DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROGRAMME

1-Launching of RESIREA project

RESIREA kick-off meeting was held in Vientiane on the 29th January 2007. The objectives and detail work programme were presented to all partners and provincial authorities.

The presentations are available here.

2-Inventory and analysis of existing rural electrification projects in each province – feedback

From March to November 2007, under the supervision of Fraunhofer ISE, studies have been completed to make the inventory of existing rural electrification projects carried out in each province. The objective was to analyze the feedback of these experiences, in order to identify the strengths and opportunities for rural electrification projects.

For each province, the main data collected are:

• a description of the market for rural electrification, with an analysis of the provincial policies and the planned DRE programmes,

• a description of DRE projects implemented in the province, through renewable energies or generator sets,

• a description of the context of rural electrification through grid extension,

• a list of existing studies for DRE in provincial and national context.

Considering existing rural electrification projects, modes of operation, financing modalities, available energy budget and impacts on the socio-economic context have been assessed in the electrified villages.

The reasons for the failures and successes of projects have also been analyzed.

The reports are available on this website : Oudomxay, Kampong Thom, Dak Nong

3-Studies of the renewable energy potential

The objective of this task was to identify and analyze for each province the biomass, hydraulic and solar potentials.

1-Hydraulic resources

In May 2007, a hydro training session about hydro measurement methods has gathered provincial participants from Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos.
The training tool is available here.

Then, research with ministries and meteorological services has been achieved to identify sites with hydroelectric potential for rural electrification.

In Oudomxay, two hydro potential sites were then decided to be studied, to collect field data (topography, geology, hydrology) and propose a prefeasibility analysis, including a detailed technical layout for the implementation of the hydro power projects, with a cost estimation. The results are available here.

In Dak Nong, several sites have been identified, but all are located close to the national grid. Thus in Dak Nong, the hydraulic potential is not suitable for off-grid rural electrification.

2-Solar energy potential

Fraunhofer Institute has carried out researches to assess the solar potential in each province, and it has collected meteorological data to evaluate the daily irradiation and evolution during the year. The results of this task are available here.
This task showed that the three countries present a very interesting and valuable potential for solar photovoltaic technologies.

3-Biomass energy potential

In Laos and Cambodia, data on areas used for main crops and unused lands were collected during the village surveys (see part 6). 
Moreover, information about the agricultural context, the availability of agricultural residues was also recorded for each priority village.

Further to the analysis of the results, the CRA-W organized a second field-trip in a selection of villages in Oudomxay and Kampong Thom in February 2009 to collect additional information about land use, agronomical context and quality of soils, and juridical context about bioenergy and land use.

These two field surveys allowed to identify the villages, where the context was possibly suitable for implementing rural electrification project based on biomass technologies (biomass gasification and biofuel).

The results are available here.

4-Studies of the provincial context

The first phase of this study consisted in elaborating the GIS layers and cartography of the targeted provinces.

Then, under the supervision of the Fondation Energies pour le Monde, provincial databases have been fulfilled, with:

• a complete description of the geographical, political and environmental context,

• a list of the community infrastructures,

• a description of the rural and economic development,

• a list of the operators working in the field of electricity in each province.

For more information: Oudomxay, Kampong Thom, Dak Nong.

5-Identification of priority zones and promising villages

RESIREA methodology aims at targeting the villages that meet the criteria required for setting up programmes that are both technically and financially sustainable.

Thus, this phase of RESIREA consisted in carrying out a multi-sectorial analysis, to identify the villages with the most favorable context for Decentralized Rural Electrification projects through renewable energies.

Priority zones have then been identified in Oudomxay and Kampong Thom, by defining clusters of promising villages.

The guidelines for the selection of priority zones are:

• To meet a diversified energy demand, for domestic, social and economic uses,

• To propose clusters of villages, close from each other, and easily accessible, to facilitate the future maintenance for a private operator,

• To use the renewable energy potential,

• To limit the risks, to promote the technical and economic sustainability of the projects and attract financing agencies,

• To fit in the local development plans and strategies,

• To focus on the villages where the energy demand and the ability to pay electricity are high.

For more information: Oudomxay, Kampong Thom.

Provincial workshops have been organized in Kampong Thom and Oudomxay, to present the Priority zones to private operators and local authorities for discussion and validation.

These workshops have offered, for the first time, the opportunity to bring together all the actors concerned by RESIREA project, to create an intense place of concertation and discussions. They aimed to conciliate and merge interests of private operators, who could take part in the future implementation and operation of the projects, and local development strategies of the provincial and districts authorities.

