Commission Received for Project to Strengthen Laotian Electric Power Sector's Business Management Capacity

Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc. and Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc. have been awarded a contract from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for a "Project to Strengthen the Laotian Electric Power Sector's Business Management Capacity."

The project is scheduled to last about 30 months, from October 2010 until March 2013, with the objective of supporting business management capacity improvements in the electric power sector in Laos*.

We will hereafter be sending staff to Laos to proceed with the project and provide technical support for the nation's electric power sector.

Chubu Electric Power and Kansai Electric Power have previously participated in a project to help Laos establish electric power technology standards, and both companies will use this experience to carry out their new project in Laos and make an international contribution by helping to develop human resources through our support.

*The electric power sector in Laos:
Department of Electricity, Ministry of Energy and Mines, which has jurisdiction over electric power policy; provincial energy and mines authorities, which have jurisdiction over regional electric power policy; Electricite du Laos, which operates an electricity business; and other organizations concerned with electric power.

Outline of project

(1) Project area: Throughout Laos

(2) Project period: October 2010 - March 2013 (approx. 30 months)

(3) Contracted businesses: Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc. and Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc.

(4) Nature of project

• Strengthening use of electric power technical standards
• Enhancing capacity for electricity business licensing administration

(5) Project background

The electric power sector in Laos has an important role in the socio-economic development of the country. As such, it is planning and carrying out numerous projects, including development of power sources and building transmission and distribution networks.
In the future, the country will need to strengthen the electric power administration and electricity business management capacity of its electric power sector in order to sustainably maintain and further develop the electric power infrastructure it is currently building.
The Lao government therefore asked the Japanese government for technical cooperation. Conducting the project will strengthen the business management capacity of the electric power sector in Laos.