On February 5, the transmission lines of the China-Laos 500-kilovolt power interconnection project were fully connected. The project comprises two sections, in Laos and China, which were undertaken respectively by Electricite du Laos Transmission Company Limited and China Southern Power Grid Co., Ltd. The 177.5-kilometer transmission lines run from Oudomxay Province in Laos to Yunnan Province in Southwest China. It is scheduled to be officially operational in April.
The project is expected to achieve a two-way power interchange capacity of 1.5 million kilowatts, and deliver about 3 billion kilowatt-hours of clean electricity annually. It will enhance China-Laos power interchange capabilities and strengthen the power supply capacity in northern Laos, establishing a green channel for electricity interconnectivity and clean energy exchange within the Lancang-Mekong region.
The project’s managers emphasized both economic benefits and environmental protection. On the construction site, heavy-lift drones were seen delivering fittings atop transmission towers. The project innovatively adopted a transport model with helicopters and large drones. This method facilitated the transport of over 5,000 tons of materials. It avoided constructing 3.2-kilometer access roads, thereby preserving about 103 mu (about 6.87 hectares) of forest from clearance and reducing construction disturbance in the reserves by over 90 percent.
Asian elephants, which are indigenous near the construction site in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan, were kindly treated during the construction process. A computer application, developed by the research institute in the Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve, played a significant role in monitoring the movement of elephant herds. The computer screen displayed moving red dots, representing the location of elephant herds. If they approached the construction site, work would promptly halt to allow them to pass undisturbed.
The respect for lives was exemplified in every detail. During the design phase, the route’s passage through rainforest areas was optimized to 20 percent from 32 percent, and the number of nature reserves it traversed was cut from 13 to 8. Miniature piles were used to minimize ground excavation. Wastewater and construction waste were fully treated and removed. Similarly, the Laotian section witnessed more than an 83 percent reduction of tree felling along the line, thanks to optimized design and updated technology.
(Executive editor: Yuan Ting)
