JFE Engineering Corporation's Demonstration (Feasibility Study) in the Lao People's Democratic Republic Utilizing Recycled Steel Bridge Girders Selected for METI's FY2024 Subsidy for the Global South Future-Oriented Co-Creation Project (Small-Scale Demon

Mar. 11, 2026

JFE Engineering Corporation

JFE Engineering Corporation (President and CEO: Kazuyoshi Fukuda; Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo) announces that its demonstration project in the Lao People's Democratic Republic ("Laos") utilizing recycled steel bridge girders (the "Project") was selected on February 5, 2026 for the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's FY2024 subsidy for the Global South^*1 Future-Oriented Co-Creation Project^*2 (Small-Scale Demonstration / Feasibility Study Program).
The selected Project targets steel bridge girders removed during bridge replacement projects in Laos and currently stored by the government. Through condition surveys, including dimensional measurements and creation of As-built drawings, as well as material testing, the Project aims to verify the potential for regenerating these girders and to examine and demonstrate the feasibility (FS) of reusing them as permanent or temporary bridges through repair and reinforcement.
This initiative represents the first effort by a Japanese company^*3 in the Global South, including Laos, to implement a recycling and reuse project incorporating a steel bridge girder reconstruction design^*4 process.

Project Background

National Route No. 9 ("Route 9") forms part of the East--West Economic Corridor extending from Vietnam to Myanmar and is one of the most important routes supporting economic activity and the movement of people and goods in the region. Meanwhile, many bridges along Route 9 and other major roads have been in service for long periods, resulting in severe age-related deterioration. This makes bridge rehabilitation and replacement an urgent issue^*5 .
Between 2016 and 2019, JFE Engineering replaced the significantly deteriorated Xe Kum Kam Bridge and Xe Tha Mouak Bridge along Route 9 through Japan's grant aid program^*6 . Through these projects, including the use of the Company's proprietary "River Bridge"^*7 technology, JFE Engineering contributed to improving traffic safety and ensuring stable operation along Route 9.Many steel bridges constructed in the early to mid-1900s remain in developing countries across Asia, Oceania, and Africa, and are now reaching the point where renewal is needed. Constructing new steel bridges may face constraints on cost and delivery time, and the reuse of removed steel girders offers an option that contributes not only to resource circulation and decarbonization but also to efficient infrastructure development.

Project Overview

The Project targets approximately 250 meters of removed steel bridge girders, dismantled by JFE Engineering during the bridge replacement works described above and currently stored by the Lao government. For these girders, the Project will examine regeneration design through repair and reinforcement (for permanent or temporary bridges), as well as local processing, constructability, and construction scheduling. The effectiveness of reuse will then be evaluated from both economic and environmental perspectives, compared with newly procured materials. (Project period: March 2026 -- February 2027)
The Project will be implemented primarily by JFE Engineering, with the cooperation of Road No.8 Construction State Enterprise, which is responsible for the construction and maintenance of major national roads in Laos. The Project is expected to strengthen ASEAN connectivity and promote economic development in the Mekong region. As countermeasures against aging infrastructure become increasingly crucial, the initiative is expected to serve as an advanced effort that simultaneously promotes resource circulation and efficient infrastructure development.

Future Developments

Following completion of the demonstration project, in addition to regenerating and reusing the remaining bridge girders, JFE Engineering plans to expand the initiative to similar bridges within Laos and to other Global South regions, including Fiji, where the Company is conducting a similar demonstration project. Through these initiatives, the Company aims to promote the international standardization and market expansion of Japan's steel recycling technologies.Through the Project, JFE Engineering aims to establish a sustainable and efficient infrastructure development model and will continue contributing to global decarbonization and the realization of a sustainable society.

• ※1Global South: A collective term referring to emerging and developing countries primarily located in the Southern Hemisphere, including regions such as Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
• ※2FY2024 Subsidy for the Global South Future-Oriented Co-Creation Project (Small-Scale Demonstration / FS Program)
  Special website:　https://gs-hojo-web-fspoc.jp/index.html (only in Japanese)
• ※3Based on JFE Engineering research (March 2026).
• ※4A design method in which drawings are reconstructed through on-site surveys and other methods when original drawings of existing structures are unavailable.
• ※5Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan: Grant Aid to the Lao People's Democratic Republic: Signing and Exchange of Notes on "the Economic and Social Development Programme"
• ※6JFE Engineering News Release: "JFE Engineering Receives Order for Bridge Improvement Work on National Trunk Road in Laos--First Adoption of JFE's 'River Bridge' in ODA Project--"
• ※7River Bridge: https://www.jfe-eng.co.jp/products/bridge/br07.html

Concept Images of Recycled Steel Girder Reuse