The objectives of the DSTIA project are to assist the government of Lao PDR in increasing the security level of hydropower infrastructure according to the standards set in the new Law on Dam safety approved in 2022. This will contribute to protect the people, property and the environment from harmful effects of poor operation or failure of dams and reservoirs. DSTIA project will help inform the decisions of the Government of Lao PDR with respect to legal framework, the setting of dam safety standards, and strengthen the capacity of the Lao authorities to ensure that dam safety measures are fully considered in dam construction, operation and maintenance.

The incident of the Xepian Xenamnoy saddle dam failure in 2018 triggered an important awareness of risks and importance of Dam safety issues for the Government of Laos. The 2019-2020 National Emergency Dam Safety Inspection/NEDSI, initiated subsequently with the support of various donors including Switzerland, and the review of the institutional and legal frameworks conducted by a Swiss Adviser, revealed that there was a need to improve the safety of hydropower infrastructure. The legal and institutional framework as well as the human resources capacities related to dam safety required the adoption of measures to bring them to the level of international safety standards for such infrastructure.

Following the Swiss support to the Nationwide Emergency Dam Safety Inspection, implemented together with several other development partners, the Government of Lao PDR requested a longer-term Swiss support in strengthening the national dam safety regulatory and institutional frameworks and in providing capacity building to the recently created Department of Energy Industry Safety Management (DESM) of the Ministry of Energy and Mines, parallel to setting up University level trainings for future engineers, in collaboration with the NUOL. The project will eventually ensure better protection for downstream communities and contribute to safe energy production and the sustainability of infrastructure by increasing government’s law enforcement and technical capacities to international standards.

H.E.Mdm Phonevanh Outhavong, Vice Minister, Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) highlighted that the Ninth National Socio-Economic Development Plan (NSEDP) 2021-2025 confirms the relevance of hydropower for the country’s socio-economic development and for ensuring local provision of electricity as well as increasing national income from power export. Hydropower dams represent a risk of disaster in case of faulty design or construction, lack of maintenance, surveillance and failure to implement environmental and social safeguards. Hence, ensuring the safety of energy production infrastructure is vital for people living around and downstream of dams as well as for securing a sustainable income for the Government while providing a means of production for the local economy.

Mr. Jean-François Cuénod, SDC Regional Director of Cooperation for the Mekong Region, emphasized that Switzerland is happy to share its unique expertise and experience in this field. SDC, in coordination with other development partners, will strengthen the capacity of the MEM to ensure that the dam safety law and by laws as well as operation and maintenance of dams are in conformity with international practices. He stressed that the aim of this project is to strengthen the capacities of the Ministry of Energy and Mines to fulfil its mandate of dam safety supervisory authority. At the institutional level, it will support the newly created Department of Industry Energy Safety Management to be effectively functional. Finally, for the sustainability, it will support the knowledge and learning for dam safety focusing on capacities of dam owners, operators and students of the national university, contributing to the creation of a pool of well qualified dam safety specialists within the country.

The Signing Ceremony marks the beginning of a longer-term support of Switzerland starting from phase I in the amount of about CHF 4.8 million or about USD 5.2 million from now until March 2026 with a foreseen second phase of a similar scale, provided the evaluation of this first phase is satisfactory. The signing ceremony was attended by key representatives from various ministries including MPI, MEM, MoFA, National University of Laos, LAD, MLSW, MoNRE, MAF, SDC and Helvetas.