Quang Tri (VNA) – Electricity supply fromVietnam has facilitated economic development in Laos and improved livingstandards of villagers in border districts, said Vilaphorn, assistant to Directorof the Electricity Corporation of Laos (Electricite Du Laos - EDL) on August 7.
He made the statement at a conference on Vietnam – Laoselectricity purchase held by the Electricity of Vietnam’s Central PowerCorporation (EVNCPC) in the central province of Quang Tri.
On August 4, 1998, the EVNCPC and EDL signed an agreementto supply electricity for the Lao province of Savannakhet, which shares theborder with Quang Tri, via Lao Bao border gate. The deal marked the start ofcross-border power trading between Vietnam and Laos.
The second agreement between the two sides was inked in2003 to provide electricity for Samouay, a district of Salavan province insouthern Laos, which also shares the border with the Vietnamese province.
From 2009 to 2015, three more Lao districts – Dak Cheungand Kaleum of Se Kong province and Phouvong of Attapeu province – started to accesspower from Vietnam as the cooperation expanded.
Over the last two decades, the EVNCPC has made constantefforts to expand and upgrade the power grid to satisfy the increasing demandfor electricity in Laos.
In 2015, the EVNCPC replaced a 35kV single-circuit line witha 22kV double-circuit line for power transmission from Lao Bao 110kVtransformer station to Laos and upgraded the power transmission line via DakOoc border gate in the central province of Quang Nam.
According to EVNCPC Deputy Director General Pham Sy Hung,the conference aimed to review to electricity trading between Vietnam and Laosand provide an opportunity for the two sides to exchange experience and learnabout new advanced technologies to improve the management of power generationand trading. –VNA