CSG advances energy cooperation in Lancang-Mekong region

“China is advancing in the development of economy and technology. It's beyond my expectation,” Kittitouch Kitnatthakul, a public relations officer of the Government Public Relations Department of Thailand, told People's Daily Online. The digital grid is so ubiquitous in daily life, and exists in every corner of Guangzhou, the smart city. Thailand has much to learn from China, and we should continue to deepen exchange and cooperation between the two countries, he added.

Members of the LMC media delegation on Saturday visited the Digital Power Grid Experience Center of China Southern Power Grid (CSG).

Members of the 2023 LMC media delegation visit CSG in Guangzhou, south China’s Guangdong province on July 1, 2023. (People’s Daily Online/Ning Yuying)

According to official data, CSG has realized power grid inter-connection with neighboring countries including Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar, injecting vitality into regional green development, energy transition, and improvement of local people's livelihood.

A staff member introduces the Digital Grid achievements to the LMC media delegation in the China Southern Power Grid, Guangzhou city, south China’s Guangdong province on July 1, 2023. (People’s Daily Online/Ning Yuying)

Bolstering connection and communication through power transmission

CSG has continuously expanded regional cooperation in green energy in the Lancang-Mekong region.

The two-way power trade between China and Laos was launched by CSG Yunnan International Co Ltd (YNIC), a subsidiary of CSG, in June 2022, further improving the allocation of clean power resources in the Lancang-Mekong region, and achieving "flood-dry season mutual power complementariness"，thus creating win-win cooperation of mutual benefit.

In addition, CSG has been committed to promoting the well-being of local people in the Lancang-Mekong region. Since 2011, CSG has trained 165 students from the Lancang-Mekong countries in electrical power engineering. CSG has also established two "Friendship Schools", and carried out "The Light of Hope" project in Laos to improve local educational and medical conditions.

A staff member answers questions from a member of the LMC media delegation in the China Southern Power Grid, Guangzhou city, south China’s Guangdong province on July 1, 2023. (People’s Daily Online/Ning Yuying)

Promoting cultural exchange and people-to-people friendship

Vinh Tan I Power Plant, CSG’s investment project in Vietnam, won the Excellent Operation Awards by Vietnam Electricity ( EVN ) in 2019 and 2020.

The project provides valuable opportunities for cultural exchange between China and Vietnam. There are many similarities in the two countries’ cultures. Chinese and Vietnamese colleagues not only work together well, but also help and learn from each other, Bui Thi Chiem, an employee of Vinh Tan 1 Power Co., Ltd, told People’s Daily online, recalling her experience in working on the project since 2017.

The China-Laos Railway is an emblematic project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and a key solution for Laos to transform itself from a landlocked to a land-linked country. External Power Supply Project of the Lao Section of China-Laos Railway is the first power grid BOT project in Laos, and a key contributor to ensuring the scheduled operation of the railway.

“The project has trained a number of power talents for Laos, driven local employment, and ensured the sufficiency of power along the line. I believe that with the joint efforts of the power people of Laos and China, we will definitely ensure the railway’s power supply and services. I hope one day I can take my family by train to China," said Thepmoukda Phetsalath, a Lao employee of Laos-China Power Investment Company, co-sponsored by CSG Yunnan International Co Ltd (YNIC) and the Électricité du Laos (EDL).

The 2023 Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Media Summit took place in Beijing on June 27, attracting over 130 representatives from related departments and media outlets from the six Lancang-Mekong countries. The LMC media delegation, aiming to promote exchanges among the people of the six countries through media cooperation, and to narrate the Lancang-Mekong story more effectively, visited various locations in China, including local enterprises, industrial parks, and communities.