Mekong Institute (MI), in cooperation with China Southern Power Grid Co., Ltd. (CSG) / Yunnan Power Grid Co., Ltd. (YNPG), organized a professional training program on Power Market Construction and Development on July 29 to August 9, 2019. Held at YNPG Yixing Training Base in Kunming, China, the training brought together 30 technicians and middle management personnel from the national energy authorities as well as representatives from the power utilities in the Lancang-Mekong region.
The two-week training combined lectures with structured learning visits to YNPG Custom Service Center and Smart Custom Service Hall to complement in-classroom learning with actual industry practices. Participants also experienced cross-cultural communication and interactions through learning sessions on Chinese traditional calligraphy and dumpling making. More importantly, the training program served a double-purpose of developing capacities and at the same time, laying the foundation for GMS power collaboration through networking and people-to-people exchanges among the member countries.
Capping off the event, Dr. Watcharas Leelawath, Executive Director of MI, expressed gratitude to the Foreign Affairs Office of Yunnan Province for its invaluable support. He also mentioned that 2019 marks the fifth anniversary of the MI-CSG Cooperative Program and lauded the respective parties for their contribution to human resource development and power connectivity in the Lancang-Mekong region.
Mr. Zhang Jiapeng, Deputy Director of Southeast Asia Affairs Division, Foreign Affairs Office of Yunnan Province, acknowledged the private sector, in particular YNPG, for actively participating in LMC projects as well as initiating their share of the development agenda through corporate social responsibility. Likewise, Mr. Si Shuming, Board Chairman of CSG Yunnan International Co., Ltd. and Vice President of YNPG, congratulated the training participants for completing the course and encouraged them to capitalize on their acquired knowledge in furthering regional power connectivity.
