GE inks MoU to develop energy sector in Laos

GE will bring its expertise and experience to two initiatives designed to help Laos advance its ambitions of becoming an important power producer and exporter in Asean.
Wouter Van Wersch, president and Chief executive of GE Asean, said the MoU was a milestone for GE in Laos as it enabled the company to bring its energy insights, expertise and experience to the country and support important development programmes that were key in achieving future economic growth.
Laos has experienced a rapid growth in installed hydropower capacity and is a region leader in potential future capacity. The MoU aims to develop a fully qualified Hydro Lao PDR workforce via GE’s potential contribution to the design and development of Hydro curriculum, hydro technical training in GE’s industrial facilities, Laos’ hydro power plants, or partners |universities premise – developing local leaders via access to GE’s |corporate training and fostering access to power to local |communities.
Another initiative described in the MoU is a national grid study to be conducted by GE Energy Consulting with the aim of contributing to the security and reliability of Electricite du Laos’s transmission network. Under the initiative, GE will analyse the existing grid system to identify current constraints and make recommendations for improved performance.
The feasibility of consolidating the grid infrastructure in Laos, especially to merge the domestic network with that which links its power plants to customers in |neighbouring countries, will also be assessed as will the proposed network expansion plans for the next four years.
In addition to the signed MoU, GE announced the opening of its representative office in Laos.