Laos seeks electricity integration at Asean ministerial meeting
Vientiane Times September 15, 2014 5:40 pm
Laos eyes selling electricity to Singapore through Thailand's and Malaysia's transmission lines.
Laos is set to push for regional electricity integration at the upcoming 32nd Asean Energy Ministers Meeting (AEMM) scheduled to take place on September 22-24 in Vientiane.
Speaking in a press conference last week, Deputy Minister of Energy and Mines Viraphonh Viravong said energy integration is envisioned to facilitate the trade in electricity among the countries in the region.
He told local media that Laos is prepared to host the 32nd AEMM and its related meetings.
The related meetings included Asean Plus Three [three dialogue partners - China, Japan and Republic of Korea] Energy Ministers Meeting and Asean Plus Six [China, Japan and Republic of Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand] Energy Ministers Meeting.
The Asean energy ministers will also hold meetings with the International Atomic Energy Agency’s officials.
Sharing lessons learnt on energy policies will dominate the meetings, according to the deputy minister.
Various issues were on the agenda for discussion at the 32nd AEMM including cooperation on a gas pipe connectivity project and Asean oil stockpile project.
Panel discussions initiated by Laos are set to be convened on the sidelines of the meetings where energy experts will be invited to share energy-related views such as energy development, use and trade.
For instance, as Laos is striving to become the Asean battery, in this context Laos wants to hear from experts about what the opportunities and challenges are, Viraphonh said.
"This is what we want from these panel discussions," he said.
The possibility of electricity integration in the region was also put on the agenda for the discussions.
Pushing for electricity integration, Viraphonh said Laos eyes selling electricity to Singapore through Thailand’s and Malaysia’s transmission lines.
In this context, he explained that discussions would focus on the possibility for integration and the opportunities and challenges such integration would raise.
"We will discuss the possibility both technically and commercially," he said.
Experts from the World Bank, Asia Development Bank and other organisations will be invited for discussion and the sharing of views.
Officials of the four counties - Laos, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand have held several talks on electricity integration with Singapore agreeing in principle to purchase 100 MW of electricity from Laos under a pilot scheme, while Thailand and Malaysia offered their support.
Laos is now selling electricity at a unit price of more than seven cents per kWh to Thailand and more than six cents per kWh to Vietnam and Cambodia, while the unit price in Singapore is about 20 cents.
The Lao electricity transmission line is already connected with Thailand’s, while the Thai network is connected with Malaysia’s and the Malaysian transmission line is connected with Singapore .
Viraphonh said if governments of the four countries agreed to the integration, technical officials are required to carry out a study on the possibility both technically and commercially.
Up to 300 participants were expected to attend the 32nd AEMM and its related meetings.