Laos-China 500 kV Transmission Line info by Hobo Maps - Go to Solar Power Projects Page - - Go to Wind Power Projects Page - - HOME
On 26 February 2025, Laos launched the Laos-China 500-kilovolt Interconnection Project with a ceremony in Vientiane Capital. The project was announced as part of a broader effort to enhance regional energy integration.
On 5 February 2026, it was announced that the 500 kilovolt (kV) Laos-China power transmission line construction was completed ahead of schedule and it was expected to be fully connected and operational by April of 2026.
The cross-border bi-directional transmission line project will have capacity to transmit up to 1,500 megawatts (MW) of electricity back and forth between Laos and China with ability to transmit about 3,000 gigawatt hours (GWh) of clean energy annually.
Some reports have the total transmission line length as 177.5 km while other reports have it as 183.5 km. Not sure which is correct but both reports agree the length inside Laos is 32.5 km so the 6 km discrepancy is probably on the China side of the border.
The transmission system includes a new 500 kV Namor 3 substation located in Namor district, Oudomxay Province of Lao PDR that links to the 500 kV Xishuangbanna power station in Jinghong city of Yunnan Province China. The 500 kV transmission line route reportedly follows alongside the Lao-China Railway Line as in image below.
Two additional 230-kilovolt lines will connect to the main transmission lines in northern Laos.
The 500 kV transmission line and station in Laos is developed by Electricité du Laos Transmission (EDL-T) while the line and station inside China is developed by State-owned China Southern Power Grid (CSG).
Image below shows transmission line towers in early February 2026 at the time of completion of the line and apparently at the border crossing.
Electricité du Laos-Transmission (EDL-T) invested in and built the Lao section with work starting on February 26, 2025. The connection was completed ahead of schedule through close cooperation between the two countries.
A new Namor 3 power station is at the Lao end of the line and is expected to become a key power grid hub in northern Laos. This 500 kV station will be able to integrate and transmit clean energy output from wind power, solar power and hydropower while improving the efficiency of the power grid system in northern Laos.
Images below of Namor 3 Station for Laos-China 500 kV Transmission Line
Project developers used route optimization design principles that reduced deforestation along the transmission corridor by more than 83 percent. Unexploded ordnance was cleared to 70 meters on both sides of the transmission line to improve safety for surrounding communities.
The project is expected to be a key part of a multi-source clean energy hub within the Lancang-Mekong region, helping to link and efficiently distribute electricity cross-border between neighboring countries.
Satellite images below of Namor 3 500 kV electric station and its location near Namor town at coordinates 20°54'21.8"N 101°45'31.1"E (20.906056, 101.758639).
The project also supports community development by building the Nam Ngiep Tai Primary School (image below) and donating five libraries while creating hundreds of jobs and training Lao personnel in state-of-art electrical technology.
More 500 kV transmission line construction images below:
