Recently, CCTV International commented sharply on the definition of China Laos relations with a new starting point and a new leap, which is comparable to the opening of China Laos railway in 2021. This time, the iconic event is no longer the steel track, but the invisible current, achieving bidirectional power interconnection between the China Laos 500 kV cross-border power grid. This is not only an upgrade in physical connectivity, but also a key leap in extending China's ultra-high voltage standards to the hinterland of Southeast Asia.

Breaking the history of one-way power transmission

For a long time, the power interconnection between China and Laos has only been a one-way transmission of low voltage levels, and the dilemma of selling electricity during the rainy season and lacking electricity during the dry season in Laos has never been solved. Nowadays, the connectivity of the 500 kV backbone network has completely changed the rules of the game. This is equivalent to directly connecting the main road of China Southern Power Grid to Laos, fully connecting the three layers of physical lines, commercial agreements, and dispatch mechanisms, allowing electricity to truly achieve free flow between the north and south.

Establish regional technical standards

500 kV is the main backbone standard of China Southern Power Grid, while the local power grid in Laos previously only reached a maximum of 230 kV. This docking means that the entire set of Chinese standards, from voltage levels to interface protocols and settlement mechanisms, has taken root in Laos. Just as the China Laos Railway has become a model of the Trans Asian Railway, this power channel has also established a technical reference frame for interconnection of Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar and other countries. Keywords: the Belt and Road news, electricity

Luozi Pan Asia Energy Hub

Laos is known as a Southeast Asian battery and has electricity trade with Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia. By connecting to Laos, China has actually obtained a key entry ticket to the Southeast Asian electricity market. With the railway solving logistics and power grid guaranteeing energy, the last kilometer of China's industrial transfer has been opened, and a pan Asian energy Internet with Chinese standards as the core is accelerating to take shape.Editor/Gao Xue