The quiet energy revolution in laos | Bangkok Post: business

BY INVITATION

In reading recent newspaper articles, you might be forgiven for thinking that energy in Laos is all about the Xayabouri Dam, and the related issues of putting a very large dam on the mainstream of the Mekong River. But in fact, very quietly and with very little fuss or international controversy, a quiet energy revolution is taking hold in Laos.

Twenty thousand households in Laos have power from solar home systems, an impressive statistic for a poor country.

Laos is far from being a rich country, but its government has already electrified 70% of the population and by 2020 that figure is scheduled to be as high as 90%. Despite similar levels of poverty, Sub-Saharan Africa in comparison only averages 30% electrification. This achievement is made all the more remarkable by the very low level of urbanisation (just 33%), a difficult and traumatic history, and the population spread extremely thinly across the nation (just 23 people per square kilometre).