Vientiane Times 18/09/2012

5th trainings in the INES project in Vientiane 17.-19.9.2012 at the Ministry of Energy and Mines.

Open and transparent energy sector dialogue

On September 4 the Swiss organization Helvetas co-hosted together with the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM) a seminar in Vientiane which purpose was to initiate an open and transparent dialogue between the Government of Laos (GoL), civil society organization (CSOs) and development partners on power sector development. Until now CSOs, and especially local non-profit associations (NPAs), have been largely excluded from the energy sector policy dialogue. Since CSOs work with communities affected by power sector development, they could play an important role as serving as a link between the local communities and policy makers and donors. Similar seminars have previously been successfully organized to discuss land issues between the government and CSOs. In power sector this was the first time. 

A large number of both national and international organizations based in Laos participated and discussed the issues related to power sector development. The aim of the seminar was not necessarily to oppose the hydropower development per se, but more so question HOW it is done in Laos. Many of the main concerns of the CSOs were related to Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA), the lack of information in the ESIA process, the project scope of the ESIAs (that is, spatial and temporal borders of the ESIAs), lack of public consultation, inefficient monitoring committees (to monitor project impacts), as well as resettlement and compensation issues. Concerns about the Xayabury dam were expressed too. After the losses, would the Lao people benefit from it at all or would the investors be the only winners in the end? 

Director General of the Department of Energy Planning and Policy, Dr. Daovong Phonekeo, represented the ministry at the seminar. In addition, also other central as well as provincial level government officials participated in the seminar. Dr. Daovong gave a presentation about GoL’s energy sector policy and plans. All the questions and concerns were also answered and he told for instance that the information sharing in the impact assessment process should and will improve. He also encouraged people to report inefficient monitoring committees to the central level MEM. The GoL emphasize the role of energy sector in the national development plan. Energy sector has, according to GoL, also other than monetary benefits such as reduced CO2 emissions, not only in Laos but in the Greater Mekong Subregion as a whole (hydropower from Laos saves 5 million TOE of fossil fuels in Laos and in the neighbouring countries where energy will be exported). In addition, the dams provide flood control, recreation and water for agriculture. 

A number of other issues were also discussed during the seminar. The seminar was a sign of some positive development were power sector issues, also sensitive ones, could be discussed more openly. Greater public participation is necessary in order to let the Lao people decide how they want to develop their country.

MODESPO training session in Finland

The third MODESPO training session took place in Finland between the 20th and 30th of August. A group of eight teachers and lecturers from the ITC (Institute of Technology of Cambodia) arrived to Helsinki-Vantaa airport on a cool +14C Sunday afternoon, very typical for the Finnish summer. 

The first week of the visit consisted mainly of lectures by different experts of TUT (Tampere University of Technology) on different kinds of renewable energy technologies, transmission grids and the kind. The ITC staff also got to see many of TUT’s fancy research equipment, among all the ‘regular’ testing and research equipment at the university. The first week also included a day visit to the summer seminar of the Doctoral Program of Electrical Energy Engineering (DPEEE), which is a Finnish national doctoral program organised in collaboration with a number of research institutes and educational units. The summer seminar was held in Murikka, which is located an hour north from Tampere right by a lake called Näsijärvi. 

After a week of very interesting lectures (really, most of them were interesting) the second week was reserved for various site visits. On Monday we drove to Lahti where we visited a Lahti Energy’s Kymijärvi II power plant. It is presumably the first gasification power plant in the world to “efficiently generate electricity and district heat from Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF)”. The raw material of the SRF is energy-containing waste. At the plant the SRF is gasified and then the gas is purified. The resulting clean ecogas is combusted in an ordinary natural gas boiler. After a presentation of the plant and a tour around its facilities we headed for Energon – a renewable energy research facility funded for the most part by Lahti Science and Business Park and the EU – where we had a close look at different biofuel testing equipment. 

Tuesday was spent in Tampere with visits to Demola – an open innovation platform for students and companies, Moreenia – centre for urban environment, and the Tampere power utility. On the final day of the site visits we went to western Finland to have a look at a wind power park and a biopower plant of Porin Prosessivoima Oy, both located in Pori.  On our way home we did a quick visit to the visitor centre of Olkiluoto nuclear power plant, not renewable energy, but an interesting site nonetheless. 

All in all the third training period turned out to be quite successful. The Cambodian delegation headed back home with many new experiences and knowledge acquired on the latest developments in renewable energies. The Finnish experts were also left with a number of insights and a broader viewpoint to their own field of expertise.