China's first 500-kilovolt cross-border alternating-current power project began operation on Monday, creating the highest-voltage grid link between China and Laos. The line increases two-way transfer capacity from 50,000 kilowatts (kW) to 1.5 million kW and can deliver about 3 billion kilowatt-hours of clean electricity each year. The project also launched cross-border power trading, with electricity from a photovoltaic project in Laos entering China's electricity market for the first time.