SOCPES Power & Energy Blog

05/01/07 – Kplnet - Hydropower development bases on industrial modernisation

(KPL) The hydropower development is the next five years priority plan (2006-10) of the Ministry of Energy and Mines to focus on the production of substitute energy that less environmental impact.
The generation of electricity production for supplying in nation and exports transmission system and the non-system development electricity.
This is according to a report of Minister of Energy and Mines Dr Bosaikham Vongdara who reasoned that the electricity development sector is a primary factor for drafting policy on industrial modernisation as well as produce for export attract more income in the nation.
At present, the Government has licensed to 111 companies to invest in the exploitation and survey of mines in the country, of which 54 companies are foreigners and for the rest are local investors.
There are 17 minerals have been exploited, including gold, copper, silver and potassium.
The biggest exploitation belongs to foreign investor in Viraboury district of Savannakhet province, copper in particular has been produced in March 2005. The potassium mines will be excavated early this year. A gold mines in Saisomboun area o Vientiane province has been exploited since 2005 and copper is expected to produce by 2008.
The bauxite mines in Sekong, Champassak and Attapeu province is now under the survey procedure and a lignite mines in Hongsa district, Sayaboury province is under the construction of plant.
The state budget in 2005 gained from mining sectors reached over 90 billion kip, of which 75 billion kip of Sepol mines and in 2006 expects income to get from the mining sector reach about 120 billion kip and 99 billion kip from Sepol mines.
On average increased by 17.41 percent annually till to 2010 and the state budget will gain about US$25-30 million per year.