A Singaporean-Lao joint venture has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Lao government for the development of a clean thermal fired power plant in Sekong.
Evolution Power Investment Corporation (EPIC) and Khounmixay Bridge and Road Construction and Repair Company (KMX) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Laos to conduct a feasibility study on the development of a clean thermal fired power plant in Sekong Province, Laos.
Under the MOU, EPIC and KMX will be permitted to conduct a feasibility study on the economic, social, and environmental viability of a 1000MW clean thermal technology power plant project in Dakcheung District (Sekong).
The goal of the estimated USD 1.7 billion power project, expected to commission by 2027, is to produce reliable year-round electricity for export to neighboring countries like Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia.
Domestic offtake (use within Laos) is also expected, and the project intends to use domestically-extracted fuel sources to generate power for export, thereby adding value to local natural resources and optimizing foreign exchange.
A number of thermal power technology options will be studied such as conventional pulverized boilers (PC), circulating-fluidized-bed (CFB) boilers all of which will operate within at least an ultra-supercritical (USC) steam parameter which determines how efficient the fuel source can be spent.
The MOU was signed by Vice Minister of Planning and Investment Ms. Khamchanh Vongseneboun, on behalf of the Government of Laos, and KMX Vice President Mr. Khamthanh Phommathat on behalf of the EPIC-KMX joint venture company.
At the ceremony, KMX Vice President said: “Thermal power has and will play an important part in the power generation mix for the ASEAN region and given the global headwinds against thermal power in terms of its environmental impact, it is critical that the latest technologies be used to minimize such impact. This is precisely the intention of our project by working with world-class construction and power equipment manufacturers in delivering sustainable energy that meets the reality of tomorrow’s power demand in the most efficient and environment-friendly manner.”
Commenting on the MOU, EPIC Executive Director Don Lim, who was unable to attend the signing ceremony because Laos had closed its international borders to curtail the spread of Covid-19, said: “We are extremely excited to have reached this important milestone for the development of our flagship project with the Lao government and believe we can make a significant contribution to not only the country’s energy sector, but also regional markets as well given the significant shortfall in baseload energy supply such as in Vietnam. We thank the government for this opportunity and hope to implement the project according to high standards.”
Established in 2018, Evolution Power Investment Corporation (EPIC) is a privately-held Singapore-based energy development and advisory firm that provides integrated development, finance, commercial, and engineering services to the power and energy sectors (conventional & renewables) in Southeast Asia. Drawing on a deep understanding of the global energy and power industry, EPIC also provides advisory services to developers and lenders in support of greenfield project development, financing, recapitalizations, mergers, acquisitions, and restructurings. Their clientele consists of corporations and project owners in Southeast Asia with total enterprise or project investment values between USD 500 million and USD 2 billion.
KMX is a Vientiane-based construction firm that has extensive experience in road and bridge construction and repair. It has handled numerous state infrastructure projects in several provinces in the south of Laos, particularly in Sekong Province.
