange of experiences and foster increased collaboration among agencies and stakeholder groups in Southeast Asian nations that are working on timber legality assurance. About 70 participants gathered, including high ranking delegates from eight Asean member states and those of the EU and India.
Five Asean member states are engaged in Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs) processes with the EU, with one implementing and four about to start negotiations. They are Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. The partnerships ensure that only legal timber products enter the EU market, good forest governance and law enforcement is promoted in the producing countries while taking into account social and broader environmental considerations. The Forestry Department Director General Mr Thongphat said that Laos is working to strengthen forest governance in the country with FLEGT VPA being one of the avenues that can contribute to this.
Newspapers/vientianetimes/2014-10-23.pdf
20 October 14
Officials work to give Vientiane breath of fresh air
Vientiane Public Works and Transport Department officials last week held a meeting to gather constructive feedback for the Vientiane Clean Air Plan (CAP), under the Clean Air for Smaller Cities in the Asean Region project.
The Clean Air for Smaller Cities in the Asean Region project is being undertaken by the Vientiane Public Works and Transport Department and German International Cooperation (GIZ) to produce a clean air plan to be widely accepted by stakeholders and implemented in the capital. As part of the project, the Vientiane Public Works and Transport Department will install dust monitoring equipment next month in four points of the capital. Vientiane is one of 12 cities in seven member countries implementing the project made up of Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The clean air project is being implemented as part of the ‘Cities, Environment and Transport’ regional programme. Its objective is to empower smaller cities to develop and implement Clean Air Plans (CAPs) in conjunction with local government units, universities, civil society and the private sector. The project also provides advisory services for baseline condition assessments, such as air quality data, emission inventories, transport reviews and seeking financial assistance through development bank. The project has also developed standardised modular air quality management training called ‘Train for Clean Air.’ The project has developed five priority courses including air quality management and air quality monitoring techniques for different target populations, among them decision-makers, technical officers and influencers (NGOs, media, civil society).
/Newspapers/vientianetimes/2014-10-20.pdf
15 October 14
United States to assist Laos with hydropower management
The United States will provide technical assistance to Laos concerning hydropower plant management and operation, and hydropower technical sustainability. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Sounthone Xayachak and the US Counsellor of the Department of State Mr Thomas A. Shannon signed the agreement on the assistance project.
The more than US$1.7 million project will be implemented under the cooperation framework of the Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI). The assistance from the US government, with the United States Agency for International Development representing, will focus on technical assistance and training funding according to the proposal from the Lao side.
The assistance under “Smart Infrastructure for the Mekong Programme Project” will include initiatives on dam safety and flood control regarding operation of a hydropower plant, sediment flushing from a reservoir of a dam, and development of fish-friendly sustainable hydropower technology guidelines. Around US$526,000 will focus on dam safety and flood control, US$499,000 on sediment flushing, and US$750,000 on building the guidelines.
Newspapers/vientianetimes/2014-10-15.pdf
11 October 2014
Income from electricity generation hits US$880m
The total income generated from electricity sales for the 2013-14 fiscal year hit more than US$880.9 million, a remarkable increase compared to a year before, according to a recent report. Of the total, income generated from electricity exports totaling more than 11,332 million kwh reached some US$535.47 million, an increase of 6.62 percent compared to a year before.
Although exported large amounts of electricity, the country has also imported power from its neighbours to electrify communities along the border where the Lao electricity network does not reach. During 2013-14 Laos imported electricity from neighbouring China, Thailand and Vietnam totaling more than 1,164 million kwh, amounting to US$63.21 million.
Minister of Energy and Mines explained that the Lao electricity grid does not access all communities across the country, notably along the borders so Laos needs to import power from its neighbours where the grids are closer to the communities in question. Officials said doing this will cut spending and save money given that investing into expanding the electricity network to every single small community in rural areas would cost much more money compared to importing power for some communities. He explained that the electricity Laos currently produces already exceeds the amount that the whole country needs for domestic consumption.
Laos now has 25 operational hydropower plants with a total installed capacity of about 3,230 megawatts, while total demand for domestic consumption is only about 1,000 megawatts, meaning that only one third of the current production can fulfill the whole country’s needs as they currently stand.“We are importing [the electricity] just because our transmission line system is not connected,” he said
Newspapers/vientianetimes/2014-10-11.pdf