Lao government has vowed to diversify its sources of energy by developing solar, wind power and coal-fired power plants to minimize the amount of electricity re-imported from neighboring countries in the dry season.

The $3.3m project will be funded by the Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to help the country recover from the collapse in July that left 36 people dead, 98 missing and 6,600 displaced.

Household solar systems have taken hold in Laos, but PV deployment on a grand-scale is being held back by a focus on hydropower, according to delegates at the Solar & Off-Grid Renewables Southeast Asia Event in Bangkok.

The Ban Houaypha mini-grid is the first step within the Fondation’s long-term rural electrification strategy in Laos that aims to implement 15 solar village grids for nearly 500 people.