In a significant stride towards sustainable mobility, the CEO of LOCA announced at the ZEEKR Launch event that the company is now operating 20 DC Fast charging stations across Laos. Demonstrating an ambitious vision for the future, LOCA aims to double this number, reaching a total of 40 stations by the end of 2024.
This announcement underscores LOCA’s commitment to expanding electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, aligning with Laos’s national goals for economic and environmental sustainability.
(Photo supplied)
The government of Laos, along with parliamentary support, has endorsed the EV transition as a strategic response to economic challenges. Transitioning to electric vehicles is seen as a pivotal move to curb the rising demand for gasoline in the short term and to reduce long-term dependence on oil imports. Laos, with its abundant clean energy resources, is positioned to make a significant shift towards sustainable energy consumption, provided there is continued improvement in its power infrastructure.
During the 15th Lao Business Forum, the Prime Minister highlighted the government’s efforts to encourage the adoption of EVs, including imposing higher excise taxes on internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. Despite these measures, the importation of ICE vehicles has not slowed, increasing the demand for oil imports and underscoring the urgent need for a shift to EVs. The government might be considering further restrictions on the importation of ICE vehicles to accelerate this transition.
(Photo supplied)
LOCA stands at the forefront of this transformative journey, leading the market in building a comprehensive EV charging network. With plans to expand the network to 100 stations by 2026, LOCA’s efforts are pivotal in supporting the country’s transition to electric mobility.
A significant aspect of the EV adoption wave in Laos is the substantial cost savings reported by EV drivers. Data from actual EV users reveals a dramatic decrease in energy costs compared to traditional gasoline vehicles. For every USD 100 spent on gasoline, EV drivers now only spend about USD 10 on electricity for the same distance traveled.
This stark difference in operating costs, combined with the decreasing prices of EVs, is making electric vehicles an increasingly popular choice among new car buyers in Laos. As of December 2023, a total of 3,598 electric vehicles (cars) have been imported into the country so far, with 2,101 imported in 2023 alone. This represents 25.1 percent of all new passenger cars (Sedan & SUV segment) imported in 2023, signaling a significant shift in consumer preference towards sustainable transportation options.
(Photo supplied)
LOCA’s ongoing efforts, supported by proactive government policies, are significantly contributing to the growth of the EV market in Laos. By capitalizing on clean energy resources and advancing power infrastructure, Laos is set on a promising path toward achieving its economic and environmental goals through electric mobility.
https://www.tourismlaos.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/9-1.jpg6271200Sylivanla Vongphachanhhttps://www.tourismlaos.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Lao-Simply-Beautiful-.webpSylivanla Vongphachanh2024-04-26 10:47:572024-04-24 10:49:27LOCA Currently Operates 20 Fast EV Charging Stations, Plans to Boost EV Infrastructure with 40 Stations by 2024
Australia’s ASEAN Senior Official Michelle Chan visited Vientiane this week on a mission to further strengthen Australia’s partnerships with Laos and ASEAN.
Last month’s ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in Melbourne commemorated 50 years since Australia became ASEAN’s first Dialogue Partner. It was also an opportunity to look to the future.
In an interview with the Laotian Times, Deputy Secretary Chan spoke about Laos and Australia’s shared priorities and challenges for the ASEAN region.
Deputy Secretary Chan is Head of the Office of Southeast Asia in the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. (Photo supplied)
“Australia sees ASEAN at the heart of the Indo-Pacific region and critical to our shared prosperity and security”, Deputy Secretary Chan said.
“We are partnering with ASEAN on the regional challenges we face — from food, health, and energy security to climate change and geostrategic challenges.”
“ASEAN and ASEAN-led institutions are central to achieving the stable, peaceful, and prosperous region we all want to live in, a region where sovereignty and territorial integrity are respected and differences are resolved through dialogue”, she said.
She said that enhancing regional connectivity was critical for a sustainable future for the region. This joint ambition is supported by Laos’ ASEAN Chair year theme of ‘ASEAN: Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience’.
She said Australia is proud to support Laos’ leadership of ASEAN this year and will continue its support for Laos’ ASEAN Chair Priority Economic Deliverables.
