Cambodia has asked Laos to speed up the transmission of electricity that it purchased earlier this year.
Cambodia’s Electricite du Cambodge (EDC) signed an agreement in March to purchase 200 MW from Laos from 2019 to 2021.
“We hope that Laos will be ready to transmit the energy very soon so that we can avoid a power shortage next year,” said Cambodia’s Commerce Minister Mr. Pan Sorasak during a meeting on August 20 in Phnom Penh with Lao Ambassador Amphay Kidavong.
In response, Mr. Kidavong said he will do his best to speed up the energy transmission, as quoted by Khmer Times.
Cambodia has increased energy imports from neighboring countries, including Laos, amid rising consumption.
The country consumes 2,000 MW every year, with energy imports making up less than 20 percent of total consumption. Cambodia imports energy from Thailand, Vietnam, and, to a lesser extent, Laos, according to the country’s energy authority.
In December last year, Cambodia said it will import more energy from Laos during the visit of its delegation, including Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, to the Lao capital Vientiane.
No details were revealed regarding the amount of energy that will be exchanged, at that time.
Laos is currently pushing for more energy exports by considering it as the key sector expected to drive the growth of the economy.
According to the Lao Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the value of electricity exported jumped from USD 600 million in 2015 to USD 1.4 billion in 2018, making it Laos’s top export earner.
The country’s goal is to earn about USD 1.328 billion from energy exports this year. Under this plan, Laos expects to export 14,800 MW of electricity annually to neighboring countries by 2025.
Laos currently has operational power plants with a total installed capacity of 7,207 MW and electricity generation of 37,366 GWh per year.
