The China-Laos 500kV interconnected project transmission line is fully completed.

According to reports from China Southern Power Grid Corporation, on February 5th, the high-altitude connection of the transmission line was successfully completed at the border between Mohe, Yunnan Province, China, and Moding, Laos. The China-Laos 500 kV interconnection project’s Chinese and Lao sections achieved physical connectivity. This “cloud handshake” marks the full connection of the entire line of this project both domestically and internationally.

The project’s total length of the China-Laos 500 kV interconnection line is 177,500 meters. The Chinese section is 145 kilometers long, and the Lao section is 32,500 meters. The project is invested and constructed by China Southern Power Grid Corporation and the Lao National Power Grid Corporation, respectively. After commissioning, it is expected to have a bidirectional transmission capacity of 1.5 million kilowatts, with an annual clean energy transfer of about 3 billion kilowatt-hours, providing an efficient green channel for power interconnection and clean energy transmission in the Lancang-Mekong region.

To protect the ecological environment and biodiversity along the route, the construction team implemented a series of refined control measures. Through construction and route optimization, the line length was reduced by 6 kilometers, 15 cable car installations were eliminated, and the temporary land occupation area was compressed by over 80,000 square meters. The amount of tree felling was reduced by more than 83%, with over 30,000 trees preserved. Construction disturbance to nature reserves was reduced by over 90%, achieving a coordinated advancement of project construction and ecological protection.

The China-Laos 500 kV interconnection project is another landmark achievement following the China-Laos Railway, deepening pragmatic cooperation and jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative. This project extends China-Laos “hard connectivity” from the transportation sector to the energy sector, helping to deepen regional infrastructure interconnection and promote energy structure optimization and clean development. (Xinhua News Agency)