Power Grid Connected, 30,000 Rainforest Trees Preserved

At the construction site of the China-Laos 500-kV power interconnection project, a heavy-lift drone carries power supplies over the Xishuangbanna tropical rainforest, while a herd of seven Asian elephants wanders and forages below, depicting the harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature. (Xinhua/Chen Bo)

On February 5, 2026, the Chinese and Lao sections of the China-Laos 500-kV power interconnection project were physically connected along the border between Mohan in Yunnan Province of China and Boten in Laos. The two sections were respectively invested and constructed by China Southern Power Grid and Electricite du Laos Transmission Company Limited.

Adopting refined management measures, the project optimized routing at the planning stage to minimize environmental impact, airlifted construction materials to the site, reduced tree clearing by more than 83%, and prevented construction disturbance to nature reserves by more than 90%, achieving harmonious coexistence between the power grid and the tropical rainforest.

Once operational, the project will have a bidirectional power transmission capacity of 1.5 million kW and deliver approximately 3 billion kWh of clean electricity annually, providing an efficient green corridor for power interconnection and clean energy transmission in the Lancang-Mekong region.

Construction workers set out from transmission towers in China and Laos on Feb. 5, heading toward the connection point for a link-up. (Photo by Xinhua)

Key Challenges

The project route passes through areas rich in biodiversity. Under conventional construction approaches, it would have permanently occupied 103 mu (about 6.87 hectares) of forest land, temporarily impacted over 80,000 square meters of land, and required clearing more than 30,000 trees, potentially causing irreversible damage to the habitats of rare species.

Solution Pathways

A total of 28 major route adjustments were made, reducing the proportion of the line crossing rainforest areas from 32% to 20% and cutting the number of affected nature reserves from 13 to 8. Helicopters and heavy-lift UAVs formed an aerial transport fleet, while "four-aircraft coordinated lifting" technology set a rainforest aerial transport record — achieving a single-day elevation difference of 220 meters and a straight-line transport distance of 900 meters. A drone-based tracking and early warning system enabled dynamic monitoring and timely avoidance, allowing construction schedules to be staggered from wildlife activity periods.

Practical Benefits for Local Communities

Through construction and route optimization, the transmission line length was shortened by 6 kilometers, 15 cableway installations were avoided, and temporary land occupation was minimized. More than 30,000 trees were preserved, and habitats for species such as the Asian elephant were effectively protected. Through mentorship programs, the project trained 161 key technical personnel and over 2,000 power-sector professionals in Laos.

Four heavy-lift drones are used to transport large-scale equipment during the construction of the China-Laos 500kV power interconnection project. (Photo by Xinhua)