Deputy Secretary Chan acknowledged the key role Laos played as co-chair of the Special Summit and as Australia’s ASEAN Country Coordinator from 2021 to 2024.
“We are grateful for the dedication and support Laos has provided us as Country Coordinator. It was instrumental in delivering a successful Summit,” Deputy Secretary Chan said.
At the Summit, a new historic milestone was reached with the signing of the Laos-Australia Comprehensive Partnership by His Excellency Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
The Comprehensive Partnership reflects the Leaders’ commitment to bring the two countries even closer together.
During Deputy Secretary Chan’s visit, she discussed ways to deepen cooperation through the Comprehensive Partnership. The Partnership will strengthen opportunities for Laos and Australia to work together as trusted partners across many sectors.
In a meeting with Vice Minister Sthabandith Insisienmay, Ministry of Planning and Investment, Deputy Secretary Chan spoke about Australia’s efforts to boost two-way trade and investment with the region.
Deputy Secretary Chan meeting Vice Minister Sthabandith Insisienmay, Ministry of Planning and Investment.
At the Summit, Prime Minister Albanese announced an AUD2 billion Southeast Asia Investment Financing Facility to support the implementation of key objectives in Invested: Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040.
Australia is exploring opportunities in Laos in the key sectors of agriculture, resources, and clean energy. To promote increased two-way trade and investment between Laos and Australia, AgCoTech Executive Director and Co-founder Charles Olsson has been announced as Australia’s Business Champion for Laos.
Deputy Secretary Chan met Anoulak Kittikhoun, CEO of the Mekong River Commission, to discuss the Commission’s work strengthening subregional coordination on critical environmental, economic, and livelihood issues.
“Australia is working with Mekong countries to bolster the subregion’s resilience and promote inclusive, sustainable growth,” she said.
Through the Mekong-Australia Partnership (MAP), Australia supports climate, water, and energy projects across the subregion. In Laos, this has included the construction of a fish passageway in Vang Vieng, which will benefit over 400 families and help preserve over 100 local fish species.
At the Special Summit, Australia announced a further investment of AUD 222.5 million (approximately USD 146 million) for MAP to support the resilience and prosperity of the Mekong subregion.
The second phase of funding over the next five years will address shared priorities and challenges, focusing on improving water security, responding to climate change, building economic resilience, and combatting transnational crime.
Australia’s Partnerships for Infrastructure program will also be expanded with an AUD 140 million (USD 92 million) funding commitment. This will support regional priorities such as Laos-Australia cooperation in the fields of energy and transport connectivity.
These announcements show Australia is serious about deepening its cooperation with ASEAN and working with Laos for peace, stability, and prosperity in the region.
UANG PRABANG, Laos (AP) — Senior finance and central bank officials from Southeast Asia and major economies met Thursday, 4 April in the scenic Lao city of Luang Prabang to discuss ways to help the region build resilience against shocks like the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters brought on by climate change.
The need for faster progress was dramatically apparent as the city and surrounding region were engulfed in heavy smoke from fires — some set to clear forests for crops, some ignited by record-high temperatures and tinder-dry conditions. The air quality index early Thursday, 4 April was nearly 300, or “very unhealthy.”
Laos and other countries in Southeast Asia have committed to seeking more sustainable ways to feed their people and power their economies. The question is where the money will come from to do that.
Green finance is among several items on the agenda of the finance meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations related to countering the mounting impacts of global warming. The officials also were set for talks on an ASEAN infrastructure fund and disaster risk financing and insurance, according to the agenda provided by hosts of this week’s meetings.
Also on the list, refining a “taxonomy” to help identify and agree on projects that support ASEAN’s sustainability agenda and align with its climate change commitments and other goals.
The 10 member nations of ASEAN — Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam — range from tiny but wealthy Brunei and Singapore to big, fast-growing economies like Vietnam and Indonesia. They have pledged to cut carbon emissions to help reduce the impact of climate change but are struggling to find ways to unlock the financing needed to make that transition.
ASEAN members are extremely vulnerable to extreme weather, drought, and rising sea levels. Investments in clean energy need to increase by five to seven times, to more than USD 200 billion a year, according to various estimates. Laos and its neighbors also are contending with a raft of other regional troubles, including human trafficking, a growing illicit drug trade, and fast-growing enclaves of online scam centers run by criminal syndicates.
