Vientiane, February 1, 2020

GolfPressArticle2020Over 87 million kip was raised for infrastructure improvements at rural schools on February 1 when the Theun-Hinboun Power Company (THPC) and its major shareholder, Electricité du Laos Generation (EDL-Gen) hosted a Charity Golf Tournament at Vientiane’s Lao Country Club.

The amateur tournament is organised each year with the assistance of the Lao Golf Federation to raise funds for specific charities, with previous recipients including those affected by flooding in 2018 at Attapeu province, the Thongphong School for Blind Children and the Lao Chess Federation.

All expenses involved with the golf event were covered by THPC, which then charged each participant 500,000 kip to join the tournament. The revenue collected nearly 170 golfers will be used to improve school buildings in rural areas, with both EDL-Gen and THPC currently evaluating cases where the funds can best be used.

 

Saravane and Sekong provinces, 10 December 2019

Saravane and Sekong farmers whose crops were damaged by floods in early September have received a boost through the donation of rice and seeds by two power companies.Sekong RiceandSeedRiceHandovered

The Theun-Hinboun Power Company (THPC) and its major shareholder, EDL-Generation, have handed over 20 tonnes of rice and 10 tonnes of seed rice to the authorities of each province, following an appeal by the government for assistance in helping flooded communities recover.

THPC’s Deputy General Manager, Soulideth Baomanikhoth, said the donation was small considering the scale of the natural disaster across the southern provinces, but that it was a heartfelt gesture from the companies and their staff, and one that could make a real difference for those families receiving the rice.

Salavanh RiceandSeedRiceHandoveredThe total value of the donation was 418 million kip, which Mr Soulideth said was raised from three sources: the sale of recycled metal from the Theun-Hinboun power station, collection of donations from EDL-Gen and THPC staff, and a contribution from the company’s disaster response fund.

Mr Thongphet Douangngeun, Deputy Managing Director of EDL-Gen, presented the Grade B rice and rice seed (Thadokkham, Vientiane 2 and Xebangfai varieties) to the Vice Governor of Saravane, Mr Vysien Navikoun and to the Director General of Labour and Social Welfare for Sekong, Mr Khamsone Konyer.

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1Khounkham District, November 27, 2019

Khounkham Community Radio Station has celebrated getting on the air in Khammouane Province with a launch party at Phousaat village.

Supported by a grant from the Theun-Hinboun Power Company (THPC), the station has been testing broadcasts across Khounkham district since June. It now transmits for 13 hours every week day. According to Mr Keomany Keonyodkhoun of the district Information, Culture and Tourism (ICT) Department, the station can reach 90% of villages in Khounkham plus adjacent areas in Hinboun, Khamkeuth and Viengthong districts.

THPC Deputy General Manager Soulideth Baomanikhoth officially handed over the broadcast equipment to Khounkham District Governor Keolandon Chanthapany at a ceremony in the village, witnessed by Khammouane Deputy Governor, Mr Khamsy Outhivong.

Established by Khounkham authorities to improve access to public information across the district, the radio station project was supported by provincial and central ICT offices and the Ministry of Energy and Mines. THPC, the main driver of economic growth and infrastructure in the district since its inception, provided over US$32,000 of funding. 

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At the station launch government officials thanked THPC for their constant support to development in Khounkham and presented the company with a certificate of appreciation signed by the Prime Minister, Thongloun Sisoulith. The handover was followed by traditional dances and performances as part of Ban Phousaat’s Boun Kong Kao, or harvest festival.

See KPL Lao News Agency article

Hinboun District, December 6, 2019

Farmers in two villages of Hinboun District in Khammouane Province have taken control of a new irrigation system built by the Theun-Hinboun Power Company (THPC).

Inspect

Nateuy and Nongdong villages now each have 300 metres of upgraded irrigation facilities, servicing a combined area of 60 hectares of agricultural land. In each village system there are ten gates to control flow of water according to seasonal needs, with the water provided by electric pumps from the Hinboun River.

The new brick canal system replaces a previous hand-dug trench and the new pumps replace an old diesel model. THPC has funded all the upgrades, and also installed transmission lines and transformers for the irrigation scheme. Villagers from both Nateuy and Nongdong joined in the planning of the systems and helped with construction.

Both villages have comparatively low incomes for the area and rely on dry-season rice for much of their food and income. The Hinboun River floods their fields regularly in the wet season, with the flooding becoming more intense since THPC operations began in 1998. To compensate for this the hydropower company has funded the fuel needed for the irrigation system for many years, and has also provided the villagers with domestic electricity connections, plus assistance for cash crops such as rubber trees.

The THPC Deputy General Manager, Soulideth Baomanikhoth, officially handed over ownership of the irrigation systems to the villagers and district authorities on December 6 and said the company will guarantee maintenance and any repairs required for the next three years. THPC will also cover the cost of the electricity needed for the irrigation pump over that time.

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According to Mr Soulideth, the irrigation systems cost over US$338,000. THPC is also building a new water supply system in the villages, with many households already benefitting from the bore wells provided.

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Vientiane, Lao PDR, October 17, 2019MktWeb1

Villagers from Khamkeuth District in Bolikhamxay took advantage of a rare opportunity to access the market in Vientiane Capital in October, selling their vegetables and traditional brooms at the World Food Day Market for 2019.

Ms Phoui of Phonthong village travelled to Vientiane with 150 kg of fresh vegetables and 200 handmade brooms from farmer production groups in Keosenkham, Nongxong, Phonthong and Sopphouan villages in Khamkeuth, and was doing a brisk trade on the market’s opening day.

The four villages are home to families resettled under the Theun-Hinboun Hydropower Expansion Project, which opened in 2013, and have for the last ten years received assistance from the Theun-Hinboun Power Company (THPC) to build sustainable livelihoods.

Over the past two years villagers have been working with THPC and Click Lao Marketing Company to improve sales of their produce. Farmers have specialised their products according to local conditions and demand. Ms Phoui now takes vegetables grown at Phonthong under Good Agricultural Practice guidelines to the Lak Xao district capital market every day, providing an income stream for villagers in the production group.

In Ban Nongxong, THPC has built a market for villagers to sell their produce and the company sources fresh MktWeb2vegetables for its canteen and workers from the market when possible. In Keosenkham, villagers use social media site Facebook to market their high-quality traditional brooms, made from naturally foraged broom grass and other sustainable wild materials.

The farmers’ group lobbied THPC for help to attend the World Food Day market at Vientiane ITECC, with Click helping the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to promote the event under the theme of a healthy diet for a #ZeroHunger world. Ms Phoui said that THPC provided transport for her and the village products, while the farmers’ group paid her accommodation and expenses. With her spring onions and Chinese kale selling quickly, it looked like a decent investment.

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