Govt approves electricity purchase from Laos

BANGKOK: -- Plans to purchase electricity from Laos's Nam Nguen 2 Project edged closer to fruition today when the National Energy Policy Commission today gave the green light to a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the proposed deal.

Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-Ngam told reporters after a meeting of the commission this morning that the meeting had approved the draft MOU on the project, which is expected to be signed in the third quarter of the year, with the first electricity from the deal flowing into the Thai system by July 2010.

The Nam Nguen 2 Project will produce around 2,310 million units of electricity a year for Thailand, at a cost of Bt1.99 per unit for the duration of the 25-year contract.

The project, which will be funded by a consortium calling itself South East Asia Energy Co. Ltd, will entail 107 kilometres of electricity cables in Laos being connected with a further 93 kilometres of cables on the Thai side of the border.

One quarter of the investment in the project will come from the Laotian government.

The scheme is being touted as beneficial to both countries, with Thailand gaining the ability to meet its energy needs, while Laos will gain much-needed revenue.

--TNA 2005-04-07

What happens when the Lao economy starts to ramp up and they need

all the WATTs they can generate?

Thailans should be self sufficient!!