The Lao Government and AMI Renewables Quang Binh Investment Corporation on Thursday in Vientiane signed an agreement to develop a wind power plant with total investment capital of more than US$2 billion.
The AMI Savannakhet wind power project with a total capacity of 1,220MW is part of the Lao government's projects to export electricity to Viet Nam by 2025. It is currently the largest energy sector project that Viet Nam has invested in Laos.
During the ceremony, Sthabandith Insisienmay, deputy minister of Planning and Investment of Laos, expressed his appreciation for the progress made in implementing the project. He also expressed his hope that the investor would continue to closely coordinate with the relevant ministries and localities to ensure the timely completion of the project, while adhering to all rights and obligations.
Nguyen Nam Thang, AMI Renewables Quang Binh Co’s chairman, agreed to abide by the provisions and work together to foster comprehensive collaboration between Viet Nam and Laos.
In December 2022, AMI Renewables Quang Binh and the Government of Laos signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to conduct a feasibility study for a wind farm development project in Laos' Savannakhet Province. The first phase of the plant, expected to generate approximately 252MW, will occupy an area of 2,687 hectares.
By January 2023, this project had been included in the Minutes of the meeting of the Lao-Vietnamese Intergovernmental Committee and was being pursued jointly by the two governments.
The project gained approval from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Ministry of Energy and Mines of Laos for its environmental impact assessment and pre-feasibility report. It was added to the list of projects to export electricity from Laos to Viet Nam by 2025.
The final feasibility report prepared by AMI Renewables Quang Binh is scheduled to be completed and submitted for approval in September 2023. Subsequently, the franchise contract will be signed by the end of 2023. The project is set to commence in the second quarter of 2024, with commercial power generation expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2025.
The AMI Savannakhet wind power plant project is set to become a symbol of strong solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Quang Binh and Savannakhet as well as between Viet Nam and Laos.
Furthermore, the project will promote economic development, enhance energy security, and bolster national defence and security in the Quang Binh region along the Viet Nam-Laos border, while facilitating the opening and upgrading of the Chut Mut (Quang Binh)-La Vin (Savannakhet) border gate in alignment with the land border gate planning for 2021-30 and its vision for 2050. — VNS