Vang Vieng, 6 May 2024: Senior Energy Economist Dr Han Phoumin led a delegation of experts who participated in the ongoing development of a white paper on ‘Energy Security Policy Direction for Inclusive and Sustainable Development in Lao PDR and the Implication for ASEAN’, to meet with officials from Lao PDR’s Ministry of Energy and Mines led by Permanent Secretary Khamso Kouphokham in a closed-door meeting.

At the start of the meeting, Dr Phoumin briefed the Ministry officials concerning the outline of the paper and the key message of the first chapter. Other experts from various research institutes presented the key messages of their parts. Dr Anousak Phongsavath, Director General of the Ministry’s Research Institute for Energy and Mines, delivered a presentation on his chapter entitled ‘Alternative Energy Potentials for Lao PDR to Meet Net Zero’. ERIA’s Director of Mekong Affairs and Capacity Building Jeremy Gross also presented his chapter ‘Bridging Knowledge Gap Through Capacity Building’.

The meeting, which was held in conjunction with the second Stakeholder Meeting of the white paper, aimed to gather comments from the officials and other experts.

Permanent Secretary Kouphokham expressed his appreciation for ERIA’s efforts, as well as for the other experts involved in the preparation of the white paper.

The collaborative exchange of insights and expertise during this meeting lays a solid foundation for furthering energy security and sustainable development initiatives in the region.