KUNMING -- The Chinese and Lao sections of the China-Laos 500-kV power interconnection project were physically connected on Thursday, marking a major step forward in bringing the project into operation.

This is another major project in bilateral cooperation following the construction and operation of the China-Laos Railway.

Spanning a total length of 177.5 km, the transmission line includes a 145-km Chinese section and a 32.5-km Lao section. The infrastructure was funded and constructed by China Southern Power Grid Co., Ltd. and Electricite du Laos Transmission Company Limited, respectively.

Once operational, the project is expected to enable a two-way transmission capacity of 1.5 million kW, delivering approximately 3 billion kWh of clean electricity annually.

By extending bilateral physical connectivity from transportation to the energy sector, the project is set to strengthen regional infrastructure connectivity and promote the optimization of the energy mix and clean development.