May 23, 2022. Vientiane, Lao PDR.

The launching ceremony of the Training Program on Energy Auditing Skills and Energy Services Companies (ESCO) was held on May 23, 2022, in Vientiane Capital. The program is a key component of a broader Readiness project financed by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and titled “Market Preparation for Industrial Energy Efficiency”, which aims to accelerate the adoption of sustainable practices across the industry sector in Laos.

The ceremony was attended by senior officials from Government Ministries and guests including representatives from the private sector, and was chaired by Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce Mrs. Chansouk Sengphachanh and Global Green Growth Institute Deputy Country Representative, Mr. Christophe Assicot.

During her opening remarks, Mrs. Chansouk Sengphachanh emphasized that the training would contribute to the government’s objective to reduce energy consumption by 10% by 2030 compared to the reference scenario.

Deputy Country Representative of GGGI Lao PDR, Mr. Christophe Assicot,  said that “considering the challenges faced by the sector, especially SMEs, in terms of access to financing and market uncertainties, we want this program to introduce an innovative energy efficiency delivery model which has proven successful in countries such as Thailand and India where the SME sector is very large. The model uses Energy Services Companies, or ESCOs, which take the risk instead of the factory and then recover their investments on energy savings”.

200 hours of training in total, 3 times a week over 4 months, will be delivered free of charge by reputable experts in the field at the national and international levels. The 16 selected participants will also learn about energy management systems and how to undertake energy audits using state-of-the-art measuring equipment. They will have the opportunity to practice on-site at selected factories in the garment, construction materials and agro-processing sectors.