Kuala Lampur, Sept. 30 -- On the ridges of southern Laos, 133 turbines have begun to spin, signaling that Southeast Asia's largest onshore wind farm-the Monsoon Wind Power Project-is finally operational.

At 600 megawatts, the project exports electricity across 71 kilometers of transmission lines into Vietnam under a 25-year agreement. At a cost of $950 million, and with investors ranging from Thailand's Impact Electrons Siam to Japan's Mitsubishi Corp. and China's Power Construction, this facility is more than a showcase of renewable energy. It is a preview of the long-promised AseanPower Grid, a regional super-grid envisioned as early as the 1990s.

The Monsoon project demonstrates what is possible when private initiative, state utiliti...