Nearly 6,000 households in Vientiane Capital are still recovering from a hailstorm that struck the city last week. To ease the financial burden, the state electricity utility announced that affected families will receive free or half-price electricity for the next three months.
Electricite du Laos (EDL) announced the relief measure on 28 March, covering 5,915 households across affected villages in Sikhottabong and Naxaythong districts.
Families consuming under 300 kilowatt-hours per month (kWh), roughly the amount a typical household uses running fans, lights, and a refrigerator for a month, will receive a full exemption, while higher-consumption households will receive a 50 percent discount.
The total value of the subsidy is estimated at over LAK 15 billion (approximately USD 687,000).
The announcement follows a hailstorm on 22 March that swept through both districts with little warning, damaging homes across 17 villages, injuring nine people, and leaving thousands of families without power. EDL crews mobilized the same night, working around the clock until electricity was fully restored to all affected areas within three days.
The scale of the response reflected the severity of the disaster.
On 27 March, the Lao People’s Army dispatched 146 soldiers to help residents with house repairs and other recovery work.
On the following day, President Thongloun Sisoulith and Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone visited the affected areas alongside other senior officials, delivering over LAK 5 billion (approximately USD 230,000) in assistance to victims.
