MERFI’s support for Lao PDR’s National Green Hydrogen
and
Ammonia Roadmap
The global impetus toward a net-zero economy has led to the emergence of decarbonized or green hydrogen and ammonia as crucial energy carriers that can also support Lao’s transition toward a sustainable and just energy system. Redirecting Laos’s surplus hydropower electricity to decarbonized hydrogen and ammonia production represents a significant but under-evaluated opportunity to diversify the country’s economy across multiple sectors, contribute to sustainable and just development objectives and position the country as an early adopter and regional leader in the hydrogen-ammonia energy system.
Funded by the Australian Government’s Partnership for Infrastructure, MERFI has collaborated with the Government of Laos throughout 2022-2025 to co-design and draft an integrated and comprehensive National Green Hydrogen and Ammonia Roadmap to capitalize on these opportunities.
The Roadmap emphasizes a whole-of-energy system approach, is ambitious, strives for just and sustainable energy transitions, is collaborative and participatory and facilitates civil society-public-private partnerships in domestic manufacture and production chains. In practice this meant designing and implementing a collaborative, adaptable and systematic Roadmap process geared to technical, economic and political capacities and the cultural milieu that characterize the country. A key outcome of this process is the recognition that time is short and competition among countries is intense to establish viable hydrogen and ammonia production infrastructure and markets.
In collaboration with Lao partners, MERFI designed a systematic and incremental participatory process to craft the short, medium and long-term hydrogen& ammonia strategies detailed in the Roadmap.
To realize these strategies, the establishment of a Lao green hydrogen and ammonia industry demands a focused enabling and supportive environment based on well-aligned guiding principles and building blocks. Collectively the guiding principles provide the necessary foundation, support and conducive environment for the implementation of the Roadmap and for the country to achieve its green hydrogen and ammonia vision.
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The Roadmap is a critical first step to develop a decarbonized hydrogen and ammonia industry by setting out the vision, strategies and actions, commitments and financial support to transition from an emerging technology to viable commercial assets.
Laos’ Hydrogen and Ammonia Vision
By leveraging our abundant renewable energy resources, we aim to harness the transformative potential of hydrogen and ammonia to meet our net-zero energy transition goals, to nurture local talent, attract likeminded partners and to drive sustainable and just development for generations to come. We envision Lao PDR as a regional hub of the global carbon-neutral hydrogen and ammonia economy.
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The National Green Hydrogen and Ammonia Roadmap aligns with national development principles by systematically setting out a series of enabling strategies and actions to harness the transformative potential of decarbonized or green hydrogen and ammonia to meet the country’s renewable energy needs, drive resilient, sustainable and just development and safeguard our environment for generations to come.
In transitioning from an emerging technology to viable commercial assets, the ‘policy imperatives’ woven into the Roadmap focus in large part on integrated decision-making, flexible governance, robust concession agreements, safety and risk management and the importance of research and innovative investment in hydrogen and ammonia technology. The Roadmap emphasizes reducing the costs, skill shortages and institutional barriers limiting infrastructure development and identifying the final end product mix that yields the most favourable social and economic benefits.
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Lao PDR National Green Hydrogen and Ammonia Roadmap Executive Summary.pdf