Context | Objectives | Expected Results |

Lao PDR has a population of 5.61 million people in 2005. There are over 72% of population live in rural areas and are engaged in rice-based agriculture. It has significant natural resources like forestry, minerals and hydroelectric power. The government of Laos has formulated it objective to attain 70% of electrification by the year 2010 and 90% by the year 2030. 

In the short term,, Laos is embarking on its Rural Electrification Programme with the support of World Bank and GEF: the off-grid component is now launched and the grid extension component under way. Cambodia is launching a World Bank supported Rural Electrification project (as of July 2006, the Rural Electrification fund has been established) and has completed a renewable energy resource assessment supported by JICA and is currently formulated the master plan for Renewable. There is an urgent need in both countries to develop technical capacity and to be endowed with hands on tools to direct investments and decide between off grid and on grid options, renewable or fossil fuel based off grid production – and priority areas from the perspective of maximising development impact of scarce resources.
To meet this challenge, this project will analysis the options and perspectives: its supply sources, its main actors and its rural energy market, to show that with the mobilisation of all means and resources, this target is achievable.