Considering Dak Nong province, priority zones have been defined by identifying households, that are neither electrified nor planned to be electrified within 2010. These households are generally scattered in the fields, very far away from the commune main town, and difficult to access.

The list of selected sites has been submitted to the local authorities (People’s Committee) and provincial Department in charge of energy for validation and hierarchisation.

For more information: Dak Nong

6-Detailed studies of the selected villages

Further to the validation of the priority zones during the workshops, detailed studies of the selected villages have been launched. They consisted in:

Phase I: elaboration of village databases, compiling general information about each village.

The collected data describe the demographic and geographical context of each village, the socio-demographic, economical and energetic context.

These data enabled the partners to score each village and to make a priorization of the selected villages.

For more information: Oudomxay, Kampong Thom

Phase II: survey of representative users to analyze the energy demand of the villages.

The purpose was to analyze the energy demand patterns in the selected villages, through the following aspects:

• traditional energy uses,

• monthly budget allocated to energy expenses, that can be substituted by electricity,

• demand of electricity services,

• ability and willingness to pay electricity.

Studies were finalized end of 2008 and analyzed by the European partners.

The results can be downloaded here:

Kampong Thom: results summary of the priority villages study
Oudomxay: results summary of the priority villages study
Dak Nong: results summary of the study of the targeted areas

The results were presented during meetings with local partners and authorities and during three workshops held in January and February 2009.

7-Elaboration of electrification programmes in the priority villages

The objective was to define the technical, organizational and financial schemes for the sustainable electrification of the priority villages in Oudomxay, Kampong Thom and Dak Nong, using all data collected during previous studies.

1. Launching with national workshops
This activity was launched in January 2009. With the support of local partners in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, three workshops were held in January and February.

At this stage of the project, all the field data had been collected. It was important to gather all actors who could be interested in RESIREA next stages to:

• present the results of the surveys carried out so far,
• provide all clarifications and explanation about the methodology
   of RESIREA project,
• start the last phase of RESIREA project, which is the elaboration
  of electrification projects, with dialogue to design adapted and
  suitable electrification projects in the targeted villages.

During the workshop, the methodology that the European partners intended to use to design the electrification programmes was presented to the participants. The comments and recommendations of the participants were noted so that they could be used to define projects adapted to the institutional and current framework of rural electrification in the targeted areas.

The minutes of the workshops can be downloaded here.

The power point presentations are available here:

Cambodia workshop: 23rd of January 2009
Laos workshop: 29th of January 2009
Vietnam workshop: 10th of February 2010

Phnom Penh workshop counted 51 participants, Vientiane workshop counted 34 participants and Dak Nong workshop 28 participants, from government, national institutions and authorities, province and district representatives, NGOs, private sector, energy actors and financing agencies.

These workshops launched the phase of definition of electrification programmes, which was carried out all along 2009.

2. Design of the technical, operational and financial aspects of the large-scale programmes
The Fondation has used NORIA tool to define the technical, operational and financial aspects of the three provincial-scale programmes.During this step, the Fondation was regularly in touch with the European partners, mainly for technical questions, and with local partners to let them know step by step the preliminary results. Especially, the questions of tariffs schedules and operational scheme have been discussed with the local partners.

The outcome of this design was three project documents called « Green Electricity… ». Their syntheses are available on this website: « …in Kampong Thom (Cambodia) », « …in Oudomxay (Laos) », « …in Dak Nong (Vietnam) ». The main elements are:

• - Context analysis,
• - Energy offer to be set up (technical details and organizational details),
• - Financial parameters (Business Plan and Financial Package),
• - Expected impacts and means to assure them (social engineering).

3. Final Seminars
Three final seminars were organized in Asia in November 2009, in Dak Nong, in Phnom Penh and in Vientiane. More information about the final seminars presenting the whole RESIREA project and gathering a wide panel of stakeholders is available here.

8. Training in biomass and solar technologies

The purpose of this work package was to heighten the awareness and capacities of local stakeholders in photovoltaic and biomass technologies.

1. Specific presentations during workshops
Through technical presentations given during all workshops held during the action, the participants (private operators, energy actors, national institutions and provincial authorities) have been introduced to biomass and solar technologies. This enabled to enhance local capacities by the exchange of experiences and competences.

2. Training session for solar and biomass technologies
At the initiative of the Fraunhofer Institute, a training session was organized in November 2009.
Its purpose was to heighten the awareness of the national and provincial decision-makers in biomass and solar technologies.
The training was organized in Battambang province, in Cambodia, where a pilot biomass-gasification project has been successfully implemented. The idea was to invite Lao, Cambodian and Vietnamese participants to see such project in operation and meet the local operator to share experience.
10 participants attended this session. The training supports are available here.