AEC Feed

It could be a further two years before Lao authorities start building a road from Luang Prabang province to the Vietnamese border at Dien Bien Phu province despite a funding commitment by Vietnam.
A senior official in charge of the proposed project at the Ministry of Public Works and Transport told the Vientiane Times on Monday that the next step would be a detailed survey to identify any potential social and environmental impacts.
“Although the Vietnamese government has committed to support construction of the road, there are still several steps to go through including the project design and bidding process,” he said.
“I think it might take about two years for construction to get under way. Some sections of the road will be completely new, so it will require a lot of work.” 
The 110-km road is expected to cost about US$87 million. It will run from the Meuangngoy junction in Ngoy district to the Vietnamese border in Phonthong district.
During a two-day official visit by Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to Laos last month, nine agreements worth millions of dollars were inked by representatives of the two nations.
One of them was for the road between Luang Prabang province and Dien Bien Phu province, which was signed by the Lao Ministry of Public Works and Transport and the Vietnamese Ministry of Communication and Transport. – Vientiane Times

More power plants in store for Lao province
Laos’ Attapeu province plans to develop a further 18 hydropower projects by 2025 in order to reduce its electricity dependency on outside sources, the Provincial Energy and Mines Department reported recently.
Attapeu has considerable potential for the construction of both small and large hydropower plants and many companies have already signed memorandums of understanding for the construction of these plants across the province.
During the 2016-17 fiscal year, the province imported just over 24 megawatts (MW) of energy from outside sources.
Provincial Energy and Mines Department director Vithaya Phommachanh said so far three hydropower projects – Huoay Ho plant with installed capacity of 152 MW, Xenamnoy1 plant with installed capacity of 14.2MW and Xekaman1 plant at 290 MW - have been built.
Six hydropower projects are being built. These are: Xepian-Xenamnoy plant with installed capacity of 420 MW, Namkong1 plant with installed capacity of 160 MW, Namkong 2 plant with installed capacity of 66 MW, Xekaman-Sanxay plant with installed capacity of 32 MW, Namkong 3 plant with installed capacity of 45 MW and Houay Sanong with installed capacity of 0.65 MW. – Vientiane Times

Iskandar developer unfazed by China push
Malaysian developer UEM Sunrise has been tasked with growing one of five flagship zones, Iskandar Puteri, and is known for big projects like EduCity and Puteri Harbour. 
The arrival in the Iskandar region of giant Chinese property players has prompted many Malaysian developers to rein in their ambitions but UEM Sunrise, one of Iskandar Malaysia's biggest land owners, welcomes the challenge.
Backed by Malaysian sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional, the Malaysian developer regards the headlines and hype generated by the huge Chinese investment as a bonus, given that they have raised awareness of the ambitious Iskandar Malaysia development and given its own projects a lift. – The Straits Times