Programs & Events
U.S. Embassy Hosts the GMS Energy Conference in Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
September 29 - 30, 2009
The U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh, in cooperation with the U.S. Embassies in Bangkok, Vientiane, and Hanoi; the U.S. Consulate General in Chaing Mai, and Ho Chi Minh City; the Foreign Commercial Service in Thailand and Vietnam; and the American Cambodian Business Council (Amcham), recently hosted the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) energy conference at the Intercon Hotel on September 29th and 30th. The two day conference included speakers from the public and private sectors in Cambodia, China, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, and the U.S., covered topics ranging from understanding current energy policies in member countries, to a case study of energy trading in relationship, to the expanding GMS market. The Greater Mekong Sub-region Economic Cooperation (GMS-EC) program is a regional effort among the countries and provinces of the Mekong river basin including Cambodia, China, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, and Burma, to develop infrastructure with the goal of expanding trade and growth in the region.
The GMS conference lasted for two days and included program components in cooperation on energy, transportation, telecommunications, tourism, the environment, and human resource development. In the next year, energy demands in the Greater Mekong Sub-region are projected to increase anywhere from 9 to 14 percent. As the U.S. Ambassador stated at a conference reception held at the U.S. Embassy on the night of September 29th, “a reliable and affordable energy supply will be critical to sustaining Cambodia’s and the region’s economic development. This energy supply can only be facilitated through foreign direct investment in the energy sector. Your investments and technical expertise will be critical to the further development of Cambodia and neighboring GMS countries.”
Agenda
September 29
07:30 Registration
08:30 Welcome and Introduction
U.S. Ambassador Carol A. Rodley
(moderated by: Melissa A. Sweeney, Acting Chief of the Political-Economic Section, U.S. Embassy, Phnom Penh)
08:45 ADB Overview of GMS-EC Program
(moderated by: Melissa A. Sweeney, Acting Chief of the Political-Economic Section, U.S. Embassy, Phnom Penh)
09:15 Coffee Break
09:45 Energy Requirements in the Greater Mekong Subregion – Lower
GMS Energy Perspectives: Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam
H.E. Phalla Phan, Deputy Secretary General, Supreme National Economic Council (SNEC) (PDF - 1.06 MB)
Mr. Ðinh Quang Tri, Vice President, Electricity of Vietnam (EVN)
Dr. Porametee Vimolsiri, Senior Advisor, National Economic and Social Development Board, Royal Government of Thailand
Xaypaseuth Phomsoupha, Director General, Department of Energy Promotion and Development, Laos (PDF - 676 KB)
(moderated by: Mark Dunn, Regional Representative for Asia, U.S. Trade and Development Agency)
11:15 Questions and Answers
12:00 Lunch sponsored by GE Energy
13:30 Implementation Plans I:
Breakout Session 1: Oil and Gas Maritime Recovery Plans
Te Duong Tara, Director General, Cambodia National Petroleum Authority (CNPA)
Ngo Thi Hoan Hao, Energy and Petroleum Department, Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOIT), Vietnam
Dr. Songpope Polachan, Deputy Director-General, Department of Mineral Fuels, Ministry of Energy, Thailand (PDF - 9.10 MB)
Gerry M. Flaherty, General Manager, Exploration/New Ventures and NOJV, Chevron
(moderated by: Melissa A. Sweeney, Acting Chief of the Political-
Economic Section, U.S. Embassy, Phnom Penh)
Breakout Session 2: Hydropower
Voradeth Phonekeo, Mekong River Commission
Jie Tang, Senior Energy Specialist, Transport, Energy and Mining Sector Unit (EASTE), East Asia and Pacific Region, World Bank, Thailand (PDF - 1.31 MB)
Tun Lean, Director General of the General Directorate for Energy, MIME (PDF - 669 KB)
(moderated by: Hal Howard, Regional Environment, Science, Technology, and Health Officer, U.S. Embassy, Thailand)
Breakout Session 3: Oil, Gas, and Coal-based Energy Production Plans
H.E. Dr. Sat Samy, Secretary of State, Ministry of Industry, Mines, and Energy (MIME) (PDF - 669 KB)