A landlocked country of about 7.5 million people, Laos is rich in hydroelectric power, but its economy has been shrinking in recent years and its national finances are fraught — strained by a heavy load of foreign and domestic debt, a weakening currency, and inflation.
Longstanding traditions and a lack of funding to persuade farmers not to rely on crop burning — their most affordable option — mean that progress is slow. The government has set a goal of reducing the number of fires by 35% by the end of 2025. Similar burning in neighboring Thailand, Myanmar, and Cambodia leaves the region shrouded in heavy smog for weeks at a time during the spring.
Countries in the region have begun to build regional electricity grids as one step toward improving a balance between supply and demand.
A higher priority for Laos, a country where annual incomes average below USD 2,000 per person, is weaving itself into the wider regional economy of about 660 million people. Combined, the region is the world’s fifth-largest economy, at about USD 3.3 trillion.
Like many countries in the region, Laos’ economy has become increasingly entwined with that of China. Those ties have deepened with the building of a USD 6 billion high-speed railway that links to railways in southwest China’s Yunnan province and eventually will be connected with a line running to Bangkok and the Gulf of Thailand. The downside: debts that are a heavy drain on the country’s resources.
Along with regional financial leaders, senior officials of major international financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund and Asian Development Bank, along with delegates from Japan, China, the U.S., and other major economies, are attending the talks in Luang Prabang.
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is not attending the talks, but traveling to China this week, where she will meet with American business leaders and Chinese officials in South China’s Guangzhou and in Beijing.
Also in Beijing this week were Indonesia’s President-elect Prabowo Subianto and the foreign ministers of Vietnam, Laos, and Timor-Leste, which is aspiring to become an ASEAN member.
https://www.tourismlaos.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/7-2.jpg6271200Sylivanla Vongphachanhhttps://www.tourismlaos.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Lao-Simply-Beautiful-.webpSylivanla Vongphachanh2024-04-24 10:43:392024-04-24 10:44:40Southeast Asian Countries Consider Ways to Boost ‘Green Financing’ as Region Chokes on Smog
LOCA Currently Operates 20 Fast EV Charging Stations, Plans to Boost EV Infrastructure with 40 Stations by 2024
In a significant stride towards sustainable mobility, the CEO of LOCA announced at the ZEEKR Launch event that the company is now operating 20 DC Fast charging stations across Laos. Demonstrating an ambitious vision for the future, LOCA aims to double this number, reaching a total of 40 stations by the end of 2024.
This announcement underscores LOCA’s commitment to expanding electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, aligning with Laos’s national goals for economic and environmental sustainability.
The government of Laos, along with parliamentary support, has endorsed the EV transition as a strategic response to economic challenges. Transitioning to electric vehicles is seen as a pivotal move to curb the rising demand for gasoline in the short term and to reduce long-term dependence on oil imports. Laos, with its abundant clean energy resources, is positioned to make a significant shift towards sustainable energy consumption, provided there is continued improvement in its power infrastructure.
During the 15th Lao Business Forum, the Prime Minister highlighted the government’s efforts to encourage the adoption of EVs, including imposing higher excise taxes on internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. Despite these measures, the importation of ICE vehicles has not slowed, increasing the demand for oil imports and underscoring the urgent need for a shift to EVs. The government might be considering further restrictions on the importation of ICE vehicles to accelerate this transition.
LOCA stands at the forefront of this transformative journey, leading the market in building a comprehensive EV charging network. With plans to expand the network to 100 stations by 2026, LOCA’s efforts are pivotal in supporting the country’s transition to electric mobility.
A significant aspect of the EV adoption wave in Laos is the substantial cost savings reported by EV drivers. Data from actual EV users reveals a dramatic decrease in energy costs compared to traditional gasoline vehicles. For every USD 100 spent on gasoline, EV drivers now only spend about USD 10 on electricity for the same distance traveled.
