Laos to focus on development of renewable energy

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Occasions/Asia Information Community): The federal government has vowed to diversify vitality sources in Laos by putting extra emphasis on renewable vitality sources, notably electrical energy generated by photo voltaic, wind and biomass methods.

The transfer is a part of the federal government’s efforts to make sure vitality safety, addressing the electrical energy scarcity within the dry season and minimising imports.

At current, 81 per cent of the electrical energy consumed in Laos is generated by hydropower, adopted by coal-fired energy vegetation with 17 per cent.

In the meantime, renewable vitality sources similar to solar energy and biomass signify solely 2 per cent of the facility utilized in Laos, in response to a current report from the Ministry of Vitality and Mines.

The federal government plans to extend the proportion of renewable vitality to 11 per cent, as endorsed in its five-year plan for 2021-2025.

Conversely, the proportion of electrical energy used from hydropower and coal-fired energy vegetation will account for 75 per cent and 14 per cent respectively by 2025.

There are at the moment 90 energy-generating vegetation throughout the nation, with a mixed put in capability of practically 11,000MW. These embrace 77 hydropower vegetation, 8 solar energy vegetation, 4 biomass schemes, and 1 coal-fired energy plant.

Though no new energy vegetation have grow to be operational within the first six months of this yr, the federal government is pushing for progress within the development of large-scale vitality initiatives as stipulated in its five-year plan.

Amongst them are the Nam Ngum 3 hydropower plant, coal-fired energy vegetation in Lamam and Kaleum districts of Xekong province and Bualapha district in Khammuan province, and dams on the Mekong in Luang Prabang and Vientiane provinces.

The primary problem is that about 1,500MW of potential electrical energy era is wasted by hydropower stations throughout the high-flow moist season, whereas Laos has to import electrical energy from Thailand within the dry season. The worth that EDL pays for this imported energy makes it nearly twice as costly as imported electrical energy sourced from EGAT.

Laos has the capability to provide 10,000-15,000MW of solar energy and about 100,000MW of wind energy, in response to Deputy Minister of Vitality and Mines Dr Sinava Souphanouvong.

Wind farms producing 1.6 gigawatts are actually deliberate, together with the 600-megawatt (MW) Monsoon Wind undertaking in Xekong and Attapeu provinces which can promote electrical energy to Vietnam, in response to the Asian Improvement Financial institution’s Asian Improvement Outlook 2022.

In July final yr, the federal government and shareholders within the Nam Theun 2 hydropower plant signed a Undertaking Improvement Settlement to develop Nam Theun 2-Photo voltaic, with an put in capability of 240MWp. The photo voltaic undertaking can be constructed on the Nam Theun 2 reservoir in Khammuan province.

The federal government has pledged to faucet the potential of the vitality sector, notably the event of hydropower, photo voltaic and wind energy, in order that extra electrical energy could be bought to neighbouring nations.