Laos / Myanmar: Union Minister attends meetings on energy cooperation

A delegation led by Union Minister for Electric Power U Nyan Tun attended the 8th Joint Working Group Meeting and the 7th Joint Working Group Meeting on Energy Cooperation on December 25 in Vientiane of Laos.

In the meetings, the Union Minister highlighted energy cooperation between the two countries under the MoU in 2018 and the MOU Amendment in 2023. Myanmar will need 14,542 megawatts of electricity by 2030.

The Union Minister also said he is happy to discuss the framework specifications for the power purchase contract (draft)and that the two countries have been able to form technical working groups to jointly study the construction of hydropower projects in the Mekong River Basin.

According to previous studies, 3 to 4 hydropower projects can be implemented along the Mekong River and there is a potential to obtain total electricity from 2,800 MW to 3,200 MW. It’s beneficial to implement the Myanmar-Laos cross-border power line project soon.

In his part, Minister for Energy and Mines Mr. Phosay Sayasone highlighted 3 processes to be carried out - to sign the Power Supply Framework Agreement between the two countries, to work with a team of consultants who will analyze the technical requirements of the Myanmar-Laos power system connection and the amount of power to be acquired, and to cooperate with the Lao company and the Myanmar company on the feasibility study of hydropower projects in the Mekong River basin.

On December 26, the Union Minister and party studied the construction of a hydropower project to generate 1,460 MW, heard explanations and made discussions on the project. On December 27, the delegation concluded their Laos trip and arrived back in Yangon.