This stark difference in operating costs, combined with the decreasing prices of EVs, is making electric vehicles an increasingly popular choice among new car buyers in Laos. As of December 2023, a total of 3,598 electric vehicles (cars) have been imported into the country so far, with 2,101 imported in 2023 alone. This represents 25.1 percent of all new passenger cars (Sedan & SUV segment) imported in 2023, signaling a significant shift in consumer preference towards sustainable transportation options.
LOCA’s ongoing efforts, supported by proactive government policies, are significantly contributing to the growth of the EV market in Laos. By capitalizing on clean energy resources and advancing power infrastructure, Laos is set on a promising path toward achieving its economic and environmental goals through electric mobility.
Source: https://laotiantimes.com/2024/04/09/loca-currently-operates-20-fast-ev-charging-stations-plans-to-boost-ev-infrastructure-with-40-stations-by-2024/
Australia Strengthens Partnerships with Laos, ASEAN
Australia’s ASEAN Senior Official Michelle Chan visited Vientiane this week on a mission to further strengthen Australia’s partnerships with Laos and ASEAN.
Last month’s ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in Melbourne commemorated 50 years since Australia became ASEAN’s first Dialogue Partner. It was also an opportunity to look to the future.
In an interview with the Laotian Times, Deputy Secretary Chan spoke about Laos and Australia’s shared priorities and challenges for the ASEAN region.
“Australia sees ASEAN at the heart of the Indo-Pacific region and critical to our shared prosperity and security”, Deputy Secretary Chan said.
“We are partnering with ASEAN on the regional challenges we face — from food, health, and energy security to climate change and geostrategic challenges.”
“ASEAN and ASEAN-led institutions are central to achieving the stable, peaceful, and prosperous region we all want to live in, a region where sovereignty and territorial integrity are respected and differences are resolved through dialogue”, she said.
She said that enhancing regional connectivity was critical for a sustainable future for the region. This joint ambition is supported by Laos’ ASEAN Chair year theme of ‘ASEAN: Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience’.
She said Australia is proud to support Laos’ leadership of ASEAN this year and will continue its support for Laos’ ASEAN Chair Priority Economic Deliverables.
Deputy Secretary Chan acknowledged the key role Laos played as co-chair of the Special Summit and as Australia’s ASEAN Country Coordinator from 2021 to 2024.
“We are grateful for the dedication and support Laos has provided us as Country Coordinator. It was instrumental in delivering a successful Summit,” Deputy Secretary Chan said.
At the Summit, a new historic milestone was reached with the signing of the Laos-Australia Comprehensive Partnership by His Excellency Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
The Comprehensive Partnership reflects the Leaders’ commitment to bring the two countries even closer together.
During Deputy Secretary Chan’s visit, she discussed ways to deepen cooperation through the Comprehensive Partnership. The Partnership will strengthen opportunities for Laos and Australia to work together as trusted partners across many sectors.
In a meeting with Vice Minister Sthabandith Insisienmay, Ministry of Planning and Investment, Deputy Secretary Chan spoke about Australia’s efforts to boost two-way trade and investment with the region.
At the Summit, Prime Minister Albanese announced an AUD2 billion Southeast Asia Investment Financing Facility to support the implementation of key objectives in Invested: Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040.
Australia is exploring opportunities in Laos in the key sectors of agriculture, resources, and clean energy. To promote increased two-way trade and investment between Laos and Australia, AgCoTech Executive Director and Co-founder Charles Olsson has been announced as Australia’s Business Champion for Laos.
Deputy Secretary Chan met Anoulak Kittikhoun, CEO of the Mekong River Commission, to discuss the Commission’s work strengthening subregional coordination on critical environmental, economic, and livelihood issues.
“Australia is working with Mekong countries to bolster the subregion’s resilience and promote inclusive, sustainable growth,” she said.
Through the Mekong-Australia Partnership (MAP), Australia supports climate, water, and energy projects across the subregion. In Laos, this has included the construction of a fish passageway in Vang Vieng, which will benefit over 400 families and help preserve over 100 local fish species.
At the Special Summit, Australia announced a further investment of AUD 222.5 million (approximately USD 146 million) for MAP to support the resilience and prosperity of the Mekong subregion.
