Details

Funding

Project Description

Energy cooperation in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) has commenced since 1995 under the GMS economic cooperation program. Among GMS members, there was a consensus that subregional electricity trade based on interconnected electric power networks would provide significant economic and environmental benefits for individual countries and the entire GMS. It would enable members to reduce national investments in the power reserves maintained to meet peak demand. Other benefits would include (i) a more reliable supply of electricity, including power supply from an interconnected network in case of a power failure; (ii) lower operational costs; (iii) reduced greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants; and (iv) consumer access to the cheapest and most environmentally sustainable sources of electricity in the subregion. Given these benefits, GMS energy program has focused on promoting the enabling policy environment for cross-border power trade and coordinating the development of transmission and associated facilities of GMS countries. To create policy environment to enable electric power interconnection and trade in the GMS, a policy statement on power trade was endorsed at the GMS Ministerial Conference in January 2000 and the Inter-Governmental Agreement on Regional Power Trade was expected to be prepared and signed by 2002. In addition, to realize power trade, there was a need to prepare the long-term master plan on physical power interconnections in the GMS. In this context, it was agreed in December 1998 among GMS members to update a 1996 power transmission study and prepare an indicative master plan for subregional transmission development up to 2020.

Progress (as of March 2021)

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Building a Sustainable Energy Future: The Greater Mekong Subregion
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