Hydropower complex brings jobs, better pay
水利设施带来就业，当地人收入提升

For Luchan, a Laotian hydro-power plant worker, 2019 is turning out to be a promising year, both personally and professionally.
陆川（音译）是老挝水电站的一名老挝籍员工，2019将是他生活和工作充满希望的一年。

The first unit of the second phase of the Nam Ou Cascade Hydropower Project, which Luchan joined five years ago as a bulldozer driver, is nearing completion and is expected to begin generating power in the coming months.
五年前，他来到那欧江二期电站修建的第一座水电站开挖掘机时，电站建设接近完工，数月后将投产发电。

At the same time, Luchan, who only has one name, said he will soon have enough savings to buy a pickup truck for his parents to start a small business.
那时，本一无所有的陆川说，自己很快就能攒够钱给父母买辆皮卡车了，二老能自己做点小买卖。

The Nam Ou project, with an installed capacity of 1,272 megawatts, is invested in and constructed by Power Construction Corp of China, or PowerChina, at a cost of $2.73 billion.
南欧江梯级电站总装机1272兆瓦，总投资27.3亿美元，由中国电建投资承建。

As a key part of the China-led Belt and Road Initiative, it is the first project undertaken by a Chinese-invested company to cover an entire river.
这是中国企业首次获得国外整条流域开发权的项目，是一带一路重要项目。

The Nam Ou River, a major tributary of the Mekong in Laos, originates in Yunnan province in China, and flows for 475 kilometers in northern Laos through the provinces of Phongsaly and Luang Prabang.
南欧江是湄公河在老挝的主要支流，发源于中国云南省，流经老挝丰沙里和琅勃拉邦两省475公里。

The project, which began in 2011, has created reservoirs with seven levels. The first phase, comprising plants on levels 2, 5 and 6, has generated 4 billion kWh since it started operating on Jan 1, 2017, until March.
南欧江梯级水电站建设始于2011年，分7级开发。一期工程由2、5、6级电站组成，自2017年投产以来已发电40亿度。

The second phase, comprising plants on levels 1, 3, 4 and 7, is expected to be fully completed by the end of next year. The project will provide 12 percent of Laos' electricity supply, according to PowerChina.
二期工程由1、3、4、7级电站组成，计划于来年完工，满足老挝12%的电力需求。

Luchan, 25, is one of many Laotian workers at the site who has received an official certificate from PowerChina as a special equipment operator. Like many of his fellow workers, this is the first skills certificate he has received.
在项目上，25岁的陆川跟许多老挝籍员工一样，正式收获了人生中第一份技能证书——特种设备驾驶员证

"Each month, I will go back home and use my salary to support the family," said Luchan, who earns about 4.5 million Laotian kip ($525) a month. "We don't need to worry about money when we want to buy something."
“每个月我都525美元的薪水供家里所有开销”，陆川说，“出去买东西不用再发愁了”。

The minimum monthly wage in Laos was raised to 1.1 million kip on May 1, according to Xinhua News Agency. In Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the average monthly salary is about $200 after tax, according to the research website Numbeo.com.
据新华社报道，老挝最低月薪在5月1日上涨到110万基辅。据 Numbeo.com网调查，在琅勃拉邦一家联合国教科文组织下面的世界非物质文化遗产机构工作，税后月收入也才200美元。

Earlier this year, Luchan's two older brothers joined the project as bulldozer drivers on the night shift. The three siblings are among some 300 to 400 Laotian workers at the construction site, accounting for more than 50 percent of the employees at the level-1 plant.
今年初，陆川的两个哥哥也到项目上夜班开挖掘机，项目上共有300多名老挝籍员工，占到1级水电站员工总数的一半以上。

Zhang Hua'nan, assistant to the general manager of Nam Ou Power Co and project manager of the level-1 plant, said: "Laotian people are very friendly and key to the construction of the hydropower station. They have played irreplaceable roles in the project.
张华南（音译）是南欧江电力公司总经理助理，和1级电站项目经理，他说，老挝人民非常友好，是建设水电站的重要力量，发挥着无可替代的作用。

"Many people like to work with us to earn a better income."
“许多人想到项目上工作获得更好的报酬。”

