A China-invested 1-million-kilowatt photovoltaic project broke ground in northern Laos, China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN), a major nuclear power operator in China and the project investor, announced on Thursday.

The project, jointly constructed by the CGN and over 70 other Chinese and Laotian enterprises, is the phase I project of CGN's clean energy base in northern Laos that encompasses multiple and complementary sources such as wind, solar, and biomass.

It is also the first large-scale photovoltaic project in Laos.

With an installed capacity of one million kilowatts, the phase I project is expected to generate an average 1.7 billion kilowatt-hours of power annually, enough to meet the power consumption demand of about 10 million households.

Energy conservation as a result of the project is equivalent to reducing about 510,000 tonnes of standard coal annually.

The project illustrates the success of China-Laos cooperation, remarked Khamphiang Yachongva, deputy governor of Oudomxay Province, one of the three provinces that host the clean energy base.

The deputy governor added that the project will drive social-economic development of his province in terms of job creation and construction of roads, schools, water supply facilities and townships.