Korea’s Kumho E&G to build energy self-sufficient town in Laos
18 September 2018
Kumho E&G Co., a South Korean energy management solution provider, will lead a development aid project to create an energy self-sufficient town in Laos as it tries to recover from a dam disaster that has devastated the country.
The Korean company said Monday it has been named the main contractor for the Laos project, which is part of an energy development assistance initiative of Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The project is expected to cost about $3.3 million for completion by 2020.
The town will be set up at the Nakai-Nam Theun National Biodiversity Conservation Area in Nakai, central-eastern Laos and run on renewable energy such as solar and small hydro power. Kumho E&G plans to train the residents on how to run and maintain the new community so it can be fully self-sufficient.
“We hope this project will provide some hope to Laos residents who have been affected by the recent flood,” said an official Kumho E&G.
In July, a hydroelectric dam under construction in Attapeu province, south-eastern Laos collapsed after heavy rainfall, causing the rivers to flood and submerge six villages. At least 35 people have been killed and up to 100 were missing, with thousands of people left homeless. The dam was a joint venture of Korean, Lao and Thai firms, with Korea’s SK Engineering & Construction the main builder of the project.
Kumho E&G said it aims to build on the Laos project to provide electricity to neighboring countries across Southeast Asia. Last year, the company installed a solar-powered microgrid system and energy storage system in a remote village in Myanmar.
https://pulsenews.co.kr/view.php?year=2018&no=588040