Zhang said the monthly salary is normally about 3 million kip for workers, while employees in the back office earn 2.5 million kip. For jobs requiring higher skills, such as a bulldozer driver, salaries range from 4 million to 5 million kip.
张华南说，一线工人月收入大概300万基辅，给办公室做事大概250万基辅。技能型工作比如开挖掘机，则400万至500万基辅不等。

It is important to attract Laotian employees through economic support and other benefits such as a vacation system, Zhang said. "Only when local people's lives have been improved can they appreciate being involved in a project that benefits them," he added.
高收入和其他福利比如休假能吸引当地人来工作。张华南说，只有确实能提升生活水平的工作待遇，大家才会羡慕这份工作。

Chanthala Phanthasith, an international trade graduate from Leshan Normal University in Sichuan province, noted the appeal of PowerChina's worker benefits. She joined the Nam Ou project in October as a senior manager, training and supervising all 22 Laotian service staff members on site.
老挝女孩Chanthala Phanthasith毕业于四川乐山师院，主修国际贸易专业，被中国电建的福利待遇吸引，十月来到南欧江项目担任高级主管，负责培训和督导工点上22名老挝籍员工。

This month, she will celebrate her first songkran, the Laotian New Year, since starting with the company. "I feel great that as a Laotian employee I can have the whole three-day holiday (from April 14 to 16)," she said, adding that the company also organizes activities for other holidays.
这个月，她要庆祝老挝新年泼水节，“因为我是老挝籍员工，所以我能享受整整3天的假期（4月14号到16号），”她说，公司还组织我们开展了假期活动。

Soudaphone Bounsoulivanh, one of four dispatchers from Laos at the level-2 plant, joined in August. Having majored in Chinese language and literature, the Yunnan Normal University graduate initially wanted to be a translator, but was assigned to monitor the hydrologic regime. Her job is critical because the real-time data of precipitation and water flow across the river is not only crucial for hydropower management, but also for the Laotian government to draw up economic plans.
Soudaphone Bounsoulivanh是2级电站的调度员，8月份进入中国电建工作，毕业于云南师范大学汉语言文学专业，最初想当一名翻译，但是被分配到水情观测工作。她的工作包括监测实时降雨和水流数据，这些数据不仅对于水电站管理至关重要，也是老挝政府制定经济计划的重要参考。

"Even though I didn't know anything about the job, the company was still willing to make me the offer and provide training," she said. "My (Chinese) colleagues are all very nice. They always help me whenever I have questions.
“尽管我对这项工作十分感到陌生，但是公司依然愿意接纳我，并且提供培训。”她说，“我的中国同事们人很好，总是不厌其烦的回答问我提出的问题”

"Working here allows me to improve my professional skills so I can make contributions to my country."
“这份工作提升了我的专业技能，以后我还能报效自己的国家。”

Va Ya Yong Toua, 24, from Xieng Khouang province in northeastern Laos, joined the Nam Ou project in March last year. The former waiter heard about an operational attendant's job through his Chinese teacher in Luang Prabang. He now earns twice as much as before.
Va Ya Yong Toua今年24岁，来自老挝东南部Xieng Khouang省，他从在琅勃拉邦的中文老师那里得知有一份运行维护人员的工作后，于去年3月加入中国电建。现在收入是当他服务员时的两倍。

"When I joined the company, I found a Chinese colleague to teach me things at work," he said. "Now, we have three more Laotian colleagues who started after me and it is my turn to teach them."
“我来后有一个中国同事当我的老师，教我处理工作上的事情”，他说，”现在，轮到我去教手下的3个老挝同事了。”

According to PowerChina, the Nam Ou project has provided more than 8,000 job opportunities for local people. In addition to recruiting for frontline construction and operations, the company has promoted locals to managerial roles, including contract management and employee training.
据中电建统计，南欧江梯级电站项目共向老挝人提供了超过8000个工作岗位。除了一线建设岗位，还有管理岗位，包括合同管理和雇员培训岗位。

Localization is an important element of the project, said Huang Yande, general manager of Nam Ou Power Co. Huang is also the assistant general manager of PowerChina Resources.
南欧江发电公司总经理说、PowerChina Resources的总经理助理说，属地化是南欧江项目的一大特色。

