China-Laos mega power project opens channel for clean energy collaboration

Beyond power transmission, the project has also brought tangible benefits to local communities. The construction team built and handed over Namor Tai Primary School and donated five libraries to improve educational conditions. The project has created hundreds of local jobs and helped train Lao technical personnel in the power sector, according to China Southern Power Grid Lancang-Mekong International Co.

Local officials in Namor district described the project as more than just an electricity infrastructure initiative, noting that it has improved livelihoods while strengthening friendship between Laos and China.

Khamphilom Vannaphone, a Laotian vlogger, described the project as a model of win-win cooperation. For Laos, he said, it converts surplus hydropower into stable export revenue, directly boosting economic growth and employment. For China, it provides an important cross-border clean energy supply channel for southwestern regions, helping optimize the energy mix and enhance regional grid resilience.

Jiang said the full connection of the transmission lines ushers in a new stage in regional cooperation, as bilateral collaboration evolves from traditional infrastructure toward green energy and digital development, injecting fresh momentum into building a China-Laos community with a shared future.