Asia
1. Outline of the ProjectCountry:

Project title:

Laos

The Project on Electric Power Technical Standard Establishment

Issue/Sector:

Cooperation scheme:

Electricity

Project-type Technical Cooperation

Division in charge:

Total cost:

Second Technical Cooperation Division,
Mining and Industrial Development Cooperation
Department

approximately 371 million yen

Period ofCooperation

Partner Country's Implementing Organization:

1 May 2000 - 30 April 2003

Ministry of Industry and Handicrafts (MIH), Department of Electricity(DOE), Electricity of Lao (EDL)

Supporting Organization in Japan:
Japan Electric Power Information Center. INC.

Related Cooperation:
1-1 Background of the Project
Laos has promoted hydropower energy development using affluent water resources by introducing foreign investment. However,the power plants, the power transmission and the transformation facilities were designed and constructed by developing bodies(foreign capitals) with different power technology standards, which created some problems with electric power systemmanagement and maintenance. Under these circumstances, the government of Laos requested to the government of Japan for
project-type technical cooperation to develop an electric power technical standard suitable to Laos and to develop humanresources sufficiently capable to apply the standard efficiently.

1-2 Project Overview
In order to develop an electric power technical standard in Laos, the project implemented such technical cooperation on theinstruction of management and operation of electric power technical standard and on drawing of the draft of an electric power
technical standard to the administrative staff of the Ministry of Industry and Handicrafts (MIH).
(1) Overall Goal
Lao Electric Power Technical Standard (LEPTS) is enacted.
(2) Project Purpose
Necessary human resources to be able to establish and maintain LEPTS are developed.
(3) Outputs
1) Necessary information for LEPTS is collected.
2) Necessary techniques for establishing/maintaining LEPTS are mastered.
3) Necessary contents of LEPTS are grasped by the officials of MIH.
4) Interests in LEPTS are increased.

(4) Inputs
Japanese side:
Long-term Experts

6

Equipment

approximately 33 million yen

Short-term Experts

23

Local Cost

approximately 26 million yen

Trainees received

8

Laos Side:Counterparts

17

Land and Facilities
Local Cost

approximately 77 million kip (approximately 1 million yen)

2. Evaluation Team
Members ofEvaluation Team

Team Leader: Yusuke MURAKAMI, Deputy Director, Second Technical Cooperation Division, Miningand Industrial Development Cooperation Department, JICA
Technical Cooperation Planning: Toshiaki KOBORI, Electric Power Safety Division, Nuclear andIndustrial Safety Agency, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
Electric Power Engineering: Toshinao MIZUGAKI, Deputy Assistant Manager, Administration
Department, International Cooperation Center, Japan Electric Power Information Center. INC.
Project Management: Naohisa YOSHIFUJI, Second Technical Cooperation Division, Mining andIndustrial Development Cooperation Department, JICA
Evaluation Analysis: Ichiro TOYODA, Toyo Engineering Cooperation

