ABB wins US$ 17-million power transmission contract in Laos
Global technology group ABB says today it has won a US$ 17-million contract to design and build a 340-kilometer power transmission line, complete with a 282-kilometer power distribution network, as part of an ongoing initiative to upgrade Laos’ rural electrical infrastructure. ABB says the order was placed by Electricité du Laos (EDL), the state-owned utility, and is set for completion within two years. The project is financed by the Asian Development Bank.
“This project is an excellent example of how ABB can help a national power utility plan and implement a sustainable electrification program,” says Richard Siudek, executive vice president and head of ABB’s utilities division. “Accelerated completion of the network will enable EDL to focus its resources on delivering electricity to rural areas where it is greatly needed for economic growth and standard of living improvements.”
The underdeveloped state of rural infrastructure in Laos has been a major constraint to rural economic growth and poverty alleviation. According to Siudek, ABB will use its expertise in rural electrification—gleaned from work in parts of Africa, South America and other parts of Southeast Asia—to shorten the construction schedule for expanding the power grid in the northern Laos provinces of Luang Prabang, Xayaburi, Vientiane, Xaisomboun and Xieng-Khonuang. The project will increase the number of electrified villages in Laos by about three percent.
Under the terms of the project, ABB will erect and commission a 340-kilometer, 115-kilovolt (kV) double circuit transmission line, a 282-kilometer, 34.5 kV distribution network, including distribution transformers. A team of ABB engineers from Spain and Germany will carry out the work.
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