Prime Minister of Laos Sonexay Siphandone (right) and Cambodian Minister of Mines and Energy Keo Rattanak during their meeting in Vientiane. - Vietnam News/ANN
PHNOM PENH/VIENTIANE (Vietnam News/ANN): Cambodia and Laos have reiterated their commitments to cooperate in the energy sector, after a recent meeting between Lao PM Sonexay Siphandone and visiting Cambodian Minister of Mines and Energy Keo Rattanak in Vientiane.
As reported by Cambodia’s English-language newspaper Khmer Times, as part of efforts to meet the growing demand for energy, Cambodia imports around 25% of its power requirement from Laos, Vietnam and Thailand. Currently, the nation imports 445 MW from Laos, with their power trade projected to reach 6,000 MW by 2030.
With the launching of a new 500-kilovolt electricity transmission line linking a power substation at a village in southern Champasak province of Laos to the border area of Cambodia last year, the energy ties between the two nations have scaled new heights.
According to a PwC report titled “Regional electricity trade in Asean: The road ahead to an integrated and greener electricity future,” Laos has significantly more generation technical capacity compared to its domestic consumption needs and exports up to 78% of the volume it generates.
It has exported electricity to many countries, including Vietnam, Thailand, China and Singapore.
By 2030, Laos is expected to generate an additional 5,559 MW of electricity. Of this, 77.59% will come from hydropower and the rest from solar, wind, and coal-fired power plants. - Vietnam News/ANN
