Laos-China 500 kV Power Transmission Line Now Operational

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Laos and China have put their new 500 kV cross-border power transmission line into operation.

It went live on 20 April, following test runs after engineers first connected it on 5 February.

The line runs 177.5 kilometres, connecting the Nam Mo 3 substation in Oudomxay Province to the Xishuangbanna substation in Yunnan Province. The Lao section covers 32.5 kilometres and was built by the Electricite du Laos Transmission Company, a joint venture between state utility EDL and China Southern Power Grid. Construction began in February 2025.

Capable of carrying up to 1.5 million kilowatts of electricity, the line will deliver around 3 billion kilowatt-hours of clean power each year, roughly 30 times more than the previous link.

Authorities estimate it will cut carbon emissions by around 2.5 million tonnes annually.

Environmental protection was a priority throughout construction, earlier reports from state media confirmed. Engineers optimised the route to avoid sensitive areas and used forest co-planting techniques to reduce deforestation by more than 80 percent, while expanded safety zones along the line offer added protection to nearby communities.

Officials from both sides said the line will strengthen energy security, improve electricity reliability, and support long-term economic growth in northern Laos.

They also see it as a foundation for deeper clean energy cooperation across the Lancang-Mekong region.

Energy Production in Laos

The 500kV line does not stand alone.

In December 2025, authorities inaugurated a 1,000-megawatt solar power project in Oudomxay Province, with Phase I projected to generate 1.7 billion kilowatt-hours annually. The new transmission line will carry that solar power directly to Yunnan Province, making the two projects closely linked.

In March this year, the Lao government signed a deal to build a large clean energy and aluminium industrial zone, also in Oudomxay, covering 6,279 hectares.

China’s Guangxi Investment Group will lead investment in a green aluminium production base capable of producing up to half a million tonnes per year, drawing on up to 2,000 megawatts of clean energy. Officials say the project could reposition Laos from a resource-exporting country into a regional hub for green industrial manufacturing.

On the domestic grid side, EDL is also fast-tracking 12 large-scale solar farms with a combined capacity of 830 megawatts to strengthen domestic supply, alongside accelerating the Nam Ngum 3 hydropower project for completion by 2027.

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