In the wave of global energy transition, a milestone project is rewriting the pattern of energy cooperation in Asia. In August 2025, the 600 MW mountain wind power project in Mengsong, Laos, designed and constructed by China Electric Power Construction, achieved full capacity grid connection and was officially put into commercial operation. As the first cross-border transmission new energy project in Asia, it not only pioneered the cross-border transmission of regional green electricity, but also marked the strategic transformation of China's new energy going global from product output to technology operation and standard output.

The project is located in the provinces of Sekong and Attapeu in Laos, with a total of 133 wind turbines with a single capacity of 4.5 megawatts and an annual power generation of approximately 1.72 billion kilowatt hours. The generated electricity is transmitted across the border to the Vietnamese power grid through 500 kV transmission lines, forming an innovative model of "one country construction, cross-border transmission, and multi country benefits". The project team overcame multiple challenges such as complex terrain, ecological protection, and cross rainy season construction, and applied BIM digital technology to achieve fine management, ultimately successfully completing all construction tasks.

Southeast Asia is becoming the core market for China's new energy exports. According to a report by KPMG, the investment scale of Chinese new energy enterprises in Southeast Asia has increased from 4.5 billion US dollars in 2022 to 7.1 billion US dollars in 2024, with a compound annual growth rate of 25.7%. Vietnam has become the most popular investment destination, attracting $2.8 billion in investment in 2024, involving 38 photovoltaic and 15 wind power projects. Thailand followed closely with an investment of 1.8 billion US dollars and outstanding performance in the energy storage sector. The Philippines is known for its wind power industry, with a total investment of 1.3 billion US dollars.

Cross border electricity trade is giving birth to a new blue ocean in the trillion dollar market. Research shows that the global electricity trading market is expected to reach approximately $87.4 billion by 2024 and is projected to reach $218.5 billion by 2037, with a compound annual growth rate of 7.8%. The growth in the Asia Pacific region is particularly significant, and it is expected that the market size will reach 119.56 billion US dollars by 2037. Electricity consumption and spot trading in the industrial sector will become the dominant force in the market.

The success of the Mengsong project highlights China's comprehensive advantages in the field of new energy. The project adopts a 500 kV transmission system constructed according to Chinese technical standards, achieving full chain services for power generation, transmission, and distribution. By using BIM technology, costs can be saved by about 23%, significantly improving engineering efficiency and laying the foundation for the overseas promotion of Chinese technical standards.

This achievement benefits from the support of the green development policy of the the Belt and Road. By the end of 2024, more than 1800 new energy projects have been launched under the the Belt and Road framework, with a total investment of more than 480 billion dollars. In 2022, the National Development and Reform Commission and other departments jointly issued a document to encourage new energy enterprises to go global and build green energy demonstration projects.

Southeast Asian countries are also actively promoting power grid interconnection. Vietnam plans to increase the proportion of renewable energy to 50%, Thailand aims to achieve 35% renewable energy generation by 2037, the Philippines has launched a green electricity certificate system, and Malaysia and Indonesia are discussing regional power grid integration.

Despite the broad prospects, cross-border electricity trade still faces challenges such as differences in technical standards, policy uncertainty, and intensified market competition. For example, the subsidy price for photovoltaics in Vietnam has decreased from 9.35 cents/kWh in 2017 to 5.02 cents/kWh in 2023, which has an impact on the profitability of enterprises.

In the future, with the development of technologies such as energy storage, smart grids, and hydrogen energy, Asia is expected to form a cross-border power network similar to Europe. By 2030, Laos' installed hydropower capacity will reach 100, with enormous potential for external transmission. The promotion of projects such as the China Pakistan Economic Corridor and the China Myanmar power line is pushing regional power interconnection to a new stage.

The Mengsong project provides important inspiration for Chinese new energy enterprises to go global: seize the policy window period, strengthen the output of technical standards, improve the layout of the industrial chain, strengthen risk control, and thus gain opportunities in the global energy transformation. (This article is from www.seetao.com, the official website of Daodao, and cannot be reproduced without permission. Otherwise, it will be prosecuted. Please specify the website of Daodao+the original link for reproduction.) See the editor of the the Belt and Road column of Daodao/Yang Beihua