USAID works with the Government of Laos (GoL) to address climate change challenges, particularly supporting the GoL’s Nationally Determined Contribution to reduce greenhouse gas emission in the energy sector; assisting the GoL to achieve its target of 30 percent electric vehicles by 2030, and its goal to diversify the energy mix with more non-hydro renewable energy. USAID promotes environmental, social and governance standards by working with policy makers to address environmental and social implications, and integrate climate considerations into infrastructure development to improve resiliency, efficiency, and sustainability.
PROJECTS
Lao Energy Security - USAID partners with GoL to enhance the enabling environment for renewable energy (RE) integration and avoid investments in global warming pollution from fossil-based power generation technologies. USAID is also available to provide future technical assistance and grants to support low-carbon power system planning, share business models to improve the bankability of RE projects, and expand access to private sector finance to accelerate the country’s clean energy economic transition.
The Regional Southeast Asia Smart Power Program - USAID supports the Mekong region’s pursuit of energy security, while encouraging greater regional power trade and integration through the Japan U.S. Mekong Power Partnership (JUMPP) and its partnership with ASEAN. USAID works with utilities across Southeast Asia, including Électricitédu Laos (EdL) to improve performance and advance power trade and grid integration through the development of resilience-strengthening assessments, support for pilot projects, and training on demand-side management. In the future, this activity is also expected to support competitive procurement of energy projects, research and development to improve the efficiency and scalability of RE technologies, and knowledge sharing between Laos and ASEAN countries.
The USAID-U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Advanced Power Partnership / Readiness Support for Electric Vehicle Deployment in Lao PDR - USAID supports the Ministry of Energy and Mines to develop master planning for public charging stations and provides technical analysis on grid impacts and expert review on charging equipment regulations. Interventions will ensure sound deployment of new EV technology, provide high-quality, reliable charging options for transportation, and build public confidence to adopt EVs. Such USAID assistance supports Laos’ energy transition in the transport sector, reduces fossil fuel import dependence and greenhouse gas emissions, and improves air quality in urban areas.
USAID and Australia Mekong Safeguards Program - USAID supports sustainable infrastructure development in the Mekong region through application of environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards, policies and practices. The project strengthens the capacity of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to improve the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) review and monitoring process. This is done through expert reviews of Laos’ legal framework, including processes and technical standards, in-depth training workshops to identify baseline survey requirements for ESIAs that follow the Lao national legal framework, as well as international best practices for ESG.