Laos has earned USD 2,012 million from the export of electricity to other countries this year, up by 12 percent compared to last year.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Planning and Investment, Dr. Sonexay Siphandone told the National Assembly that Laos had exported 26,972 million kWh of power to other countries, according to Vientiane Times.
He said that a total of 7,253 million kWh worth LAK 7,547 billion was also supplied to the domestic market.
Laos now has 86 sources of energy with a combined installed capacity of over 10,400MW, with 80 percent generated by hydropower dams. The other sources of power include coal-fired, biomass, and solar power plants.
Minister of Energy and Mines, Dr. Daovong Phonekeo, told the country’s National Assembly that more power plants are under construction that will generate electricity for sale to neighboring countries and other ASEAN nations.
The sale of electricity is one of Laos’s main income earners, particularly through sales to Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Myanmar.
Singapore also announced in September that it would trial the import of electricity from Laos via Thailand and Malaysia following an agreement between Keppel Electric and Electricite du Laos (EDL).
But Laos must still rely on electricity imports from Thailand during the dry season, purchasing power at a higher rate than it sells.
Electricity supply for domestic consumption currently exceeds demand and is only expected to grow.
The Ministry of Energy and Mines estimates that demand for electricity in Laos will grow by up to ten percent per year as the country develops.
At least 95 percent of households across the country now have access to electricity, with 93 percent of all major provincial capitals and towns now connected to the grid.
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