Local employees account for 51 percent of recruits in the first phase and 77 percent in the second. But Huang said there are comparatively fewer local operational staff members at the power station, because of a lack of qualified talent. He hopes to increase the proportion to 40 percent within the next three years, and eventually to over 70 or even 90 percent.
老挝籍南欧江一期老挝籍雇员占比51%，二期占比77%。他说，但是发电站老挝籍雇员比例要低一点，因为他们还不具备这些岗位的技能和专业知识。他希望能在三年将占比提升到40%，最终到70%甚至90%。

The Nam Ou project has been developed with a build-operate-transfer model, under which the operation will be handed over to the Laotian government and people after Power-China manages it for 29 years.
南欧江项目采用建设、运行、移交的模式，中国电建再管理29年就将最终交给老挝政府。

"The ultimate goal for the project is not about bringing people from China here, but to really benefit the country where the project is located," Huang said.
“最终目的不是把中国人带过来，而是惠及当地。”他说。

In mid-April, the first batch of 52 new Laotian employees will return from a four-month training program in Sichuan.
四月中旬，第一批前往四川培训的老挝雇员将结束4个月的学习并返回项目。

"When Chinese companies expand their business overseas, exporting China's standards, equipment and technology, it is also important to use our capital to promote the rapid development of the country," Huang said.
“中国企业在海外做生意，除了出口中国的标准、设备、技术，以资本投入促进所在国发展也是很重要的。”他说。

"Laos aims to become the 'battery of Southeast Asia', but it also needs others' help to build the battery so its power can flow to other countries like Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, even Singapore and Malaysia."
老挝的目标是打造“东南亚蓄电池”，但是需要外界帮助，电力才能像泰国、越南、新家坡和马来西亚那样顺利地输出到其他国家。

The Nam Ou project recently launched a website in Laotian, Chinese and English, allowing users to submit comments, questions or even complaints.
南欧江项目最近在老挝网络上开通了中英文双语网站，每个人可以在上面发表评论、问题，甚至可以投诉。

"We are very open-minded (about public opinion)," Huang said. "As a Chinese company, we hope to use our ability to help other countries and break the development bottleneck. Only in this way can the project be sustainable."
“我们对公众的声音持开放态度。”他说，“作为一家亚洲公司，我们希望用自己的力量帮助其他国家打破发展瓶颈，我们的项目才是可持续的。”

Although construction work is coming to an end, bulldozer driver Luchan hopes to continue working with PowerChina on other projects in Laos.
项目建设接近尾声，陆川希望能到中国电建其他老挝项目继续工作。

Senior manager Phanthasith aims to return to China for postgraduate studies, while dispatcher Bounsoulivanh would like her youngest brother, who is learning Chinese, to join the company.
高级主管Phanthasith希望回到中国完成继续教育，调度员Bounsoulivanh则希望弟弟好好学习中文，以后到中国电建工作。

"After nearly 30 years, the project will be handed over to the Laotian government, so I think it is a good chance for him (to find a stable job)," she said.
“差不多30年后，这些工程将移交给老挝政府，我想对弟弟来说，这将是分稳定的工作。”她说。

Operations attendant Yong Toua brought his wife to the plant, and she now works there as a chef. The couple lives together in a dormitory for employees. "Just like many Chinese people, we want to save money and buy our own house and car as soon as possible," he said.
“运维员工Yong Toua把妻子接到了项目当厨师。”这对夫妇住在员工宿舍。“跟中国人一样，我们也想多存点钱，尽快买房买车。”

The benefits of such a massive project go beyond the undertaking itself.
这项大型工程的积极意义远不止工程建设本身。

Yong Toua praised the Nam Ou project for improving local people's lives. "Before the project started, there were some places in Laos that suffered from electricity shortages," he said. "The company has also built bridges and roads, making it easier for people to travel in the region."
Yong Toua点赞南欧江项目改善了当地人的生活水平。“工程建设前，老挝很多地方都饱受电力短缺的困扰，”他说。“中国电建还修了很多路和桥，方便当地人出行。”

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