A landmark cross-border energy infrastructure partnership between China and Laos has reached a major milestone, with the 500-kilovolt China-Laos power interconnection project officially entering commercial operation on Monday, April 21, 2026. Developed to deepen bilateral energy cooperation, this new facility stands as the largest and highest-voltage cross-border power grid project ever constructed between the two neighboring nations.
According to data released by China Southern Power Grid Lancang-Mekong International, the project delivers a transformative upgrade to bilateral energy exchange capacity. Prior to the launch of this new infrastructure, the maximum power transmission capacity between China and Laos stood at just 50,000 kilowatts. The newly commissioned project pushes this capacity to 1.5 million kilowatts — a 30-fold increase over the previous interconnection line.
Beyond expanding capacity, the project is designed to facilitate large-scale cross-border exchange of clean energy. Project operators project that the interconnection will support the annual transmission of approximately 3 billion kilowatt-hours of low-carbon electricity between the two countries, helping to balance energy supply and demand while supporting decarbonization goals on both sides of the border.
The project’s completion comes amid growing regional cooperation on energy infrastructure across the Lancang-Mekong region, where cross-border interconnection projects are increasingly seen as a tool to improve energy security, expand access to affordable clean power, and strengthen economic ties between participating nations.