Dr. Suthep Chimklai - Director, Systems Planning Division
EGAT Plc., Thailand
Dr. Kieu Kim Truc, Deputy General Manager, Power Projects Division, Vietnam National Coal - Mineral Industries Group (VINACOMIN) (PDF - 1.58 MB)
Dr. Daovong Phonekeo, Deputy Director General, Department of Electricity, Laos
(moderated by: Brent Ohmdahl, Commercial Attache, U.S. Embassy, Vietnam)
14:50 Implementation Plans II:
Breakout Session 1: Oil and Gas Terrestrial Recovery Plans
Te Duong Tara, Director General, Cambodia National Petroleum Authority (CNPA)
Ngo Thi Hoan Hao, Expert, Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOIT), Vietnam
Dr. Songpope Polachan, Deputy Director-General, Department of Mineral Fuels, Ministry of Energy, Thailand (PDF - 9.10 MB)
(moderated by: Melissa A. Sweeney, Acting Chief of the Political-Economic Section, U.S. Embassy, Phnom Penh)
Breakout Session 2: Biomass, Biogas, and Solar
Alfred Buchner, GE Energy, “Potential for Biomass/Biogas Energy in Cambodia and the GMS Region” (PDF - 3.78 MB)
Jeroen Verschelling, Director, Kamworks “Potential for Solar for Rural Electrification in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand” (PDF - 599 KB)
Phan Minh Quoc Binh, Director of Petrovietnam Research & Development Center, “Perspective on the Development Strategy of Petrovietnam and Vietnam for Biofuels Production and Distribution” (PDF - 2.49 MB)
(moderated by: Juhani Platt, Political/Economic Assistant, U.S. Embassy, Phnom Penh)
Breakout Session 3: Distribution
Dr. Yongping Zhai, Lead Professional (Energy), Energy and Water Division, Southeast Asia Department, Asian Development Bank (PDF - 3.46 MB)
MIME, Cambodia (PDF - 561 KB)
Jie Tang, Senior Energy Specialist, Transport, Energy and Mining Sector Unit (EASTE), East Asia and Pacific Region, World Bank, Thailand (or colleague) (PDF - 1.31 MB)
(moderated by: Thierry Lefevre, Director, Center for Energy Environment Resources Development, Thailand)
16: 00 Coffee Break – Sign up for Workshops on Wednesday
16:30 International Best Practices by American Companies
Breakout Session 1: Environmental Impact Assessments
Olivier Marquette, Senior Project Manager, AES (PDF - 1.78 MB)
(moderated by: Mark Dunn, Regional Representative for Asia, U.S. Trade and Development Agency)
Breakout Session 2: Joint Development of Overlapping Claims Areas
Bill Lafferrandre, Vice President, ConocoPhillips (PDF - 986 KB)
(moderated by: Melissa A. Sweeney, Acting Chief of the Political-
Economic Section, U.S. Embassy, Phnom Penh)
Breakout Session 3: Best Corporate Practices
Gerry M. Flaherty, General Manager, Exploration/New Ventures and NOJV, Chevron
(moderated by: Brent Ohmdahl, Commercial Attache, U.S. Embassy, Vietnam)
19:00 Reception at U.S. Embassy hosted by Ambassador Carol A. Rodley
(supported by the American Cambodian Business Council)
September 30
8:30 Accessing Lower GMS Energy Markets
Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam
Robert Fitzgibbons, Senior Counsel, DFDL Mekong, “A Comparative Analysis of the Sales and Trade Regulatory Framework in the Lower GMS Power Sector” (PDF - 347 KB)
Chris Greacen, “Selling Renewable Energy Profitably to the Grid: The Evolution and Results of Thailand’s Very Small Power Producer Regulations” (PDF -1.70 MB)
Brett Sciaroni, Chairman, American Cambodian Business Council (Amcham), “Finding a Local Partner or Distributor” (PDF - 3.51 MB)
(moderated by: Brent Ohmdahl, Commercial Attache, U.S. Embassy, Vietnam)
10:15 Coffee Break
10:45 Energy Trading Case Study
(moderated by: Melissa A. Sweeney, Acting Chief of the Political-Economic
Section, U.S. Embassy, Phnom Penh)
12:00 Lunch sponsored by Chevron
13:30 Workshops on:
Human resource development (facilitated by Tom Schmidt, Economic Officer, U.S. Consulate General, Chiang Mai, Thailand),
Marketing (facilitated by: Aaron Otte, Public Affairs Assistant, U.S. Embassy, Cambodia),
Building business networks (facilitated by Bretton G. Sciaroni, Chairman, Amcham) (PDF - 3.51 MB)
Government tenders (facilitated by Mark Dunn, Regional Representative for Asia, U.S. Trade and Development Agency),
E-governance (facilitated by Brent Ohmdahl, Commercial Attache, U.S. Embassy, Vietnam)
14:30 Workshop Debriefing
15:00 Closure of Conference
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