On August 14th, in the Asprodan community located north of Lima, the capital of Peru, local resident Eduardo Cancano showcased his culinary signature. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Marianne Baso)
In the evening, Eduardo Cancano moved out of the house as usual a big signboard with pictures of Fried Rice, fried chicken set meal, chicken soup and other delicacies printed on it, and then launched a fully equipped dining car, with the words “large enough” striking.
Kanchano lives in the Asprodan community, about two hours’ drive north of the city center of Lima, the capital of Peru. This community used to be a desert, remote and lacking in infrastructure, gradually becoming a gathering place for low-income people. More than 98% of households in the community have not been connected to the public power grid for a long time and spend the night in the dark all year round.
In November 2024, Peru Boruz Energy Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Peru Boruz Company”), controlled by China Southern Power Grid, launched the “Ten Thousand Lights” project. As part of the project, they electrified over 500 households in the Asprodan community, providing safe and reliable electricity services, and installed streetlights every 30 to 35 meters along the main roads. The days of lighting candles and walking at night are gone forever, “Kanchano said in a recent interview with Xinhua News Agency.
Before the power was turned on, due to poor lighting and worrying community security, Kanchano had to close his door tightly at night to prevent theft, robbery, and other incidents, relying solely on running motorcycles during the day to make money. This situation changed with the power connection. “At the beginning of this year, I installed lights and set up a cooker outside my home, and started selling Fried Rice, hamburgers and other food. Unexpectedly, the business was booming.” Kanchano said that now his daughter will help him prepare and deliver food after school, and father and daughter have worked together to nearly double the family income.
After expanding his side business, Kanchano successively purchased washing machines, televisions, refrigerators and other appliances at home, and even “unprecedentedly” bought a mobile phone and connected to the internet. I now watch news and sports games every day, and my life has taken on a new color, “said Kanchano excitedly. His next plan is to convert the second floor of the house into a restaurant, set up tables and chairs, provide dine in services, and invite neighbors to the restaurant to chat, drink beer, and watch games.
According to Wu Yu, Vice Chairman of Boluz Company in Peru, since the implementation of the “Ten Thousand Lights” project, more than 13000 households, small and medium-sized enterprises, schools and other places in the suburbs of Lima have been electrified, benefiting over 50000 residents. According to the company’s plan, the electrification rate in the surrounding areas of Lima will be doubled by 2026, significantly improving the lives of residents in the capital and the poorest communities in the surrounding areas.
With the support of China Southern Power Grid, Peru Boruz Company is also committed to cultivating young power professionals in Peru. Every year, it provides 15 “technical scholarships” to students of the Industrial Power Institute under the Pachacutec Foundation, a Peruvian public welfare organization. Scholarship recipients have the opportunity to be recommended to enter Peru Boruz Company or upstream and downstream enterprises in the industrial chain.
Brenda Ortiz, who is 20 years old and lives in a poor community, was awarded the 2025 “Technology Scholarship” for her outstanding academic performance. Ortiz said that the scholarship allowed her to no longer worry about her livelihood, but to “wholeheartedly pursue her dream of college”. Her family’s poverty caused her brother to drop out of school early and start working. She hopes to be admitted to college and pursue further studies in the field of electrical engineering to “completely change the family’s situation”. Ortiz still holds a bigger dream in his heart, which is to ‘go to China to learn advanced power technology and return to his hometown to benefit the people’.
Walter Hueto, the General Manager of Boluz Company in Peru, witnessed the changes brought by Chinese companies to Peru’s power industry. He said that Chinese enterprises not only bring advanced power technology, efficient operation and maintenance capabilities, and the spirit of open cooperation, but also integrate the concept of “people-oriented” into community development and talent cultivation, promoting the common growth of enterprises and communities. In the future, both sides are expected to further deepen cooperation in areas such as power grid digitization, renewable energy utilization, electric mobility, and professional talent training, “said Hueto.
About half an hour’s drive from Asplodan Community, Qiankai Port, the landmark project of the “the Belt and Road” jointly built by China and Peru, is busy receiving and dispatching container goods from both sides of the Pacific Ocean. “After the port was opened to navigation, the transportation of distribution materials became faster.” Wu Yu said that power cooperation has illuminated thousands of families in Peru, and also brought the hearts of the two peoples closer.
This is a photo taken on August 14th in the Asprodan community north of Lima, the capital of Peru. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Marianne Baso)
On August 14th, at the Peruvian charity organization Pachacutec Foundation, student Brenda Ortiz practiced instrument operation. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Marianne Baso)
On August 14th, students practiced instrument operation at the Pachacutec Foundation, a public welfare organization in Peru. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Marianne Baso)
This is the electricity training area captured on August 14th within the Pachacutec Foundation, a Peruvian public welfare organization. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Marianne Baso)