The Tokyo Electric Power Company, Inc. (TEPCO) and Nippon Koei Co., Ltd. today began 
on-site study in the Lao People's Democratic Republic (hereinafter "Laos") for the "Power 
System Planning Study," a project that the two companies have undertaken on consignment 
from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
This study includes the following activities: the formulation of a 20 year (2011 to 2030) 
power system plan; identification of the top system construction projects in the plan and 
basic design of the eventual most preferred one.; the transfer of technologies related to 
the power system plan to the Department of Electricity, the Ministry of Energy and Mines, 
and to Electricite du Laos (EDL) via technical training and seminars.

In Laos, demand for electricity is increasing year after year due to economic growth and 
the improved electrification rate. The Department of Electricity of the Ministry of Energy 
and Mines, which is responsible for electricity administration, has set goals to further 
improve the electrification rate and promote the export of electricity to neighboring 
countries for the purpose of acquiring foreign currency. To achieve these goals, the 
Department of Electricity is making efforts to interconnect domestic main power grids that 
are operated independently and to optimize and stabilize power systems in cooperation with 
the EDL, a state-owned power company.

As part of these efforts, the Lao Government requested of Japan, a nation possessing rich 
experience in technology cooperation in the field of power transmission and transformation, 
to assist them in this Power System Planning Study. In response, JICA issued a call for 
proposal, in which TEPCO and Nippon Koei were chosen to jointly undertake the project. 

Negotiations have been underway between the two companies and the JICA in order to 
finalize a contract. Consequently, the contract was concluded on October 31, and TEPCO 
and Nippon Koei effective as of today began onsite activities for the study.

TEPCO possesses a reliable track record in many foreign countries of leveraging its 
technological expertise and know-how in carrying out various consulting projects, such 
as power resources system plans and energy conservation master plans. Likewise, in this 
project, TEPCO hopes to contribute to the Lao electric utility industry mainly through 
the formulation of a power system plan that will be foundational to the country's power 
development. 

Appendices 
 Appendix: Outline of the "Power System Planning Study" in Laos (PDF 9.39KB) 
 Reference: The Electric Utility Business in Laos(PDF 179KB)