Picture 1. Materials of Laos Nam Ngum 4 Hydropower Station Project, Were Transported by China-Laos Railway Freight Train for the First Time

On December 9,2021, materials of the power transmission towers of CHMC Laos Nam Ngum 4 Hydropower Station Project, were transported from Qingdao, China. CHMC actively responded to the call of the country, and this transportation made full use of China-Laos railway and other convenient conditions, saving freight cost nearly 100000CNY.

The total weight of the tower materials is 158 tons, and it arrived in Yiwu (Yiwu Section of China-Laos Railway) on December 10, 2021. After unloading, packing, disinfection and epidemic prevention, customs clearance, it successfully was boarded the China-Laos railway freight train on December 13,2021. The six 40-foot railway containers were expected to arrive in Vientiane on December 20, 2021, and then would be transferred to the Project site.

Due to the impact of the epidemic, China-Laos land transport routes had been in trial operation and shortage, with high prices and poor connectivity. CHMC comprehensively analyzed a variety of modes of transportation and transportation routes, focusing on China-Laos Overland Transport, Shenzhen-Vientiane, Kunming-Vientiane, Yiwu-Vientiane China-Laos railway freight trains. After the risk analysis and price comparison, the risk-low, cost-low, fast and convenient China-Laos railway transport scheme was selected.

During the transportation, CHMC Nam Ngum 4 Hydropower Station Project Department and CHMC Storage and Transportation Department strictly complied with the epidemic prevention policies of border ports between China and Laos, overcame unfavorable conditions such as the shortage of vehicles and drivers due to the epidemic and the lack of road access, created conditions for the smooth delivery of tower materials to the site.