The First Traction Substation in Operation Along The Laos-China Railway

Vientiane, Laos - After a 24-hour trial period loaded with full electrical power provided by China Southern Power Grid, the first traction substation in Laos along the Laos-China Railway was officially placed into operation and started to distribute electricity, providing power support for the opening of the China-Laos Railway.
The railway power supply project in Laos was launched by China Southern Power Grid as a response to the multi-faceted Belt and Road Initiative. It includes 20 newly-built 115 KV transmission lines totaling 257 kilometers and 11 expanded substation bays operating at 115 KV.
Ten traction substations designed for electrified railroads have now been connected to the Laotian national grid.
All construction was completed on March 31 this year and checked for approval by the Laotian government and Électricité du Laos before acceptance.  EDL is the state corporation of Laos that owns and operates the country's electricity generation, electricity transmission and electricity distribution assets and also manages the import and export of electricity from the national electricity grid of the country.
The newly commissioned traction substation is located in Muang Phôn-Hông, a town and capital of Vientiane Province, Laos. It operates with 24.2 kilometers of two 115 KV transmission lines with one 115KV substation bay.
To ensure the complete success of the project and to meet the power demands for railroad commissioning, engineers and senior managers from the Yunnan Power Grid Corporation have made substantial plans and arrangements beforehand. In cooperation with EDL, it identified the key points and crucial stages during the operation of traction substations and taken stringent measures to protect power grid from failure and ensure personnel security.
The next step for the Yunnan Power Grid senior managers will be to work closely with their counterparts at Électricité du Laos as well as officials from the Laos-China Railway Corporation, a subsidiary of China Railway, in building and operating nine additional traction substations for the envisioned community of shared future between the two countries.