On April 20, 2026, the "Electricity Expressway" connecting Yunnan, China and northern Laos was officially put into operation, bringing warmth and hope for development of electricity across mountains and rivers and directly reaching the hearts of the people.

Transmission capacity surges 30 times

This 177.5 kilometer long transmission corridor is China's first 500 kV cross-border communication and networking project. It starts in Oudomxay Province, Laos and ends in Yunnan Province, China, directly increasing the power mutual aid capacity between China and Laos from 50000 kilowatts to 1.5 million kilowatts, a full increase of 30 times.

The Chinese section of the route is 145 kilometers long, while the Laotian section is 32.5 kilometers long. A new 500 kV substation has been built in Laos, integrating the previously scattered power grid into a single network, greatly improving the stability of power supply in northern Laos.

On the day of production, 4.81 million kilowatt hours of electricity from the clean energy base in northern Laos was sent to Yunnan, China for the first time through market trading. This means that power cooperation has evolved from simple physical transmission to a "two-way rush" with market rules interconnected.

Actuaries of Green Energy

China and Laos are connected by mountains and rivers, but the supply and demand of electricity are like a dance of "misalignment". Laos has abundant hydropower resources, and during the rainy season, there is too much electricity to use up; During the dry season, the power generation of hydropower stations sharply decreases, and some areas are facing power shortages. As a major energy province, Yunnan in China can serve as a "stabilizer".

After the project is put into operation, it can deliver about 3 billion kilowatt hours of clean electricity annually, equivalent to reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 2.5 million tons. During the rainy season, Laos' surplus hydropower can be sold to China; During the dry season, China charges the northern part of Laos in reverse.

By the end of 2025, the total electricity trade between China and Laos has exceeded 1.6 billion kilowatt hours. This new channel not only solves the problem of energy abundance and scarcity in Laos, but also transforms its clean energy advantages into tangible development dividends.

From 'power on' to 'heart on'

The power engineering brings not only brightness, but also changes in life. During the construction period, the project team prioritized the procurement of local materials, recruited more than 500 Laotian employees to participate in the construction, and provided them with more than 1600 skill training sessions.

In December 2025, Namanan Village Primary School, donated by the Lao National Transmission Grid Corporation, was officially put into use. At the same time, the five "Nanwang Zhixing Bookstores" built with the assistance of China Southern Power Grid in Laos have also been handed over and put into use, equipped with bilingual books and intelligent reading devices.

The project also supports the launch of Laos' first sign language audio-visual information program, allowing hearing-impaired people to "see" the world, truly transforming the "hard support" of infrastructure into a "soft temperature" for improving people's livelihoods.

The 500 kV interconnection project between China and Laos, with iron towers and silver wires erected, not only generates electricity, but also represents the dream of mutual development between the two countries. Just like the lights of Monan Village Primary School, they illuminate not only the classroom, but also the future path of China Laos friendship.Editor/Yang Meiling