Vientiane, the capital city of the Lao PDR, hosted the 32nd meeting of energy ministers for Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN) on September 23-24. THPC was proud to support the Lao Ministry of Energy and Mines in organising the meeting, known as AMEM 32. In total, THPC donated US$21,000 towards this successful event.


Lao Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong opened the meeting on September 23, emphasising the importance of energy cooperation and power integration in Asean, and the potential of hydropower as a clean, non-polluting and renewable energy source.AMEMsmall


Over the two days the Asean members and their cooperation partners reaffirmed their commitment to cooperation in the areas of energy security, oil and natural gas markets, renewable energy, and better energy efficiency and conservation.

Laos was recognised during the meeting as a leader in regional cooperation and interconnections for exported electricity. The country already has 23 interconnections with Thailand, seven for the power trade with Vietnam, four with China and two with Cambodia. At the side of the meeting Laos also held discussions with Singapore for an arrangement to supply 100 MW of power to the island state through the grids of Thailand and Malaysia.


Another initiative under discussion was the possibility of a grid-to-grid power purchase agreement with Thailand to bring about greater reliability with lower costs and improve Laos's ability to sell excess energy and capacity during the rainy season.


The Lao Ministry of Energy and Mines also agreed to set up an energy cooperation working group with Vietnam to promote connections between the two countries.

 

Click here for press reports from AMEM 32