SINGAPORE: Thailand has yet to approve transmission charges for an extension to a deal to send hydropower from Laos to Singapore, the country's deputy energy secretary said on Monday (Oct 27).
The Lao PDR-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore Power Integration Project, first unveiled in 2022, has been recognised as a precursor to an Asean Power Grid, an attempt to reduce South-East Asia's growing reliance on fossil fuels for power generation.
Earlier in October, Malaysia's energy minister said approval could come as early as next month.
On the sidelines of an event in Singapore on Monday, Sompop Pattanariyankool, Thailand's deputy permanent secretary at the Ministry of Energy, said Thai authorities still needed to give their approval to the second phase of the power project.
"Wheeling charges from Malaysia to Singapore is already done," Pattanariyankool said. "For Thailand, it needs to be approved."
Pattanariyankool said he could not provide a timeline for the approval, which depends on a decision by the National Energy Policy Council. Its membership changed when a new government took office last month.
Wheeling charges refer to costs imposed on the transmission of electricity through a grid. The lack of a wheeling agreement between Singapore and Thailand would block exports from Laos until a settlement is reached, as the power generated is transmitted through Thailand.
Earlier this month, Malaysia's energy minister said political changes had delayed the resumption of power exports from Laos to Singapore. On Monday, Singapore said a resumption was expected soon, without providing further details. - Reuters
