Photo 1. Group photo of the Focus Group Discussion on APG-related Projects.

Lao PDR, 13 August 2025 – The ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE), in support of HAPUA’s implementation of the APAEC Phase II: 2021–2025, convened with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MOIC) Lao PDR and Électricité du Laos (EDL) to organise a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) on ASEAN Power Grid (APG)-related projects at Crowne Plaza Vientiane, Lao PDR. Supported by development partners, the FGD served as a consultation platform to discuss and seek the perspectives of Lao PDR’s stakeholders regarding the ongoing activities on APG, which include support for feasibility studies, power exchange data-sharing, and power market roadmap development.

Photo 2. Souliya Sengdalavong and Prihastya Wiratama delivering their opening remarks.

Souliya Sengdalavong, the Deputy Director General of the Department of Negotiation and International Cooperation of MOIC, started the discussion by welcoming the delegates of ACE and HAPUA Secretariat. The MOIC extended their gratitude for the support in realising enhanced Lao PDR interconnections with neighbouring countries and committed in facilitating the development of feasibility studies for the interconnections.

Arif Majid, Representative of the HAPUA Secretariat, continued the remarks by expressing gratitude for Lao PDR’s availability in hosting the focus group discussion, noting the importance of MOIC and EDL’s support towards the full-blown implementation of the APG. Prihastya Wiratama, Project Manager of ASEAN Power Interconnection at ACE, conveyed the secured funding from multiple partners in developing feasibility studies. Their remarks highlighted the importance of unlocking Lao PDR’s potential and strengthening its role in advancing low-carbon energy utilisation through regional power trade.

The agenda was followed by the scene setting session to share the objectives of the ongoing APG-related projects. During this session, Prihastya Wiratama introduced the World Bank-supported APG Project Preparation Facility (APG-PFF) under Multi-Phase Programmatic Approach for Accelerating Sustainable Energy Transition Program (MPA-ASET). The presentation was set to promote and enhance ASEAN Member States’ understanding of APG feasibility study processes, including identification of priority interconnection projects and grant to support the APG Project FS development.

Photo 3. Akbar Dwi Wahyono, Research Analyst of ACE (left), and Ignatius Primadi Limin, Senior Researcher of ACE (right), delivering scene setting presentations on APG-related Projects.

Akbar Dwi Wahyono then presented the importance and foreseen benefits of establishing a standardised data-sharing framework to effectively track the progress of APG and promote transparent regional power trade. The session concluded with a presentation from Ignatius Primadi Limin on the ADB-supported Regional Power Market Programme, outlining key outputs such as the ASEAN cross-border electricity trade and interconnection database, a regional power market roadmap, and a pilot shadow trading platform. The Meeting emphasised the need for closer coordination between national planning and ASEAN frameworks, as well as stronger institutional readiness to enable future multilateral power trade.

Photo 4. Interactive discussion among MOIC, EDL and ACE representatives on APG-related Projects.

Upon the presentation, in-depth sessions were held to specifically gather the Laotian stakeholders’ insights on the building blocks of infrastructure and market advancement under the APG. The first session explored Lao PDR’s national energy and power system policies, target, and plans. The discussion focused on understanding the bottlenecks and needs for strengthening infrastructure capability for cross-border power trade, as laid out in the national power planning.

The following session discussed the role of historical power system data, as a way to kickstart transparent data-sharing within the region. Data governance, data collection process, and data granularity became the key discussion of this session, underscoring the integral role of data access in unlocking greater multilateral power trade in ASEAN.

Photo 5. Vichinda Visiennalath of MOIC (left) and Chitpanya Phamisith of EDL (right), sharing the country’s experience, challenges and needs in developing Feasibility Studies.

Moreover, the regulatory, commercial and environmental aspects for feasibility studies were also discussed as part of the FGD, emphasising the need to comply with local regulation on commercial arrangements, environmental targets, and socio-environmental safeguards. Prihastya Wiratama moderated the last session, which was aimed to prepare the prerequisites for developing feasibility studies on Lao PDR priority interconnection projects. The discussion featured active exchanges among the participants, further garnering the ASEAN Member State’s insights and feedback on feasibility studies, which include the minimum requirements for FS and development of a joint cooperation framework, based on previous studies conducted by Lao PDR. Through the exchanges, closer coordination need to be fostered to align the national planning with the regional aspirations. Stronger institutional, regulatory, and technical readiness from every ASEAN Member States are keys to enable seamless development of multilateral power trade in ASEAN.

Photo 6. Phonepasong Phonekeo of EDL (left) and Chansamone Xaiyalath of MOIC (right), sharing the general process of developing interconnection projects in Lao PDR.

The FGD concluded with a joint commitment to strengthen collaboration between ACE, MOIC, and EDL in advancing feasibility studies and refining data-sharing framework and protocols. Moving forward, the insights and recommendations from the member state will feed into the implementation of each APG-related project, ensuring the sustained delivery of reliable electricity trade data and the preparation of interconnection projects. By facilitating dialogue, promoting knowledge exchange, and enhancing cooperation, the Centre stands ready to support the achievement of the regional efforts towards realising the ASEAN Power Grid vision.