Photo 1. (From left to right) Dr. Santisouk Phimphachanh, Director General of the Department of Policy, Planning Development, and Evaluation, Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MOIC) of Lao PDR; Viengthong Sackdara, PhD, Deputy Managing Director of EDL; Dato’ Ir. Ts. Razib Dawood, Executive Director of ACE; Dr. Praing Chulasa, Managing Director of EDC; and H.E. Victor Jona, Undersecretary of State of the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) and Senior Official on Energy (SOE) of Cambodia, during the official signing ceremony in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 25 May 2026.
Phnom Penh, 25 May 2026 – The ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE), Electricité du Cambodge (EDC), and Electricité du Laos (EDL), have officially signed a joint study framework to advance cross-border interconnection between Cambodia and Lao PDR. The ceremony took place in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on 25 May 2026, and was represented by Dr. Praing Chulasa, Managing Director of EDC, Viengthong Sackdara, PhD, Deputy Managing Director of EDL, and Dato’ Ir. Ts. Razib Dawood, Executive Director of ACE.
The ceremony was also attended by high-level representatives from ministries, including H.E. Victor Jona, Undersecretary of State of the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) and Senior Official on Energy (SOE) of Cambodia, and Dr. Santisouk Phimphachanh, Director General of the Department of Policy, Planning Development, and Evaluation, Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MOIC) of Lao PDR
Cambodia and Lao PDR possess strategic significance in ASEAN’s cross-border electricity exchanges. Cambodia, once heavily reliant on electricity imports to meet rising domestic demand, has reduced these imports through domestic resource development and is now advancing regional power trade, particularly in renewable energy. At the same time, Lao PDR has emerged as a key regional exporter of hydropower, positioning the country as an important contributor to ASEAN’s low-carbon energy transition.
Hence, this joint study framework (JSF) serves as a timely opportunity to leverage this potential. Through the JSF, ACE, EDL, and EDC will collaborate to develop a feasibility study and related studies for cross-border electricity interconnection between Cambodia and Lao PDR. The framework will cover a range of activities, including technical assessments, policy and regulatory reviews, economic and commercial analysis, preliminary environmental and social impact assessments, implementation planning, as well as training and capacity-building activities. It also formally establishes the Steering Committee and Working Committee to provide strategic oversight and technical coordination for the study.
This JSF is conducted under the ASEAN Power Grid Project Preparation Facility (APG-PPF), implemented through the collaboration between the World Bank (WB) and ACE within the Multi-Phase Programmatic Approach - Accelerating Sustainable Energy Transition (MPA-ASET) program. Since August 2025, the APG-PPF has been supporting the preparation of priority interconnection projects and strengthened technical capacity by scaling up the Feasibility Studies of Regional Power Trade of the Clean Energy and Power Trade Development in Southeast Asia Project, including the preparation of the ASEAN Interconnection Masterplan Study IV (AIMS IV).
"For EDC, we are implementing the government’s energy policies. Currently, renewable energy accounts for about 63% of our installed capacity with a target of at least 70% by 2030. In order to achieve this government target and to maintain reliability and stability in the power system, EDC has been developing a strong dispatching management system by using modern technologies to expedite integrate more variable renewable energy sources,” said H.E. Dr. Praing Chulasa, Managing Director of EDC.
“The signing of this Joint Study Framework is a significant step forward for Lao PDR and EDL. It provides a clear and structured path for us to work with Cambodia and ACE toward a dedicated cross-border power interconnection one that will allow Lao PDR to contribute its clean hydropower resources more effectively to the region. EDL is fully committed to this collaboration and looks forward to delivering a high-quality Feasibility Study that benefits both our countries and the broader ASEAN energy community,” said Vienthong Sackdara, PhD, Deputy Managing Director of EDL.
"This interconnection is not merely a national project. It sits at the heart of the broader ASEAN Power Grid, the region's collective ambition to link our electricity networks, enhance energy security for 670 million people, and accelerate the transition to clean energy. Cambodia and Lao PDR, through this agreement, are helping to build that grid, one interconnection at a time. ACE is privileged to stand at the centre of this effort. As the region's principal intergovernmental organisation on energy, ACE serves as the technical and analytical backbone of the APG initiative,” said Dato’ Ir. Ts. Razib Dawood, Executive Director of ACE.
Following the signing ceremony, a Trilateral Meeting between ACE-EDC-EDL, 1st Steering Committee Meeting, Technical Discussion with the World Bank, and 1st Working Committee Meeting for the development of the feasibility study were convened. The meetings discussed the objectives, general work plan, role and responsibilities, and expected outcomes of the JSF.
The signing of the JSF marks an important milestone in advancing the ASEAN Power Grid (APG), one of the region’s key strategic initiatives under the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) 2026–2030. By strengthening regional interconnection and enabling greater multilateral power trade, the initiative is expected to support ASEAN’s collective ambitions for a secure, affordable, resilient, and sustainable energy future.
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About the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE)
The ASEAN Centre for Energy (“ACE” or the “Centre”) is an intergovernmental organisation driving multilateral energy cooperation and policy coordination among the ASEAN Member States. The Agreement on ASEAN Energy Cooperation in Manila, Philippines, on 22 May 1998, formally established ACE on 1 January 1999 in Jakarta, Indonesia. The formal establishment tasked ACE to serve as the regional energy think tank, catalyst, and knowledge hub to build coherent, coordinated, focused and robust energy policy agenda and strategy for ASEAN. The three critical roles of ACE:
(1) to advance the ASEAN energy goals by unifying and strengthening the ASEAN energy cooperation and integration;
(2) to function as an energy data and knowledge hub by providing knowledge repository and services; and
(3) to serve as an ASEAN energy think tank by assisting in research and practical solutions for the Member States.
Keeping the region’s improvement, sustainable and harmless to the ecosystem is a fundamental concern of the ASEAN energy sector. Hosted by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources of Indonesia, ACE’s office is located in Jakarta, Indonesia. For more information on ACE website: aseanenergy.org.
For further inquiries: [email protected]