Period ofEvaluation

3 February 2003 - 20February 2003

Type of Evaluation:
Terminal Evaluation

3. Results of Evaluation
3-1 Summary of Evaluation Results(1) Relevance
The Electricity Law in 1997 defined the establishment of LEPTS. The enactment of LEPTS is an urgent task to avoid
establishing various different standards in future electricity development. The enactment of LEPTS secures stability andcredibility of electricity and enhances convenience of the people in Laos. The enactment of LEPTS also contributes to theimproved productivity in the industrial world. In the ODA policy of Japan to Laos, the Japanese government puts emphasis on
the capacity building of human resources who contribute to infrastructure development. Judging from above, the relevance ofthe overall goal and the project purpose is very high.
(2) EffectivenessThe project is the only project which is related to the electric power standard in Laos. The four outputs: Ñgnecessary information
for LEPTS is collected," Ñgnecessary techniques for establishing/maintaining LEPTS is mastered," Ñgnecessary contents ofLEPTS are grasped by officials of MIH," and Ñgawareness to LEPTS are enhanced" have been accomplished without any
interference of external conditions, and the project purpose of technical transfer and organization of draft LEPTS has beenaccomplished. Therefore, the Effectiveness of the Project was extremely high.
(3) Efficiency
The dispatch of the Japanese experts proceeded timely as scheduled. The expertise of the experts was highly practical backed
by their respective experiences. The counterparts' training in Japan was very much appreciated among the counterpartsbecause they could learn new techniques, had site survey and they actually observed the latest power system operation withhigh safety and stability under the Japanese power technology standards.
All the equipment and books the Japanese side offered were well managed and utilized, and all the equipment was utilized asoriginally planned.
The qualification of the counterparts was well considered on their allocation. As technical sections were divided into four, andthe respective work responsibilities were made clear, developing the draft for LEPTS and the technical transfer related to themaintenance and management of the draft were efficiently implemented in the two years.
Judging from the above, the efficiency of the project was enormously high.
(4) Impact
The overall goal of the enactment of LEPTS has not been accomplished yet, however, after LEPTS is translated into Laotian, itwill be enacted after necessary procedures such as discussion with related ministries including the Ministry of Justice andScience Technology and Environment Agency. In case the safety electricity supply is realized through the enactment of LEPTS,
productivity of the industry will be increased, and the accidents and disasters such as electrification accidents or fire will bedecreased. There were other positive impacts as follows.
1) The draft of LEPTS was explained to related organizations in Laos and presented at the final seminar held to attainconsensus, attracting specialists of various different sectors, thereby those specialists are well motivated to standardize thefields they are specialized in by establishing similar standards for their own fields.
2) The establishment of the draft of LEPTS made a positive impact to neighboring countries, especially Cambodia, to realize theimportance of organizing electric power technical standards. The Cambodian government began to prepare their own standard
with the cooperation from the Japanese government.
As regard the negative impacts, it is expected that the implementation of LEPTS will increase the construction cost of power
facilities. The price of electricity is defined by the balance of efficiency of the electric system, risk reduction and construction
cost. The effects to the price of electricity were not measured at the terminal evaluation.
There were positive and negative impacts observed by the implementation of LEPTS. However, if the implementation of LEPTS
leads to a price rise of electricity, as mentioned above, positive impacts are expected, the social and economical benefits byLEPTS implementation is much larger than the negative impacts.
(5) Sustainability
The draft of LEPTS will be approved as an official electric power technical standard after the translation into Laotian. The draft is
to be commented on by related ministries and agencies and proposed to the cabinet council. The procedure may take about one
year, but related personnel of the project estimate that there would be no huge hampers.
Implementation, maintenance and management of LEPTS will be conducted by the Control and Monitoring Division ofDepartment of Electricity (DOE), and the counterparts joining the project will be engage in the department. Therefore, the project
has institutional sustainability.
At the terminal evaluation, the counterparts had already acquired the necessary knowledge and techniques for implementation,
maintenance and management of LEPTS. Further improvement of capability of the counterparts is expected through their
management experiences from now on. As the counterparts have pride as staff of DOE or Electricity of Lao (EDL) and strong
willingness to achieve their tasks, it is considered that they would not leave their workplaces. Therefore, the technicalsustainability of the project was high.
Meanwhile, DOE declared that it would assure the necessary budget for implementation, maintenance and management ofLEPTS, and so the financial sustainability of the project was assured. As the major equipment delivered consists of books andreference materials such as IEC standard, the maintenance and management cost of the equipment delivered would not
become a burden.
The project director and project manager recognized that LEPTS was essential for the development of an electricity sector in
Laos for the future. Therefore after the termination of the project, they will focus on its enactment. The Laotian side hasremarkably strong initiative.

3-2 Factors that promoted realization of effects(1) Factors Concerning the Planning
N/A.
(2) Factors concerning the Implementation Process
1) As counterparts and experts sufficiently communicated, the technical transfer was smoothly and efficiently implemented.
2) As all the counterparts were involved in the process of translating the draft of LEPTS to Laotian from English, they attained
deep understanding about the contents.
3) The timing of expert dispatch and experts' techniques and knowledge based on their experiences met the needs of the Laosside.

3-3 Factors that impeded realization of effects(1) Factors Concerning the Planning
N/A.
(2) Factors concerning the Implementation Process
As the Laos side did not manage the documents very well; it was difficult to collect data on existing electric power facilities.

3-4 Conclusion
Based on the policies of the Laos government of promoting an electric power technical standard development, the counterparts
and the Japanese experts promoted the project with strong willingness, and the inputs were implemented timely, which meant
the project purpose of drafting the LEPTS and conducting the technical transfer to the counterparts were accomplished.

3-5 Recommendations(1) DOE and EDL should organize a group which establishes, maintains, and disseminates the LEPTS.
(2) DOE and EDL should cultivate trainers who train the officers and engineers in rural areas for dissemination of LEPTS.
(3) DOE should monitor the process for enactment and take necessary measures, for the smooth progress of the official
procedure for the enactment of LEPTS.
(4) DOE and EDL should collect statistical data and information of accidents and troubles related to the electric power systemand analyze the data and information to improve the standard to be more complete.
(5) DOE and EDL should establish regulations and guidelines of LEPTS for maintenance, management and dissemination.
(6) DOE and EDL should effectively utilize equipment, books and standards provided by the Japanese side for theestablishment and maintenance of LEPTS.

3-6 Lessons Learned(1) In the case of an institutional assistance project for a specific sector, the Japanese side should clarify the relevance of thepolicy of the sector under the governmental development plan of the recipient countries. At the same time, the priority of thesector and the timing of the project implementation are essential for successful project management.
(2) To transfer techniques with high quality within a limited period, a management system of regularly monitoring activities andeffects should be established.
(3) To allow the counterparts to understand the electric power technical standard thoroughly, they should be in charge oftranslation of the standard into their own language.
(4) The achievement of the project was ensured by close intensive support from the members of the supporting committee
mainly consisting of the Japanese electric power companies. Furthermore, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency of theMinistry of Economy, Trade and Industry provided additional technical advice. The secretariat of the committee, Japan ElectricPower Information Center, coordinated related parties and facilitated support to implement the project. Therefore, to accomplish
the achievements of the project, a supporting committee should actively support the project.

3-7 Follow-up Situation
N/A.