Updates from March 2021
This month, USAID Clean Power Asia, in collaboration with the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), hosted a hybrid event on the Dissemination Meeting on Presenting Final Results of Integrated Resource and Resilience Planning (IRRP) and RE Zones Implementation for Laos. Program staff and SEI presented the final high-priority least-regrets pathways resulting from the IRRP model; shared potential opportunities to apply and use IRRP results and renewable energy zones work to inform and improve the current and future Lao power development plans and transmission planning; discussed next steps for handing over the IRRP model and related work to the Government of Laos; and strategized on future collaboration with other international organizations and donors. Meeting participants included the IRRP core team from the Ministry of Energy and Mines, the Department of Energy Policy and Planning, Électricité du Laos (EDL), EDL-Generation Public Company; and representatives from the USAID Laos Energy Security Program (LES), Japan International Cooperation Agency, and New Zealand-Laos Renewable Energy Facility. Following this event was another virtual meeting on transitioning the IRRP and REZ implementation work, where program staff presented the second side case on integrating the IRRP model with near-term solar targets by 2025 and 2028 and identifying and scoping potential areas of transitioning IRRP work to the new USAID Laos Energy Security program.
How we improve power sector planning
USAID Clean Power Asia supports integrating climate targets into energy planning to help ensure that both policy and the regulatory environment support low emission growth. In addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and deferring or even eliminating the need to build new conventional capacity for energy, scaling up renewable energy (such as solar, wind, small hydro and biomass residues) can deliver significant development benefits. These include providing reliable energy access, improving air quality, reducing health costs, boosting economic growth, mitigating transnational conflict, promoting food security and biodiversity, as well as reducing direct energy costs.
The program supports the establishment and updating of national renewable energy targets and the integration of these targets into power development plans and integrated resource plans for the power sector. USAID Clean Power Asia works to rationalize the planning and development of renewable energy by linking it to the transmission planning process and the program is helping to establish a collaborative stakeholder process for renewable energy zone development in the region.