HCMC – Vietnam plans to release a price framework for electricity imports from Laos in the second quarter of this year.
The decision comes after discussions on April 6 between Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Energy and Mines of Laos, reported the Vietnam News Agency.
Laos proposed collaboration in forming a working group to accelerate the issuance of Vietnam’s price framework for procuring electricity from Laos after 2025.
Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien assigned the Vietnam Electricity Group to study and propose this price framework, slated for release early in the second quarter.
Addressing Laos’ plea to streamline goods transportation, the Ministry emphasized the significance of Quang Tri province’s La Lay international border gate for coal transportation between the two nations.
In terms of coal trade, both countries are aiming to reduce the transportation costs of coal from Laos to Vietnam to ensure competitiveness with global rates. Minister Dien put forward recommendations to restructure coal mining processes in Laos and invest in conveyor systems for cross-border coal transportation to lower extraction, production, and transportation costs.
Dien also suggested that Laos’ Ministry of Energy and Mines consider a government report advocating for the abolition of coal export tax, currently at 10%, which would further bolster energy cooperation between the two nations.
