Lao hydropower has been successfully transmitted to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area for the first time, following its integration into the Chinese grid via the newly operational China-Laos 500 kV interconnection project.

The electricity from Laos was transmitted through the 500 kV interconnection line to Yunnan province and then delivered to the Greater Bay Area. This transmission initiative is scheduled to continue until the end of October, with a total volume of approximately 600 million kilowatt-hours. The associated electricity will also participate in the regional power market transactions of the Southern China grid.

The China-Laos 500 kV interconnection project was officially put into operation on April 20. On the same day, photovoltaic power from a clean energy base in northern Laos was transmitted into Yunnan through this channel. The successful delivery of Lao hydropower to the Greater Bay Area further expands the consumption range of cross-border clean energy, establishing a complementary "photovoltaic + hydropower" cross-border clean energy transmission pattern.

A deputy general manager from the market trading department of the operator, China Southern Power Grid's Lancang-Mekong International Energy Company, stated that by 2026, the electricity trading volume of photovoltaic and hydropower transmitted through this 500 kV interconnection project is expected to reach 1.5 billion kilowatt-hours. The company will continue to leverage the synergy between the interconnection project and the "West-to-East Power Transmission" channels to enhance the energy resource allocation efficiency in the Lancang-Mekong region and advance the "Belt and Road" energy cooperation.