Asia·Laos
Laos's giant wind farm powers Vietnam, but the villages under its turbines still lose electricity in storms
DAK WAI, LAOS —
Depth
Dig five layers into this story — from what happened to the full picture.
L1What happened
Villager Toukta Phonsala, 23: "The view is beautiful. They're bigger than trees." EnergyLab Asia's Tristan Bellingham: "the economics are moving in favour of wind."
L2Who’s affected
Rice and coffee farmers near the turbines, who still face outages because Laos's grid is outdated and its utility heavily in debt; Vietnam's power consumers. The manager says 1,600 grievances, mainly crop compensation claims, were resolved; CNA notes public dissent is severely restricted in communist Laos.
L3Why it’s quiet
Analysis · OVERLOOKED Slow-moving energy stories from small Southeast Asian countries rarely make U.S. news.
L4Deeper impact
Thomas Jakobsen estimates EVN pays about six US cents per kWh, two to four cents below the Vietnamese rate; Monsoon, EVN and the ADB declined to share the rate. A Laos official points to 10 to 15 wind projects in development. By 2030, Laos imports could equal nearly 10% of Vietnam's installed capacity. Laos is set to get $180 million over the 25-year contract.
L5Full context
Laos already hosts 90 hydropower plants, which lose output in dry seasons. Drought cut hydropower and caused severe Vietnam blackouts in 2023, and Vietnam warned in September of shortage risk from 2027. Monsoon was built by a Chinese state firm, is owned by a Thai-led consortium, and plans 1,000 MW more, partly for use in Laos.
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Original reporting
This is an OVERLOOKED summary of the reporting above. Facts and figures come from the linked sources. Everything here is a fact unless it is labelled otherwise. Support this work.
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