Relevant agencies need to mobilize resources and improve work style to finish the 500kV ultra-high voltage transmission line – circuit 3 from the North Central Region by the end of June 2024.  

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired a government meeting on speeding up the 500kV transmission line - circuit 3 on January 28. Photos: Nhat Bac/VGP

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh made the request at an online government meeting on January 28 attended by heads of different ministries and nine localities where the power line project will run from the central province of Quang Binh to the northern province of Hung Yen.

The construction of the 500kV circuit 3 line is essential to bolstering the North-Central 500kV transmission grid’s capacity and to ensure electricity supply for the North both now and in the future. At the same time, it enhances the transfer of power from the North Central region’s power sources to the Northern region’s load center.

Speaking at the meeting, Chinh said the line – circuit 3 is a crucial and urgent project that will contribute significantly to national energy security, particularly in the North, as well as the national and social security.

Invested by Vietnam Electricity’s National Power Transmission Corporation (EVNNPT), the North–South 500kV ultra-high voltage power transmission line – circuit 3 stretching from Quang Binh, Ha Tinh, Nghe An, Thanh Hoa, Ninh Binh, Nam Dinh, Thai Binh, Hai Duong, and Hung Yen costs a total investment of VND22 trillion (US$894 million).

Of the investment, VND15.6 trillion (US$634 million) or 70% of the total capital is committed by five domestic commercial banks, namely Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV), Vietnam Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Industry and Trade (Vietinbank), Military Bank (MB), Asia Commercial Bank (ACB), and Vietnam International Commercial Joint Stock Bank (VIB). 

The North–South 500kV ultra-high-voltage power transmission line – circuit 1, totaling 1,487km, starting from Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant in the north and ending in Ho Chi Minh City, was commissioned in 1994.

The North–South 500kV ultra-high voltage power transmission line – circuit 2 was commissioned in 2005, spanning 21 cities and provinces from Ho Chi Minh City through the Central Highlands and connecting the northern region. The 1,596-km line passes through Ho Chi Minh City, Long An, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Lam Dong, Dak Lak, Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Quang Ngai, Danang, Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Tri, Quang Binh, Ha Tinh, Nghe An, Thanh Hoa, Ninh Binh, Hoa Binh, Ha Nam, and Ha Tay (part of Hanoi now).

The line – circuit 3 has four components with a total length of 519km, having 1,179 power poles across 211 communes of nine provinces from the North Central region to the North. 

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in a field trip to the power construction site in Nghia Hong Commune, Nghia Hung District, Nam Dinh Province on January 27.

Determination

Stressing the importance of the line – circuit 3 to national security, the Prime Minister said that relevant agencies and localities must be determined to take bold action to complete the project by the deadline.

He said that the government has prioritized electricity projects for 2024 and the years to come to ensure enough supply for economic development. He also emphasized the need for human resource management, saying that officials who failed to perform their duties in electricity supply in 2023 were disciplined and will face punishment.

According to the prime minister, Vietnam’s total installed power capacity has reached more than 75,000MW while the available capacity is 50,000MW, which does not fall short but the transmission and monitoring are the matters that resulted in the shortage of electricity in summer time in some regions.

On January 27, on a field trip to construction sites in four provinces of Thai Binh, Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh, and Thanh Hoa, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh offered gifts to workers at the construction sites and worked with local authorities for measures to be taken to speed up the projects.

During the trip and at the government meeting over the past two days, Chinh asked Vietnam Electricity (EVN) – the sole power distributor and EVNNPT – the project investor to work in the spirit of moving forward, around the clock without holidays while making full use of technology to ensure the quality. 

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh meets people in Nghia Hong Commune, Nghia Hung District, Nam Dinh Province on January 27.

Representatives of EVNNPT pointed out challenges facing the project including compensation for site clearance in the provinces of Hung Yen, Hai Duong, Thai Binh, and Nam Dinh due to the power line coverage in residential areas and industrial parks.

Meanwhile, the mountainous and rugged terrain in Ha Tinh, Nghe An, and Thanh Hoa provinces poses construction difficulties that will affect the process.

To ensure the construction, EVN and EVNNPT proposed the government allow localities through which the line passes to be given access to forests to carry out the project.

Given the importance of the project, Chairman of EVN’s Board of Directors Dang Hoang An admitted that it’s hard for the investor to finish the huge amount of work in a short time but the group would cooperate with relevant ministries and localities to speed up the construction for the national energy security.

“This is not just anyone’s business but for the benefit of the nation and the entire people. It requires the key public units and moreover, the entire political system to participate and mobilize resources to put the project into operation in June 2024,” the Prime Minister said.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh offers gifts to workers in Hai Ha Commune, Ha Trung District, Thanh Hoa Province on January 27.