Mekong Energy and Ecology Network (MEE Net) organised, in cooperation with Finland Futures Research Centre and Chulalongkorn University, an international conference ”Know Your Power: Towards a Participatory Approach for Sustainable Power Development in the Mekong Region” in Bangkok on 18-19 January 2012. The aim of the conference was to examine the interlinkages between energy and development by analysing the multitude of actors, their roles and influence within the power sector. The conference was attended by researchers, NGO representatives, government officials, journalists and donors. The participants came from all the Mekong region countries, as well as from Europe, US and Australia.
Simultaneously and partly overlapping with the energy conference, MEE Net organised together with Thai Broadcasting Service a Mekong Energy Journalist Workshop to train journalists from the region to know and to report about energy issues, and to network with each other, and with conference participants. Journalists from Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam and China attended this 5-day workshop.
In the Know Your Power conference there were more than 25 presentations given on different topics relating to energy in the Mekong region. One of them was researcher Chuenchom Greacen who discussed about power sector planning, taking Thailand’s official Power Development Planning (PDP) process as an example. She, together with her colleagues, had developed an alternative PDP for Thailand, “PDP2012” which showed that energy security in Thailand can be maintained without electricity imports, nuclear and new power plans.
Chom’s presentation, as well as all the other presentations can be downloaded from the MEE Net’s website http://www.meenet.org/