The second phase of funding over the next five years will address shared priorities and challenges, focusing on improving water security, responding to climate change, building economic resilience, and combatting transnational crime.
Australia’s Partnerships for Infrastructure program will also be expanded with an AUD 140 million (USD 92 million) funding commitment. This will support regional priorities such as Laos-Australia cooperation in the fields of energy and transport connectivity.
These announcements show Australia is serious about deepening its cooperation with ASEAN and working with Laos for peace, stability, and prosperity in the region.
Source: https://laotiantimes.com/2024/04/08/australia-strengthens-partnerships-with-laos-asean/
Southeast Asian Countries Consider Ways to Boost ‘Green Financing’ as Region Chokes on Smog
UANG PRABANG, Laos (AP) — Senior finance and central bank officials from Southeast Asia and major economies met Thursday, 4 April in the scenic Lao city of Luang Prabang to discuss ways to help the region build resilience against shocks like the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters brought on by climate change.
The need for faster progress was dramatically apparent as the city and surrounding region were engulfed in heavy smoke from fires — some set to clear forests for crops, some ignited by record-high temperatures and tinder-dry conditions. The air quality index early Thursday, 4 April was nearly 300, or “very unhealthy.”
Laos and other countries in Southeast Asia have committed to seeking more sustainable ways to feed their people and power their economies. The question is where the money will come from to do that.
Green finance is among several items on the agenda of the finance meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations related to countering the mounting impacts of global warming. The officials also were set for talks on an ASEAN infrastructure fund and disaster risk financing and insurance, according to the agenda provided by hosts of this week’s meetings.
Also on the list, refining a “taxonomy” to help identify and agree on projects that support ASEAN’s sustainability agenda and align with its climate change commitments and other goals.
The 10 member nations of ASEAN — Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam — range from tiny but wealthy Brunei and Singapore to big, fast-growing economies like Vietnam and Indonesia. They have pledged to cut carbon emissions to help reduce the impact of climate change but are struggling to find ways to unlock the financing needed to make that transition.
ASEAN members are extremely vulnerable to extreme weather, drought, and rising sea levels. Investments in clean energy need to increase by five to seven times, to more than USD 200 billion a year, according to various estimates. Laos and its neighbors also are contending with a raft of other regional troubles, including human trafficking, a growing illicit drug trade, and fast-growing enclaves of online scam centers run by criminal syndicates.
A landlocked country of about 7.5 million people, Laos is rich in hydroelectric power, but its economy has been shrinking in recent years and its national finances are fraught — strained by a heavy load of foreign and domestic debt, a weakening currency, and inflation.
Longstanding traditions and a lack of funding to persuade farmers not to rely on crop burning — their most affordable option — mean that progress is slow. The government has set a goal of reducing the number of fires by 35% by the end of 2025. Similar burning in neighboring Thailand, Myanmar, and Cambodia leaves the region shrouded in heavy smog for weeks at a time during the spring.
Countries in the region have begun to build regional electricity grids as one step toward improving a balance between supply and demand.
A higher priority for Laos, a country where annual incomes average below USD 2,000 per person, is weaving itself into the wider regional economy of about 660 million people. Combined, the region is the world’s fifth-largest economy, at about USD 3.3 trillion.
Like many countries in the region, Laos’ economy has become increasingly entwined with that of China. Those ties have deepened with the building of a USD 6 billion high-speed railway that links to railways in southwest China’s Yunnan province and eventually will be connected with a line running to Bangkok and the Gulf of Thailand. The downside: debts that are a heavy drain on the country’s resources.
Along with regional financial leaders, senior officials of major international financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund and Asian Development Bank, along with delegates from Japan, China, the U.S., and other major economies, are attending the talks in Luang Prabang.
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is not attending the talks, but traveling to China this week, where she will meet with American business leaders and Chinese officials in South China’s Guangzhou and in Beijing.
Also in Beijing this week were Indonesia’s President-elect Prabowo Subianto and the foreign ministers of Vietnam, Laos, and Timor-Leste, which is aspiring to become an ASEAN member.
Source: https://laotiantimes.com/2024/04/04/southeast-asian-countries-consider-ways-to-boost-green-financing-as-region-chokes-on-smog/