New substation to power Vientiane province
New substation to power Vientiane province
The 155/22kV Kasy Substation in Kasy district, Vientiane province is set to meet the electricity demands of the district and its neigbouring districts of Vientiane and Luang Prabang provinces.
The newly-constructed substation was funded by the Electricite du Laos (EDL) and is worth more than US$10 million.
It aims to supply sufficient electricity to villagers in the target area, in line with government policies.
The official opening ceremony for the substation was held last Thursday in Kasy district, Vientiane province.
Minister of Energy and Mines Mr Soulivong Daravong, Deputy Governor of Vientiane province Ms Singkham Khongsavanh and EDL Deputy Managing Director Mr Boun-oum Sivanpheng were present at the ceremony, along with other important guests.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Soulivong said the government was implementing its strategic plan for electricity development to ensure there was enough power for every family in the country.
“For many years, Kasy district has faced the difficulty of insufficient supply of electricity so EDL has been doing its best to address a long-time unsolved issue,” he said.
Mr Soulivong said the completion of the substation would allow the development of local businesses.
“The development of electrical systems is a high priority of the government to allow development in different sectors, including businesses, economics and other relevant sectors.”
A ccording to the government plan, around 70 percent of th e population should be able to use electricity in 2010, and 80 percent by 2015. The further target of 90 percent having access is set for 2020.
“Ach ieving this goal is a challenging task for the energy sector, especially for EDL. But it is good news for us because by the end of last year we were reaching 83 percent of families with electricity nationwide,” Mr Soulivong said.
An agreement on the construction project was reached between EDL, the project contractor and the project developer IETL Company Limited (Thailand) in 2012 and work commenced in February 2013.
Mr Boun-oum said Krung Thai Bank had given a loan of US$205 million for the development project.
He said there were four electrical development projects comprising of electric transmission systems in the provinces of Savannakhet, Khammuan, and Champassak and Vientiane.
These ongoing improvement projects together cost US$93.7 million.
Work on the Nam Hinboun Hydropower p roject worth US$489.9 million is still underway.
The newly completed Kasy substation is worth US$10.9 million and the Nongdeun substation that opened last year is also worth over US$10 million.
vientiane times
