Energy

Greater Mekong Subregion countries are in varying stages of economic development but share common goals concerning energy security and environmental protection. Progress have been made in promoting renewable energy, clean fuels, and energy efficiency, but new energy solutions remain crucial to the subregion’s advancement.

The GMS Economic Cooperation Program Strategic Framework 2030 (GMS-2030) emphasizes cross-border power trade, establishment of regional grid codes, development of regional markets, and expanding clean energy investments with a greater role for the private sector. GMS-2030, endorsed and adopted at the 7th GMS Summit of Leaders in September 2021, aims to provide a new setting for the development of this subregion for the next decade.

The Regional Power Trade Coordination Committee (RPTCC) managed regional power trade in the subregion from 2004–2022. In July 2022, at the 29th RPTCC meeting, the committee formally transitioned to the GMS Energy Transition Taskforce (ETTF).

The ETTF pursues activities across the following workstreams:

  1. 1. Sustaining GMS cooperation on regional power trade
  2. 2. Technology capacity building programs on renewable energy, energy storage in improving grid stability; leveraging electric vehicles
  3. 3.Accelerating energy efficiency programs to promote more competitive industries through energy cost savings
  4. 4.Training on green financing and green bonds to support GMS countries in raising finance for their transition to cleaner energy

New Energy Solutions Needed for the GMS

Demand for energy is surging, and by some estimates demand for energy in the lower Mekong countries – Cambodia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, and Viet Nam – is expected to nearly triple from 317 terawatt-hours in 2012 to 815 terawatt-hours in 2025.

Rapidly improving economies have allowed GMS countries to respond to this demand with extensive power generation projects. Gas-fired plants are expected to nearly double to about 54 plants with 24,000 megawatts during the same period. Renewable sources such as solar, wind, and biomass are not yet prevalent in the subregion, but the number of projects is increasing rapidly.

GMS countries are addressing the complexities of meeting this surging energy demand by taking a regional approach that allows for the most cost-efficient projects using a diverse range of energy sources. They are also sharing experiences and lessons learned.

Countries are enhancing the regional coordination of power trading, including the exchange of information on energy sector plans and projects. The ultimate goal is to provide an adequate supply of energy throughout the subregion at an affordable price, and to bring the economic benefits of a reliable energy supply to people in rural areas, while at the same time encouraging investment.
GMS countries are addressing the complexities of meeting this surging energy demand by taking a regional approach that allows for the most cost-efficient projects using a diverse range of energy sources.They are also sharing experiences and lessons learned.

Works are underway for greater integration of renewable energies in countries’ energy development. In July 2021, an ADB knowledge and support TA: Accelerating the Clean Energy Transition in Southeast Asia (SEA) was approved to support countries in SEA to accelerate transition to cleaner forms of energy.

Facilitating Power Trade in the Greater Mekong Subregion, published in 2022, reflects a 5-year endeavor among government officials and representatives from utilities with the support of international experts to reach an agreement on a range of complex technical and institutional issues in establishing a common Regional Grid Code (RGC) for the GMS. The report addresses the technical and operational issues of interconnections along with the steps that are required to harmonize national grid codes within an overarching regional structure of the RGC.

The GMS Road Map for Expanded Cooperation in the Energy Sector is helping guide efforts in planning and implementing projects for power generation, cross-border interconnections, and for improving country transmission systems. National projects are being developed with an eye toward the development of regional power trade arrangements that will increase efficiency and lower energy costs for consumers.

The Update of the GMS Regional Master Plan for the period 2009-2025 (i) simulated the regional power system with existing and potential planned power interconnections, (ii) ran simulations of the model for a variety of regional power system scenarios, (iii) identified the potentially beneficial regional interconnection projects based on the Master Plan, and (iv) compiled a list of priority projects according to their merits.

Related

• Facilitating Power Trade in the Greater Mekong Subregion

• GMS Road Map for Expanded Energy Cooperation

• Update of the GMS Regional Master Plan

• Study: Building a Sustainable Energy Future - The Greater Mekong Subregion

• Regional Power Trade Coordination Committee (RPTCC)

Contact Persons

Focal Persons at the Asian Development Bank

  • Hyunjung Lee (lead) 
    Energy Sector Office
    Sectors Group

  • Atsumasa Sakai 
    Energy Sector Office
    Sectors Group

Other Concerned Staff & Consultants

  • Joao Aleluia 
    Energy Sector Office
    Sectors Group

  • Architrandi Priambodo 
    Energy Sector Office
    Sectors Group

  • Minnie Zarah Ramas 
    Energy Sector Office
    Sectors Group

  • Jeffrey Almera 
    Energy Sector Office
    Sectors Group

  • Pinsuda Alexander 
    Regional Cooperation and Integration Unit
    Southeast Asia Department 

  • Rafaelita Jamon 
    Regional Cooperation and Integration Unit
    Southeast Asia Department/GMS Secretariat 

Send inquiries to GMS Secretariat. 

Phnom Penh skyline reflecting the city's rapid growth. The Central Market, built in 1937, is seen in the foreground. Photo by Lor Teng Huy - own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

GMS Ministers to Gather in Phnom Penh for the 23rd GMS Ministerial Conference

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Khamking Koemany is a homestay provider on Don Khon Island, one of the popular sites for tourists visiting the Four Thousand Islands group on the Mekong River in Champasack Province. His business has flourished since he received training in tourism services under the GMS Sustainable Tourism Development Project. Photo: ADB.

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Blessed with rich natural resources and a strategic location at the heart of the Greater Mekong Subregion, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic has emerged from decades of turmoil and isolation to become one of the fastest growing economies in Southeast Asia since 2011.

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